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Tag: Sound of Freedom

  • ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Knocks Taylor Swift From Top 10 Domestic Box Office For 2023

    ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Knocks Taylor Swift From Top 10 Domestic Box Office For 2023

    Opinion

    Sources YouTube: IGN Movie Trailers, Miss Americana and You Guys

    The human trafficking movie Sound Of Freedom, which was previously praised by the former President Donald Trump, managed to knock Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour from the top ten domestic box office for 2023 despite not having the backing of mainstream Hollywood.

    Sound Of Freedom Takes Top 10 Spot From Swift

    The Washington Examiner reported that after earning over $184 million in North America, Sound of Freedom took the final spot in the top ten films to earn the most at the domestic box office for 2023. This knocked Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which only earned just under $180 million, out of the top ten for the year.

    Despite not having the support of the liberal world of Hollywood, Sound of Freedom became the surprise hit of the summer after it was released on July 4 of last year. Distributed by Angel Studios, the movie tells the true story of Tim Ballard, the former Homeland Security agent who quit his job to devote himself to stopping child sex trafficking

    “The vast majority of tickets are being bought by human, everyday people in a normal purchase flow,” Jared Geesey, Angel Studios senior VP of global distribution, told The Hollywood Reporter back in August.

    Producer Eduardo Verastegui previously told Fox News that it took him over eight years to get this movie made, and that he put his own life on hold during that time to make it happen.

    “I put my life in this movie because this movie is bigger than ourselves,” Verastegui explained.

    “I was praying to God for an angel to come and rescue this film,” he added. “And what are the odds that from all the studios, the one that picked this movie is called Angel Studios?”

    Related: ‘Sound Of Freedom’ Star Jim Caviezel Defies Left To Say ‘Trump Was Selected By God Almighty’

    Trump Praises Sound Of Freedom

    Trump praised Sound Of Freedom after hosting a screening of the movie last summer.

    “I hope you enjoyed it. It’s something I’m not sure if you’re supposed to enjoy or learn —  it’s a combination. But that was a great movie,” Trump said afterwards. “Now I understand why it’s doing so well.”

    Addressing the film’s star Jim Caviezel, Trump added, “it was an honor getting to know you.”

    “I hope everyone had a fantastic time,” the former president concluded. “It’s an incredible inspiration.”

    Watch Trump’s full comments that he made about the film in the video below.

    Related: Jim Caviezel Warns Anti-Christian Bias Will Cost ‘Sound Of Freedom’ The Best Picture Oscar

    Taylor Swift’s Liberal Politics

    While Sound of Freedom has found success as one of the few movies that conservatives can enjoy, the singer Taylor Swift has outed herself as being a radically liberal member of the elite in recent years. Back in 2020, she accused then-President Donald Trump of trying to “blatantly cheat” to win the election.

    “Donald Trump’s ineffective leadership gravely worsened the crisis that we are in, and he is now taking advantage of it to subvert and destroy our right to vote and vote safely. Request a ballot early. Vote early,” she said at the time, according to Fox News. “We will vote you out in November.”

    The success of Sound Of Freedom just goes to show what kind of movies audiences really want to see right now. Had Swift not shamelessly caved to the radical left with her politics, perhaps her movie would have ended the year on the domestic box office top ten list.

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    James Conrad

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  • 2023 Box Office: Domestic Revenue Clears $9B in Post-Pandemic First (Thanks, Barbenheimer)

    2023 Box Office: Domestic Revenue Clears $9B in Post-Pandemic First (Thanks, Barbenheimer)

    Whew.

    Domestic box office revenue was able to clear $9 billion after all, despite a dismal fall season at the multiplex, according to Comscore. That’s the best showing of the post-pandemic era, with revenue in U.S. and Canada up 20 percent over 2022’s $7.5 billion.

    But movie ticket sales are still down sharply from pre-pandemic times, when domestic revenue crossed $10 billion every year beginning in 2009 and $11 billion every year beginning in 2015 and ending in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 struck. Comscore believes 2023 domestic revenue will come in at $9.03 billion-$9.05 billion for 2023, a drop of roughly 21 percent from 2019’s $11.4 billion.

