When ‘Barbie’ Was Sold Out, Paul Schrader Saw ‘Sound of Freedom’ Instead

Not everyone scored a ticket to “Barbie” this weekend, and that included Paul Schrader, who shared on Facebook over the weekend that all showings of the Gerwig-directed movie in his area were sold out Saturday and Sunday. Schrader reported back on Sunday that he saw “Sound of Freedom,” Angel Studios’ child-sex-trafficking drama starring Jim Caviezel, instead. And Schrader joins the many audience members turning out for the film, which in just over two weeks of release has now grossed $124 million.

The “Master Gardener” and “First Reformed” filmmaker shared his thoughts on what’s perceived by some as a conservative, faith-oriented movie. Caviezel stars in the true story as government agent Tim Ballard, who embarks on a mission to rescue children from sex traffickers in Colombia.

“SOUND OF FREEDOM. Interesting film, more interesting phenomenon. It’s simplistic, schematic and effective in the Hollywood tradition of “message” movies–but is not “Christian” per se. It’s also a white savior movie, the Hispanics beings saved or punished by the enterloping blue-eyed hero. I saw it with a predominately Hispanic audience who applauded aftewords, not seing the irony in this,” Schrader wrote.

He also mused on the innovative production and distribution model employed by Provo, Utah-based Angel Studios, which relies primarily on crowdfunding to finance its features, offering investors profits from the backend in what essentially amounts to owning shares in a movie. Angel’s Pay It Forward ticketing paradigm — meaning you can buy tickets for strangers who haven’t the financial means — has stoked the films’ viral box office campaign.

“Also fascinating is Angel Studios. Formerly a LDS outfit out of Provo it’s now a highly successful production company with physical studios and a production slate. And money-making films. In its third weekend Sounds of Freedom has returned 10x on its investment. Angel films are financed by a subscriber base who share in the returns. Angel created a self-sustaining tribal model which makes serious smart films. Hollywood heads are scratching,” Schrader wrote.

Some of the hype over the film has been QAnon-interest-generated, and its star Caviezel has long espoused controversial viewpoints aligned with QAnon theories. “Sound of Freedom” is Angel Studios’ second theatrical release after “His Only Son” over the Easter 2023 weekend. Also deploying the Pay It Forward method for ticketing, the biblical release grossed $12 million on a $250,000 budget.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Barbenheimer world, Schrader previously saw “Oppenheimer” and called it “the best, most important film of the century.”

This past Saturday was also the filmmaker’s 77th birthday.

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