“Sound of Freedom,” a new human trafficking action film, achieved the top spot at the box office in America on its opening day, the Fourth of July.
According to Box Office Mojo, a website that tracks box-office revenue, “Sound of Freedom” took the spot for the highest grossing film on July 4, at $14.24 million. In second spot was “Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny,” which opened on June 30, at $11.70 million, and in third was “Elemental” at $2.80 million.
Of the $14.24 million for the film, some $2.68 million came in via a “pay it forward” campaign sold through the July 4 holiday, which means the remainder $11.56 million came through direct box office sales.
“Sound of Freedom” sheds light on the rapidly expanding business of child trafficking in the United States. It focuses on the true story of a special agent who quits his job to save children from trafficking.
The film stars Jim Caviezel, best known for his performance as Jesus Christ in “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004. Caviezel had insisted on the specific release date of July 4.
“For some reason, that Fourth of July thing was really important,” Caviezel said in a recent interview with EpochTV’s “American Thought Leaders.”
“And really it is: Can we give these children back their freedom on our Independence Day?”
In the film, Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, who left his job at the Department of Homeland Security in 2013.
Ballard had since founded Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit organization that works with law enforcement around the world to rescue children from exploitation and help survivors recover.
Both Caviezel and Ballard told “American Thought Leaders” that what the film depicts is based on real events and people.
“I will say, it is a true story, absolutely,” Caviezel said. “Every character is real. Every bad guy is real.”
“At the end of the film … it showed all the good guys, the bad guys, the kids, and it said where they are today,” said Ballard. “We know where they are. Those are real kids, every one of them. Some of them work for us. Some of them have actually rescued people from human trafficking as young adults.”
