The latest offering from the studio that delivered Sound of Freedom has also smashed box office expectations.
Angel Studios distributed Sound of Freedom and released its follow-up After Death which has just become the highest-grossing documentary since 2019.
The feature documentary explores what happens after we die, based on real near-death experiences as told by scientists, authors and survivors. Based on The New York Times bestselling books such as 90 Minutes in Heaven, Imagine Heaven, and To Heaven and Back, the film has made $9,022,025 since opening on October 27, according to Box Office Mojo.
"After Death stands as the highest-grossing documentary to grace the big screen since 2019, a testament to Angel Studios' disruptive track record," said Brandon Purdie, Angel Studios' head of theatrical, in a statement to Newsweek. "Once more, we've partnered with valued exhibitors to rekindle the passion of audiences who haven't visited the cinema in years."
Showing in 2,730 theaters around the country, After Death was the fourth highest grossing movie of the weekend when it first opened, making more than $5 million.
The Christocentric film benefitted from Angel Studios' grassroots marketing campaign, including its "pay it forward" ticket program. The system allows filmgoers to buy tickets for other people to spread word about the film but to also pay for those who couldn't afford to attend.
Angel Studios also encourages its audience to buy tickets ahead of a film's release on its website, where it sold around 146,000 tickets ahead of its release.
"We are thrilled by audience response, craving a theatrical experience for After Death," Jared Geesey, chief distribution officer of Angel Studios, said in a statement. "Life's biggest question deserves the biggest screens and a distraction-free environment."
Sound of Freedom, which tells the story of anti-child trafficker Tim Ballard, also benefited from Angel Studios' "pay it forward" campaign. It went on to become the 10th highest grossing movie of 2023 so far and opened in the number one spot in 18 countries across Central and South America, and the Caribbean.
The film even surpassed major franchises such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
The movie's director, Alejandro Monteverde, told Newsweek in an interview earlier this year Angel Studios bosses, brothers Neal and Dan Harmon, devised the "genius" marketing strategy.
"I have nothing but high respect for the Harmon brothers and actually think they have genius minds... they think completely outside the box," he said.
"I respect that tremendously and I'm so grateful for the work that they did with this film and we're thinking close to 20 million people have seen this film and I don't know if that's ever going to happen again in my career."
Sound of Freedom has not been without its controversies, including allegations of sexual misconduct by Ballard during overseas missions with his organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.).
Five women are suing him and have accused him of coercing them into sexual contact during O.U.R. operations.
He left the organization after the accusations were made but denied any wrongdoing and said the claims as "baseless inventions designed to destroy me and the movement we have built to end the trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable children."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
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