Angel Studios is planning to appeal an arbitrator’s ruling that ended its relationship with the producers of faith-based TV megahit “The Chosen.” The news comes as The Chosen LLC — the company behind the production of series — announced this week that the show’s Season 4 would exclusively stream on “The Chosen” app starting with the first two episodes on June 2.
In a statement, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon said it will “pursue the appeal provision that Angel and The Chosen agreed to as the process for resolving disagreements privately.”
In a unique distribution model, “The Chosen” Season 4 was first released in theaters this February, where it scored big box office returns. But after that, the show’s TV premiere remained in limbo as Angel Studios and The Chosen LLC tussled over the season premiere plans.
“The Chosen” started in 2017 as a partnership between Dallas Jenkins and Angel Studios, originally financed through crowdfunding.
In a statement, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon said it will “pursue the appeal provision that Angel and The Chosen agreed to as the process for resolving disagreements privately.”
In a unique distribution model, “The Chosen” Season 4 was first released in theaters this February, where it scored big box office returns. But after that, the show’s TV premiere remained in limbo as Angel Studios and The Chosen LLC tussled over the season premiere plans.
“The Chosen” started in 2017 as a partnership between Dallas Jenkins and Angel Studios, originally financed through crowdfunding.
- 5/30/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sound of Freedom distributor Angel Studios says it distributed more than its planned outlay of “pay-it-forward” tickets to the summer 2023 blockbuster.
In a set of financials provided to Deadline, the company said customers paid $26,075,511 toward the “pay-it-forward” pool of tickets, which allotted $15 per person. Customers expected the company to give out at least 1,738,367 tickets, but in the end officials say they distributed 1,827,634 tickets, or 105% of the initial commitment.
With Jim Caviezel starring as real-life anti-child-trafficking activist Tim Ballard, the film became a left-field box office smash last summer, outdoing mega-budget Hollywood titles like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Its global cume was $249.5 million, including $184.2 million in North America.
Angel CEO Neal Harmon spoke to Deadline about the company’s origins and financial model. He shared statistics about Sound of Freedom during the course of that conversation. (See full financials below.)
In addition to off-screen controversy about Ballard...
In a set of financials provided to Deadline, the company said customers paid $26,075,511 toward the “pay-it-forward” pool of tickets, which allotted $15 per person. Customers expected the company to give out at least 1,738,367 tickets, but in the end officials say they distributed 1,827,634 tickets, or 105% of the initial commitment.
With Jim Caviezel starring as real-life anti-child-trafficking activist Tim Ballard, the film became a left-field box office smash last summer, outdoing mega-budget Hollywood titles like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Its global cume was $249.5 million, including $184.2 million in North America.
Angel CEO Neal Harmon spoke to Deadline about the company’s origins and financial model. He shared statistics about Sound of Freedom during the course of that conversation. (See full financials below.)
In addition to off-screen controversy about Ballard...
- 3/4/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: By his own admission, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon does not fit the bicoastal profile of the typical film executive.
At the start of an hour-long interview with Deadline at New York’s Greenwich Hotel, the Tribeca venue owned by Robert De Niro, Harmon acknowledged that he was on only the second trip of his life to New York City. Asked for his impressions, he marveled, “It’s amazing to see so many people coming together and creating something like this city.”
The exec is the third of nine Harmon children raised in a Mormon family on an Idaho dairy farm. Two of his brothers are also execs working at Provo, Ut-based Angel, and another runs one of its episodic series. The family business has hit new heights over the past year, releasing left-field blockbuster Sound of Freedom and helping to foster episodic series like increasingly popular Biblical epic The Chosen.
At the start of an hour-long interview with Deadline at New York’s Greenwich Hotel, the Tribeca venue owned by Robert De Niro, Harmon acknowledged that he was on only the second trip of his life to New York City. Asked for his impressions, he marveled, “It’s amazing to see so many people coming together and creating something like this city.”
The exec is the third of nine Harmon children raised in a Mormon family on an Idaho dairy farm. Two of his brothers are also execs working at Provo, Ut-based Angel, and another runs one of its episodic series. The family business has hit new heights over the past year, releasing left-field blockbuster Sound of Freedom and helping to foster episodic series like increasingly popular Biblical epic The Chosen.