    In terms of box office trends, 2023 will be remembered as a year of enormous change as audiences spurned tried-and-true staples, such as superhero fare — The Marvels was the biggest stumble in the history of Marvel Studios — and instead embraced originality or genres that had previously struggled.

    The marquee example of the new world order was the Barbenheimer phenomenon. The one-two-punch of filmmaker Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie and Universal‘s Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, saw box office revenue for July and August reach pre-pandemic levels.

    “Another box office target was set and hit in 2023 as the domestic year surpassed the $9 billion threshold, owing much to a notable Barbenheimer-powered $4 billion summer movie season and a unique year in which alternative content, specialized film and international cinema made their mark in an unprecedented show of strength adding to the bottom line,” says Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian.

    He’s referring to such films as Angel Studios’ hit indie pic Sound of Freedom, which drew much of its strength from faith-based and conservative audiences. The pic came out of nowhere to earn $184.1 million domestically, putting it at No. 10 on the list of top-grossing 2023 movies.

    Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was another unicorn. The superstar pop singer decided to bypass the Hollywood studio system and bring her concert pic directly to cinemas via a deal with AMC Theatres. In an unimaginable feat, Eras Tour earned $179.6 million domestically to land at No. 11 on the top 20 list, ahead of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($174.5 million) and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 ($172.1 million).

    Barbie, from Warner Bros., was far-and-away the year’s biggest earner and the only film to cross the $600 million threshold domestically on its way to topping out at $636.2 million. It was also the No. 1 pic globally after strutting to $1.44 billion.

    The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in the spring, was the year’s first major surprise. It earned $574.9 million domestically and $1.36 billion globally to become the top-grossing video game adaptation of all time in a huge win for Universal.

    There was more good news in store for Universal, culminating with the studio ending Disney‘s long-running winning streak and narrowly winning the domestic marketshare race with an estimated $1.94 billion in ticket sales between Jan. 1-Dec. 21, 2023, according to unofficial estimates. (Universal may also be first in global marketshare after Disney had ranked No. 1 for seven consecutive years).

    Disney’s 2023 domestic revenue was an estimated $1.9 billion, although final numbers for all of the studios won’t be revealed until Tuesday or Wednesday.

    Among other 2023 Universal titles, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer — an adult-skewing biographical drama running just over three hours — earned an eye-popping $326 million domestically and $952 million globally, while Fast X grossed $704.9 million worldwide (it was soft in North America but did well internationally).

    Back on the chart of top-grossing films domestically, Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Universe placed No. 3 ($381.3 million), followed by Disney and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($359 million). Disney also took spots No. 6 and No. 7. with The Little Mermaid ($298.1 million) and Avatar: The Way of Water, which, while released at the end of 2022, raked in $283.1 million in 2023.

    Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 ranked No. 9 on the top 10 list domestically with $187.1 million in ticket sales.

    If Hollywood execs aren’t exactly setting off fireworks over 2023, it’s because they’re bracing for a tumultuous ride at the 2024 domestic box office after a slew of high-profile tentpoles were pushed to 2025 because of the lengthy writers and actors strikes.

    In a major blow to the post-pandemic recovery effort, domestic box office revenue in 2024 could come in behind that of 2023. If projections are right, domestic box office in 2024 could top out at $7.5 billion to $8 billion, say multiple studio executives who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter (a few are more bullish in thinking $8 billion to $8.5 billion is possible).

    Pamela McClintock

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  • Box Office: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Terrifies With Monstrous $78M Opening

    Box Office: ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Terrifies With Monstrous $78M Opening

    Universal and Blumhouse‘s Five Nights at Freddy’s is off to a historic start at the domestic box office, helping drive overall revenue

    The latest horror offering from Universal and Blumhouse opened to a record-smashing $78 million, despite debuting simultaneously on sister streaming service Peacock. It started off with a monstrous Friday haul of $39.5 million, including $10.3 million in Thursday previews.

    The pic — which came in notably ahead of industry expectations — scared up the third-biggest horror opening of all time behind New Line’s two It movies, as well as the best showing ever for Halloween weekend. It’s also the biggest horror opening of 2023 to date, besting Scream VI ($44.4 million), and the second-biggest opening of all time for a video-game adaptation behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146.3 million), not adjusted for inflation.

