Why was Sound of Freedom delayed? Explained

July 18, 2023 (Last updated: last month)
M.N. Miller 27
Features, Movies, New and Upcoming, RSC Originals
Why was Sound of Freedom delayed


Why was Sound of Freedom delayed? This article discusses the five-year delay of the box office hit and the reasons why.

The Sound of Freedom stars Jim Caviezel, Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), and Bill Camp (Dark Waters). Released earlier this month on July 4th, the film has grossed an incredible $85 million in less than two weeks, surpassing its $14.5 million budget. The Sound of Freedom box office has been stunning.

Directed by Alejandro Gómez Monteverde and written by Rob Barr, the movie has been a surprising hit with both audiences and critics.

Sound of Freedom has received a rare A+ CinemaScore, even boasting a perfect 100% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with over 10,000 verified reviews. While the film’s critical score has fallen to 72%, it still maintains a positive rating among critics.

However, the film has garnered attention due to reported delays and controversy from fans and detractors.

What is Sound of Freedom about?

As we mentioned above, Jim Caviezel, known for his roles in The Passion of the Christ and The Thin Red Line, stars in Sound of Freedom. He plays Tim Ballard, a former federal agent who takes it upon himself to combat child traffickers. Distributed by Angel Studios, the synopsis reads:

“Sound of Freedom, based on the incredible true story, shines a light on even the darkest of places. After rescuing a young boy from ruthless child traffickers, a federal agent learns the boy’s sister is still captive and decides to embark on a dangerous mission to save her. With time running out, he quits his job and journeys deep into the Colombian jungle, putting his life on the line to free her from a fate worse than death.”

Why was Sound of Freedom delayed?

Sound of Freedom experienced a delay, and two stories surround the reasons behind it. In one account, Jim Caviezel, the film’s star, explains in a post-credit message that the film was held back to maximize its distribution and raise awareness about child sex trafficking.

“We hope Sound of Freedom will be the Uncle Tom’s Cabin of 21st-century slavery. He added, “We believe this movie has the power to be a huge step toward ending child trafficking.”

Another describes the movie had fallen into cinema purgatory after one studio absorbed another. However, after completing the film in 2018, it was shelved by the Walt Disney Company. Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Sound of Freedom was pulled from distribution.

Eventually, the filmmakers repurchased the rights to Sound of Freedom and distributed the movie through Angel Studios.

Is Sound of Freedom controversial?

Yes, the movie is controversial. According to the Washington Post, “The film is controversial because the man the movie is about, former Homeland Security operative Tim Ballard, and the actor who plays him, Jim Caviezel, both have links to QAnon. Ballard has promoted the baseless claim that furniture retailer Wayfair was involved in child trafficking.”

QAnon is a conspiracy theory and political movement that was, according to the New York Times, fabricated by the far right and an individual known as “Q.” The newspaper adds, “Explaining the ‘big tent conspiracy theory’ that falsely claims that former President Trump is facing down a shadowy cabal of Democratic pedophiles.”

However, the Sound of Freedom movie also has raised controversy with its ticket distribution method through Angel Studios. The film marketing is crowd-funded. The tickets can be free using a digital code or scanning a QR code that can be passed to others. According to reports, the studio raised enough money to give away four million tickets.

This has led to many claiming that Sound of Freedom is cutting box office profits from high-profile films over a major holiday weekend. That includes the Pixar film Elemental and the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

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27 thoughts on “Why was Sound of Freedom delayed? Explained

  • July 19, 2023 at 4:32 am
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    Interesting that no one heard of qonon when this film was made. You need to cite your sources for an outlandish claim such as that.

  • July 19, 2023 at 6:22 pm
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    You, Susan, are not everyone. Perhaps Q is new to you, but everyone? I regret to say Q has been ongoing for far too long and has caused such division in the world. So sad.

    The movie (which I am watching this weekend) doesn’t have to be pinned to these BS claims. There is no political motivation for child trafficking. There are no huge Companies funding or receiving monies from child trafficking. This is all a laughable far right conspiracy.