- 3/4/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
In a year that showcased a whirlwind of headlines in entertainment, stories of an independent movie rising from obscurity to outgross big studio films and making a controversial splash aren’t exactly new. However, the notoriety of the film Sound of Freedom is a unique and interesting journey. The director, Alejandro Monteverde, had been working to bring his project to the big screen since 2015, and this year, the movie has finally been released with a huge take in box office figures and it’s due to expand internationally.
The movie found its forward momentum thanks to its adopted distributor, Angel Studios, and its crowdfunding campaign. They were able to raise $5 million for marketing, and thanks to the $174 million in domestic gross that the film garnered, Angel Studios has been able to pay their investors back with a slight increase, according to Deadline. The CEO of Angel Studios, Neal Harmon, stated,...
The movie found its forward momentum thanks to its adopted distributor, Angel Studios, and its crowdfunding campaign. They were able to raise $5 million for marketing, and thanks to the $174 million in domestic gross that the film garnered, Angel Studios has been able to pay their investors back with a slight increase, according to Deadline. The CEO of Angel Studios, Neal Harmon, stated,...
- 8/16/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Angel Studios, the distributor behind Alejandro Monteverde’s summer surprise hit, Sound of Freedom, is exclaiming that they’ve paid back their 6,678 P&a investors 120% of their original investment in the Jim Caviezel movie.
Angel Studios raised $5M for the pic’s marketing through crowdfunding, the anti-child trafficking movie recently clicking past $174M in the middle of its sixth week through yesterday — more than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($172.9M) and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One‘s ($160.8M) domestic box office (the pic beat Indy this past weekend).
Sound of Freedom tells the story of former government agent Tim Ballard who quit his day job to recuse a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. Ballard has reportedly saved 123 people, 55 of which are children, from one mission alone.
“6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for Sound of Freedom,...
Angel Studios raised $5M for the pic’s marketing through crowdfunding, the anti-child trafficking movie recently clicking past $174M in the middle of its sixth week through yesterday — more than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($172.9M) and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One‘s ($160.8M) domestic box office (the pic beat Indy this past weekend).
Sound of Freedom tells the story of former government agent Tim Ballard who quit his day job to recuse a little girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle. Ballard has reportedly saved 123 people, 55 of which are children, from one mission alone.
“6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for Sound of Freedom,...
- 8/16/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Angel Studios has repaid 6,678 individual crowdfunding investors at a 20% profit for their contributions to “Sound of Freedom,” the studio said Thursday.
In a statement, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon said: “6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for ‘Sound of Freedom,’ and we are thrilled to be able to get funds back to them in three months. The Angel Guild is key to our theatrical strategy and paying out as quickly as possible is always our first priority.”
The faith-based studio’s thriller about a rogue government agent tracking child traffickers in Colombia has grossed $173 million at the domestic box office, a colossal success for a project of its provenance. “Sound of Freedom” was completed in 2018 under a distribution deal with a Fox subsidiary, but was shelved after the Disney acquisition, and eventually sold to Angel, producer of “The Chosen.”
The global hit...
In a statement, Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon said: “6,678 Angel Guild members have now received $1.20 for every $1 they invested into the launch budget for ‘Sound of Freedom,’ and we are thrilled to be able to get funds back to them in three months. The Angel Guild is key to our theatrical strategy and paying out as quickly as possible is always our first priority.”
The faith-based studio’s thriller about a rogue government agent tracking child traffickers in Colombia has grossed $173 million at the domestic box office, a colossal success for a project of its provenance. “Sound of Freedom” was completed in 2018 under a distribution deal with a Fox subsidiary, but was shelved after the Disney acquisition, and eventually sold to Angel, producer of “The Chosen.”
The global hit...
- 8/16/2023
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Exclusive: There was a lot of noise surrounding the red state-beloved, $163M-grossing summer surprise hit, Sound of Freedom, this morning with Newsweek reporting that one of the pic’s 6,678 crowdfunders was arrested for child kidnapping by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police.
