The team behind Sound of Freedom has rejected claims that a movie theater chain is "suppressing" people from seeing the film.
Multiple videos have gone viral across social media, suggesting viewers are being forced out of seeing Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres venues via different means. One TikTok user claimed her theater was evacuated without explanation while another said the AC was broken in their screening making it "unbearably hot."
The team behind the movie has told Newsweek that despite rumors AMC and other movie theater companies have been "wonderful to work with."
The movie Sound of Freedom stars Jim Caviezel and is produced by Angel Studios. It tells the story of Tim Ballard and his journey to save children from sex trafficking through the creation of the organization Operation Underground Railroad.
While TikTok and Twitter have seen a number of fans of the film claiming something untoward is happening, the CEO of AMC Theatres Adam Aron called it a "really bizarre" rumor.
"Yesterday we showed that movie 3,000 times at our 570 U.S. theaters and more than 100,000 people watched it @AMCTheatres. Misinformation on Twitter is astonishing. Bots? Haters?" Aron tweeted on Saturday.
Responding to Newsweek's request for comment, a spokesperson for Angel Studios absolved AMC Theatres of blame for any alleged problems.
"Our theatrical partners at AMC, CineMark, Regal, and beyond have been absolutely wonderful to work with—they're helping us add theaters as we speak in the middle the busy summer movie season," Matthew Faraci of Angel Studios told Newsweek.
According to their respective websites, Cinemark has 516 theaters and 5,833 screens in the United States and Latin America, AMC Theatres has 574 locations in the United States and Regal has 458 cinemas.
Adam, I’m a cofounder at Angel Studios and I want to personally thank you for how amazing of a partner you have been. Many of your managers have reached out to me and personally told me they love what is happening and have worked so hard to bring a great experience to sound of…
— Jeffrey Harmon (@JeffreyHarmon) July 9, 2023
Angel Studios was set up by the Harmon brothers, Jordan, Neal and Jeffrey, who have responded to Aron's tweet and thanked him for AMC's support.
"I want to personally thank you for how amazing of a partner you have been," Jeffrey Harmon wrote on Twitter. "Many of your managers have reached out to me and personally told me they love what is happening and have worked so hard to bring a great experience to Sound of Freedom fans."
Sound of Freedom has defied expectations at the box office, beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on its first day of release on July 4. Angels Studios co-founder Neal Harmon had further cause for celebration on July 11, writing on Twitter that "Sound of Freedom was #1 in the box office again on Monday, second time in a week."
According to Box Office Mojo Sound of Freedom was the most successful film, with Insidious: The Red Door and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ranking number two and three, respectively.
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Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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