Independent movies without any A-list stars don’t typically spark bidding wars among streamers, particularly if they’ve already been released in theaters. But Sound of Freedom — your Trump-loving, conspiracy-theory-spouting uncle’s favorite movie of the summer — is not your typical indie movie. The action-adventure film ostensibly about child trafficking, which critic Melanie McFarland smarty and succinctly summarized as “conspiracy-fueled mass hysteria,†has so far grossed a stunning $166.2 million at the box office since its release last month. Armed with such boffo theatrical numbers, Vulture hears the film’s producers have spent the last few weeks actively shopping streaming rights to the film — and the early response suggests they’re likely to walk away with some big-bucks deals.
According to well-placed sources at three different streaming platforms, Sound of Freedom distributor Angel Studios has been feeling out both subscription services and ad-supported streamers about purchasing what’s known as the Pay-One rights window to the film (essentially, the first exclusive streaming or broadcast release of a movie after its theatrical run). Because these conversations may still be ongoing, some sources have been reluctant to characterize their platform’s specific interest in the movie — either to avoid driving up the ultimate cost of the package by building (even more) buzz around it, or so that they can deny ever being interested in the case they lose out on a deal. For its part, Angel Studios did not respond to multiple requests for comment made by Vulture.
But one industry insider who’s been privy to the conversations taking place was very blunt about the market’s reaction. “Sound of Freedom has generated tremendous interest for its Pay-One window,†the source said, adding they’re certain the film has been “pitched across streaming (SVOD and AVOD)†and “likely†has been offered to linear channels as well. This source believes it’s not a question of whether a deal will get done but rather just how big the final number will be. “It’s anticipated to sell for eight figures to an SVOD, which is rare and the type of payday typically reserved for blockbuster theatricals,†this person said. Now, one source’s characterization of discussions does not a bidding war make: It’s possible the film doesn’t fetch anywhere near “blockbuster†money for rights, or that the eight-figure sum ends up being much closer to $10 million than $90 million. But at this point, odds are the movie is more likely to land on a major streamer — either SVOD or AVOD — than not.
One big question mark right now is what Angel Studios plans to do about two other streaming windows for Sound of Freedom: premium video on demand (PVOD) and digital sales and rentals of the film. Studios often bring a movie to digital film stores (iTunes, etc.) first before they go to streaming services, though these days it’s not uncommon for the digital window to be just a week or two, or even simultaneous with a streaming release. That’s probably what will happen with Sound of Freedom. But given the indie nature of the film, it’s possible Angel Studios could do a deal where the digital sales and rental window is delayed in order to maximize the impact for a streaming-service debut. That would likely result in a streamer paying even more for rights to the movie, since Angel would be delaying or possibly diminishing its rental and sales numbers.
The other lingering question about any streaming deal for Sound of Freedom is whether any streaming services will be reluctant to literally platform a movie that, while wildly popular, is decidedly controversial among audiences with more liberal tendencies. As the critic McFarland noted in her review, many see the film as conspiracy-theory-adjacent and designed to feed into right-wing hysteria about “grooming†and liberal groups somehow approving of child sex trafficking — even if it doesn’t explicitly ever make such allegations. Sound of Freedom has also been heavily hyped by Fox News personalities; star Jim Caviezel is a beloved figure in QAnon circles; and convicted sex offender/former American president Donald Trump screened the movie at his New Jersey golf club.
But despite the disgust some on the left have for the whole vibe of the movie, the movie’s massive box-office performance — it’s made more money than the latest Mission: Impossible and Fast and the Furious movies have grossed in the U.S. and is on track to pass the new Indiana Jones — will likely be enough to allow at least one major streamer to look the other way and hope Sound of Freedom translates into the sound of new subscriber sign-ups.