Now just to be clear, we’re talking one person who contributed an unidentified amount of money to the $5M P&a crowdfunding campaign put together by Angel Studios. The person charged, 51-year-old Fabian Marta of Chesterfield, Missouri on July 23, was not a financier of the actual feature production. Deadline confirmed the arrest with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police per Case # 2322-CR01608.
Note child kidnapping and sex trafficking, the latter subject which Sound of Freedom focuses on, are two different types of crimes.
Angel Studios has no knowledge of the background of its crowdfunders,...
Now just to be clear, we’re talking one person who contributed an unidentified amount of money to the $5M P&a crowdfunding campaign put together by Angel Studios. The person charged, 51-year-old Fabian Marta of Chesterfield, Missouri on July 23, was not a financier of the actual feature production. Deadline confirmed the arrest with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police per Case # 2322-CR01608.
Note child kidnapping and sex trafficking, the latter subject which Sound of Freedom focuses on, are two different types of crimes.
Angel Studios has no knowledge of the background of its crowdfunders,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Angel Studios, the independent producer and distributor behind the child sex trafficking drama “Sound of Freedom,” has formally responded to reports of one of the film’s backers who in July was arrested and charged with felony child kidnapping.
The distributor’s CEO Neal Harmon on Friday in a statement to IndieWire defended the legal process by which people are allowed to publicly invest in their films but further said it hopes all perpetrators “will be brought to justice no matter who they are,” without naming the specific incident.
“Angel Studios adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations in allowing 6,678 people to invest an average of $501 each into the launch of ‘Sound of Freedom.’ Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects. One of the perks of investing was the ability to be listed in the credits,...
The distributor’s CEO Neal Harmon on Friday in a statement to IndieWire defended the legal process by which people are allowed to publicly invest in their films but further said it hopes all perpetrators “will be brought to justice no matter who they are,” without naming the specific incident.
“Angel Studios adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations in allowing 6,678 people to invest an average of $501 each into the launch of ‘Sound of Freedom.’ Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects. One of the perks of investing was the ability to be listed in the credits,...
- 8/4/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
‘Sound of Freedom’ Studio ‘Grateful to Law Enforcement’ After a Funder Arrested for Child Kidnapping
Angel Studios has responded to the arrest of “Sound of Freedom” investor Fabian Marta on charges of child kidnapping. Marta was charged with felony child kidnapping in July. Released by Angel Studios, “Sound of Freedom” tells of an anti-child sex trafficking organization. The film is centered on Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard who is played in the film by “Passion of the Christ” star Jim Caviezel.
“Angel Studios adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations in allowing 6,678 people to invest an average of $501 each into the launch of ‘Sound of Freedom,'” Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon states. “Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects. One of the perks of investing was the ability to be listed in the credits.”
The statement continues, “We’re grateful to brave law enforcement officials...
“Angel Studios adhered to the requirements of federal and state laws and regulations in allowing 6,678 people to invest an average of $501 each into the launch of ‘Sound of Freedom,'” Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon states. “Just as anyone can invest in the stock market, everyone who meets the legal criteria can invest in Angel Studios projects. One of the perks of investing was the ability to be listed in the credits.”
The statement continues, “We’re grateful to brave law enforcement officials...
- 8/4/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
On any given weekend, AMC Century City 16 in Los Angeles and AMC Empire 13 in New York City are generally high up on the list of a movie’s top-grossing theaters. Such wasn’t the case for Sound of Freedom, a new movie from Angel Studios, the Utah-based production and distribution venture that previously backed faith-based hit The Chosen.
Sound of Freedom set off fireworks when it opened across the U.S. on July Fourth, and it gave Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a run for its money. The movie, which did especially well in the middle of the country and in the South, grossed $11.6 million on its opening day to narrowly lose the daily July Fourth crown to Dial of Destiny ($11.7 million). Angel, however, says the opening-day number was actually $14.2 million when including $2.6 million in third-party ticket sales generated on Angel’s website.
The movie, billed as a political thriller,...