    Child Trafficking/sex trafficking is a terrible reality. Let’s focus on that, rather then making up conspiracies to explain the reasons and causes.

  • July 19, 2023 at 7:36 pm
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    I believe a lot of influential people including movie stars, politician’s and rich people are involved with this child trafficking.

  • July 19, 2023 at 10:33 pm
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    There is Q
    There are anons

    There is no Qanon

  • July 20, 2023 at 7:10 am
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    Every time I hear put downs about Jim or Q-anon, that just makes me want to see it more.

    Truth is that It’s a great movie that is side-stepping the big studios and distributors, and its marketed to a faith based audience that is making its presence felt. And boy oh boy, isnt the establishment uncomfortable about that.

  • July 20, 2023 at 1:47 pm
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    This is a really good movie. If people’s heads were in the sand before this they aren’t anymore. This in not a conspiracy theory movie. This is real life and it has been going on for a very very long time. It doesn’t mater about Q or left wing pundits. It’s portraying actual life events. Unfortunately they are being slammed by a lot of left wing media outlets for obvious reasons. Go see it. Decide for yourself and don’t let the negative narrative about the movie away you

  • July 20, 2023 at 2:55 pm
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    This article does NOT explain why Sound of Freedom was shelved for five years and your title is misleading. Please give further details about those studio acquisitions and why that affected the release of SoF. This is not a good article for actual information that many of us are interested in.

  • July 20, 2023 at 3:17 pm
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    1. The reason for the success is that the subject, child trafficking, is a reality and has developed a base of concerned citizens who are “participating” in a movement.

    This will likely lead to numerous states establishing new laws against trafficking to appease the interest of their consultants.

    2. The Wayfair conspiracy was very sketchy – extremely overpriced furniture with names that match missing kids.

  • July 20, 2023 at 8:06 pm
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    This movie was shelved because Hollywood is infested with pedophiles and people had to fight for five years to buy the rights to release it. Now the same media is claiming it was to maximize profit? Another example of why no one watches mainstream media. If they had their way sound of freedom would be gone and pedophilia would be legal and they wouldn’t have to hide their disgusting fetishes. By media I mean the left wing establishment in Washington, media and Hollywood. All feathers of the same bird.

  • July 21, 2023 at 1:07 am
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    How was the movie shelved, there was COVID that closed down theaters, plus the mess of the merger that pushed back movies. Then the producers had to buy the film back so they could shop it around, that’s in no way any form of a deliberate shelving, LOL

  • July 21, 2023 at 1:12 pm
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    And how many other mainstream movies were shelved due to covid and then producers had to buy there film back to distribute them Over the cource of 5 years? Covid only affected theater for a year at most. I agree with Brown

  • July 22, 2023 at 1:38 pm
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    The movie’s subject is real. THERE ARE CHILDREN BEING KIDNAPPED DAILY AND SOLD. This is as bad and worse than slavery. Why are we not as outraged about this as we would be if slavery was to return?

  • July 22, 2023 at 4:23 pm
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    I have never been so moved by a movie in my entire life. To see this movie brought a visualization to my heart that was only a news story. We need to spread this movie everywhere. Politicians need to stop fighting & wasting government dollars & shut down these preditors now. Each day means one more child is violated and caged like animals.

  • July 23, 2023 at 1:01 am
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    Hell yes there are some absolutely disgusting sick child predators in Hollywood and politics. U wouldnt even believe who some of these sicko’s are President trump is gonna flush em out believe that. All the sicko’s that meet up at Epstein island and have their lil ceremonies if u may. They torture these poor babies from 6 mos-?? This stuffs real people wake up!! they are demons with no souls who have literally sold their soul to the devil. Katie perry, Tom hanks, and oh can’t forget the demon Hilary clinton. These are just to name a few.their sick fetishes that they act on with these innocent children are just unimaginable.. the torture they go through wondering why me?? What did I do to deserve this? Wtf!!! Wake the hell up America this is happening right in your back yard.

