opened “Sound of Freedom” last Tuesday, generating a mighty $14.2 million on Independence Day. The film picked up another $18.2 million between Friday and Sunday, enough to place third on domestic box office charts behind “Insidious: The Red Door” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” . It’s also playing in 2,850 North American theaters — a smaller footprint than those two studio films .
It’s one of the biggest openings in recent times for a faith-based film, according to Comscore, which counts this spring’s Kelsey Grammar-led “Jesus Revolution” , 2019’s “Breakthrough” with Chrissy Metz and 2018’s Erwin brothers musical drama “I Can Only Imagine” as other top turnouts for movies that cater to religious audiences.
Religious and conservative media groups have rallied behind the film, which is partially crowdfunded. The Utah-based Angel Studios used other unconventional efforts to promote the film, including an app that allows people to buy and then donate tickets to those who can’t afford the price of admission. About $2.6 million of opening day sales were earned through the “Pay It Forward” app, which the company framed as a way to raise awareness about child trafficking.
“There’s support for the movie from white conservative political groups, but a third of the audience is Hispanic,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “The inspiration, action and Latin America-based story are drawing a diverse audience, not just ethnically,” he adds, “but in age and gender.”chief film critic Owen Gleiberman