We all love to “chill” on a day off like July 4 – hang out with friends, BBQ, maybe play some fun video or Everygame Red Casino games – but this past Independence Day people were drawn to the theatres.
This is the day that the movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ premiered in theatres all around the country. This true-life thriller unexpectedly beat “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” at the box office when it jumped to the number one spot.
Box Office Mojo reported that the film grossed over $14 million; that is 11.5 million in box office sales and another $2.6 million in Pay It Forward tickets sold during Independence Day. The film “Indiana Jones”, the long-time favorite earned a total of $11.698 million, according to Deadline, and this was in spite of the fact that it showed in far more theatres around the country.
The “Sound of Freedom” is the true story of one man’s efforts to fight and stop the sex trafficking of children. The film, put out by Angel Studios is the story of Tim Ballard, once a US Department of Homeland Security agent. He left his position with the Department of Homeland Security in order to spend more time working to rescue these enslaved children.
The film has an important message
The Sound of Freedom shouts out a strong message “God’s children are not for sale”, and bringing attention to the millions of children being trafficked all over the world.
The film is directed by Alejandro Monteverde and has some well-known actors: Jim Caviezel from “Passion of The Christ”, Bill Camp from “12 Years a Slave”, Mira Sorvino who won an Oscar in “The Final Cut” and Jose Zuniga from “Twilight”. The film’s producer, Eduardo Verastegui also acts in the movie.
The film has received great reviews getting an A+ Cinema Score. It received a 99% audience result on Rotten Tomatoes and a 85% critics score.
Neal Harmon, the CEO of Angel Studios says “Thanks to fans around the country, ‘Sound of Freedom’ earned the top spot at American’s number one movie on Independence Day. We’ve received numerous messages telling us theatres are either packed or sold out. This movie has now taken on a life of its own to become something more than that, a grassroots movement.”
Harmon goes on to say “With an A+ Cinema Score rating, we’re the top-rated movie in America and we’re going to see word-of-mouth spread even further going in the weekend. The world needs to see ‘Sound of Freedom’ and we know that our biggest competitive advantage – our incredible fans and investors – are going to make sure that happens.”
The “Sound of Freedom” was made five years ago and initially signed with Disney but then never released. The film was also rejected by a slew of Hollywood studios. Fortunately, Angel Studios picked it up and obtained worldwide distribution rights and we are now seeing just how successful the film is.
The film will keep viewers captivated as they follow Ballard in his pursuit of children abducted from their family and his mission to rescue them from captivity for sex work. The movie does have some violent scenes but much of the violence is suggested rather than shown and gives rise to discomforting feelings for those viewing it.
Families with young adults are encouraged to see the movie together. Teenagers need to understand that there are unsavory people around and that they need to be aware of some of the evil things that are happening in the world.
Monteverde quoted a passage from Luke 17:1-2 during the Miami premiere of the movie. He quoted “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.”
A Worldwide Problem
A report published in January by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development stated that “Mexico ranks first in child sexual abuse: first in exploitation, homicides, and trafficking of minors; and first in creation and distribution of child pornography.”
And, according to a statement made in 2019 to Fox News, by Geoff Rogers, the co-founder of the United States Institute Against Human Trafficking, the United States is “the number one consumer of sex worldwide”. This also includes child pornography.
The film’s producer, Verastegui is looking to “put pressure on the government so these things become a priority, not just for the government, for everyone.”
Talking with the Christian Post he said “What really hurts me the most is that the people who are doing this to kids are human beings like you and me, made of the same. This is not people who are coming from other planets that are our enemies. This is people like us. So, at what moment, what happened to these guys? They were kids at some point full of dreams. So, what happened at that moment when they decided to, ‘You know what? I’m going to use my life to hurt kids’.”
Human trafficking is defined by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime when “force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control” is experienced. Everyone should make sure to see this important film.