The follow-up movie from the studio that delivered Sound of Freedom has also proved a hit at the box office.
After Death, a feature-length documentary about what happens when we die, was the fourth-highest grossing film in the U.S. over the weekend.
The Christocentric film, based on the testimonies of people who have had so-called near death experiences, made more than $5 million in the U.S, according to Box Office Mojo. It was the second-most successful opening film of the weekend, behind Five Nights at Freddy's, which earned $78 million and is based on the video game series of the same name.
That was the top grossing movie of the weekend, and the other films in the top four included Taylor Swift's Eras concert film, which raked in $14.7 million, and Martin Scorsese's latest offering, Killers of the Flower Moon, which made $9 million.
After Death's box office success was boosted by the fact it had reached 87 percent of its presale target by selling almost 146,000 tickets two days 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."
The documentary explores the after life through stories of near death experiences, with analysis from scientists, authors and survivors. It's based on New York Times bestselling books such as 90 Minutes in Heaven, Imagine Heaven and To Heaven and Back.
Angel Studios also engages in a "pay it forward" system, which encourages viewers to buy tickets for other people who they want to see the film or who otherwise couldn't afford tickets themselves. It was this grassroots marketing campaign that was credited with contributing to Sound of Freedom's box office records, according to the movie's director, Alejandro Monteverde.
Monteverde told Newsweek in an interview earlier this year that the studio's heads, brothers Neal and Dan Harmon, came up with 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 became the box office surprise of 2023 as it became the 10th highest grossing film of the year. The independent film even surpassed major franchises such as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
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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