Sound of Freedom set off fireworks when it opened across the U.S. on July Fourth, and it gave Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny a run for its money. The movie, which did especially well in the middle of the country and in the South, grossed $11.6 million on its opening day to narrowly lose the daily July Fourth crown to Dial of Destiny ($11.7 million). Angel, however, says the opening-day number was actually $14.2 million when including $2.6 million in third-party ticket sales generated on Angel’s website.
The movie, billed as a political thriller,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jim Caviezel stars in human trafficking drama “Sound of Freedom,” the first trailer for which has been unveiled by Angel Studios.
The film is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent that quits his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Ballard (Caviezel), a federal agent, finds himself losing hope in the dark field of children crime work. However, Ballard quickly uncovers his life mission when he’s able to free a seven-year-old boy that was kidnapped. When the young boy asks Ballard to find his sister who was also kidnapped, Ballard decides to devote his life to rescuing children from sex slavery.
Alongside Caviezel, the cast also includes Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (“The Final Cut”), Bill Camp (“12 Years a Slave”), José Zúñiga (“Twilight”), Eduardo Verástegui (“Unplanned”), who is also a producer, and written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde.
Angel Studios...
The film is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a former U.S. government agent that quits his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Ballard (Caviezel), a federal agent, finds himself losing hope in the dark field of children crime work. However, Ballard quickly uncovers his life mission when he’s able to free a seven-year-old boy that was kidnapped. When the young boy asks Ballard to find his sister who was also kidnapped, Ballard decides to devote his life to rescuing children from sex slavery.
Alongside Caviezel, the cast also includes Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (“The Final Cut”), Bill Camp (“12 Years a Slave”), José Zúñiga (“Twilight”), Eduardo Verástegui (“Unplanned”), who is also a producer, and written and directed by Alejandro Monteverde.
Angel Studios...
- 5/12/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Air,” which opened in wide theatrical release on Wednesday and stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker and Jason Bateman, details how a then-underdog Nike bet its footwear future on then-rookie Michael Jordan. The film dramatizes boardroom pitches and frantic business phone calls into a tale of how capitalism was pretzeled into supplying fortune and glory to members of a demographic rarely on the receiving end.
So it makes sense that the Skydance and Mandalay-produced film is the first from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity. One of the selling points of the venture is a promise of profit participation for both above-the-line stars and below-the-line artists. The Hollywood titans dipped into their own fees, along with money saved during production via artist-driven efficiency, to create a discretionary bonus system, insiders told TheWrap.
Artists Equity is pitching the system as an old-school solution to a new...
So it makes sense that the Skydance and Mandalay-produced film is the first from Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity. One of the selling points of the venture is a promise of profit participation for both above-the-line stars and below-the-line artists. The Hollywood titans dipped into their own fees, along with money saved during production via artist-driven efficiency, to create a discretionary bonus system, insiders told TheWrap.
Artists Equity is pitching the system as an old-school solution to a new...
- 4/7/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Angel Studios has acquired worldwide distribution rights for “Sound of Freedom” and will release the film theatrically in 2023.
“Sound of Freedom” is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent that quits his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a federal agent, finds himself losing hope in the dark field of children crime work. However, Ballard quickly uncovers his life mission when he’s able to free a 7-year-old boy that was kidnapped. When the young boy asks Ballard to find his sister who was also kidnapped, Ballard decides to devote his life to rescuing children from sex slavery. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy-nominee Bill Camp co-star.
“‘Sound of Freedom’ is a riveting film that shares the story of one man’s heroic efforts to rescue children from human trafficking, says Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon. “Through this powerful cinematic experience,...
“Sound of Freedom” is based on the true story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent that quits his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a federal agent, finds himself losing hope in the dark field of children crime work. However, Ballard quickly uncovers his life mission when he’s able to free a 7-year-old boy that was kidnapped. When the young boy asks Ballard to find his sister who was also kidnapped, Ballard decides to devote his life to rescuing children from sex slavery. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy-nominee Bill Camp co-star.
“‘Sound of Freedom’ is a riveting film that shares the story of one man’s heroic efforts to rescue children from human trafficking, says Angel Studios CEO Neal Harmon. “Through this powerful cinematic experience,...
- 3/30/2023
- by McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
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