  • July 25, 2023 at 11:01 pm
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    Just saw this movie and was so touched and thoroughly disgusted that his is happening to our children. These vicious pediphiles and sex cartels will face a place in Hell and even Hell is to good for them !!!! America needs to wake up , as do our politicians ( This is not a Republican or Democrat thing its the honest to GOD truth) Pray for our children. !!!!!!

  • July 26, 2023 at 3:57 am
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    COVID had nothing to do with the release of the movie, it was the movement of the beliefs of Disney that caused it to not be released, as we all know Disney is for the new movement and didn’t want to jeopardize that or hurt anyone’s feelings or put the guilt on the pedophilia, drag, gays and transgenders, Hollywood elite, politicians and the sick people that support this kind of outrage. Another reason it wasn’t released is because the recipients of all of this child trafficking is a huge whopping 150 billion dollar industry in the US. Pretty sad

  • July 26, 2023 at 9:42 am
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    You are all stupid, this storyline is not even real. It’s a mixture of exaggerated events that did happen, but the storyline takes several events over 8 years and mixes it into one Hollywood style movie. First, the 8 yr boy was not Honduran; he was an American boy groomed by Earl, his sister was never sold. The Columbia’s sting was real but had nothing to do with the boy that happened in 2008…it just sucks how the truth of and complication of child trafficking is lost in this gloried “Rambo meets Taken” fluff piece, to do what every movie in Hollywood is trying to do, make money $$$$. They aren’t trying to raise awareness and help people, they are driven by ego and the Hollywood system to take your money.

  • July 29, 2023 at 8:08 pm
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    Blud doesn’t know what time skips are ^

  • July 30, 2023 at 10:56 pm
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    It was a very good movie. How can anyone defend the perverted behavior of these people and say there’s a conspiracy, and this is made up. In Thailand they have sex shops with children for years as people who have traveled there will tell you. The U.S. and Canada are guilty as well. We need a government that will prosecute these people. But some of our elected officials are in on it. It’s real, for sure.

  • July 31, 2023 at 3:07 am
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    LOL every single critic of this movie can’t help but make me think THEY are involved in sex trafficking….

  • August 2, 2023 at 12:13 am
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    Given all the falsehoods and misinformation propagated by the mainstream media, crooked politicians and greedy, attention seeking, unelected bureaucrats, anything coming from Q-Anon pales in comparison.

  • August 2, 2023 at 2:42 am
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    The movie is controversial only to people who have no problem with with kids bring kidnapped and forced to become sex slaves.

  • August 2, 2023 at 2:43 am
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    The movie is controversial only to people who have no problem with kids being kidnapped and forced to become sex slaves.

  • August 5, 2023 at 12:39 pm
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    Child sex slavery has to be the most despicable human act. Anybody who looks at this movies and starts to tear it down because of QAnon or other political views. Isn’t seeing the nightmare of what is happening to millions of school age little children. Stay focused on the problem and stop looking for excuses to dismiss such a sickness in our society.

  • August 10, 2023 at 8:56 pm
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    You Suck, you definitely do suck with a comment like that!
    Stop all the rubbish and focus what this storybis about! Your way of thinking is what allows this to continue!

  • August 23, 2023 at 5:09 am
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    It was on hold because Hollywood is entirely run by pedophiles. The movie wAs made and then the pandemic occurred. Then writers went on strike and now that it’s released they’re still trying to get people not to watch. Because they know how much power the people hold and they’re afraid of the truth being seen. Hollywood and all politicians (both sides) are in on this. Stop separating each other and come together to fight these sickos and help children! Blaming parties is not doing anything. They’re all in on this and need to be held accountable.

  • September 4, 2023 at 6:00 pm
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    This was an extraordinary movie and the take away is to keep your eyes open for children that might be in harms way and need help.

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