    The news is just as good overseas, where Five Nights at Freddy’s opened to an estimated $52.6 million from 60 markets for a global start of $130.6 million against a modest $25 million production budget. It supplants New Line’s The Nun II ($88.1 million) to boast the year’s biggest worldwide start for a horror film.

    Freddy’s passed up Halloween, which started off with $76.2 million in 2018, to mark the biggest domestic opening ever for Blumhouse, not adjusted for inflation. It is also Blumhouse’s top global launch. Other honorable mentions: Freddy’s supplants The Mummy Returns ($68.1 million) to rank as the top opening ever for a horror pic rated PG-13, not adjusted for inflation.

    While most critics bashed Freddy’s, the audience graced the movie with an A- CinemaScore (it is rare for a horror pic to receive an A or any variation thereof).

    Universal insiders say the decision to do a day-and-date release is a win-win for the overall ecosystem (only paid-tier Peacock subscribers have access). Those who want the communal experience of watching a horror movie in a theater can do so, while Peacock can woo much-needed subscribers. Streamers see notable growth in October because of Halloween-themed offerings.

    Before the pandemic, most theaters would have outright refused to book a title already available in the home. The COVID-19 crisis changed everything, however, with the traditional 72- to 90-day theatrical window shrinking dramatically to as little as three weeks for films that open to less than $50 million. Day-and-date releases aren’t the norm, but no cinema operator was going to refuse to play Five Nights at Freddy’s.

    Directed by Emma Tammi, Freddy‘s stars Josh Hutcherson as a washed-up security guard who has no choice but to take a crappy job safeguarding a long-shuttered family-themed pizza restaurant. The only problem — the pizzeria’s giant animatronic animal characters spring to life and go on murderous rampages. He’s also trying to maintain sole custody of his 10-year-old sister (Piper Rubio) and prevent her from falling into the clutches of their Aunt Jane (Mary Stuart Masterson).

    Things go from bad to worse when a group of local toughs hired by Jane break into Freddy’s while Mike is off-duty to trash the joint so he’ll lose his job. Needless to say, the giant animatronic animals don’t like the intrusion and try to exact their revenge.

    Kat Conner Sterling and Matthew Lillard also star. Jim Henson’s Creature Shop created the animatronic characters.

    Elsewhere, Taylor Swift and AMC Theatres’ Eras Tour achieved another huge milestone in singing past the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office, a first for a concert film. It earned another $14.7 million domestically to finish its third weekend with a North American cume of $149.3 million and $203 million globally (the pic only plays Thursday-Sunday).

    Martin Scorsese‘s adult-skewing Killers of the Flower Moon came in third behind Freddy’s and Eras Tour with an estimated $9 million, a sharp decline of 61 percent. Apple Original Films produced and financed the $200 million film, with Paramount handling distribution duties. The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro, is counting on being a slow burn as Oscar season unfolds, but the producers had hoped for a smaller drop in the film’s second weekend.

    Killers of the Flower Moon earned another $14.1 million from 64 markets oversea for a foreign tally of $44 million and $88.6 million globally.

    Angel Studios opened its first release since its indie film Sound of Freedom took the summer box office by storm. Its new faith-based movie, After Death, took in $5 million to come in No. 4.

    Blumhouse and Universal’s The Exorcist: The Believer, which is now available on Premium VOD after a disappointing showing at the box office, rounded out the top five in its fourth weekend. The movie grossed $3.1 million for a domestic total of $61 million and $120.4 million globally.

    The specialty box office saw two high-profile Oscar hopefuls enter the fray, Focus Features’ The Holdovers and A24’s Priscilla. The two films opened in several locations both in New York and Los Angeles, with each reporting a promising per-location average in the $33,000 range.

    The Holdovers grossed $200,000 from six locations for a per-theater average of $33,333. Priscilla, launching in four cinemas, earned $132,139 for a location average of $33,035.

    Oct. 29, 8:10 a.m.: Updated with revised weekend estimates.

    This story was originally published at 7:55 a.m. Saturday.

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