'Sound of Freedom' Viewers Evacuated Over 'Report of a Fire,' Video Shows

A Sound of Freedom viewer has shared video footage of a movie theater being evacuated over a "report of a fire," saying that the call was made less than 10 minutes into a screening of the hit film.

In recent weeks, multiple videos that have gone viral across social media suggested that viewers were forced out of seeing Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas venues for various reasons. One TikTok user said her theater was evacuated without explanation, while another said the air conditioning was broken during the screening, making the theater "unbearably hot."

Some of the people sharing these videos have suggested that this was part of a move to suppress the film because of its subject matter—an allegation that the CEO of AMC Theatres and Angel Studios, the team behind the film, have vehemently denied. The movie is based on the life of former Homeland Security special agent Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel). The story follows Ballard as he sets up Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), an anti-child-trafficking organization.

Videos purporting to show problems at screenings have continued to appear on social media. A recent upload by TikTok user @nathanjohnson9 showed footage of an evacuation announcement at a movie theater in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

"Not even 10 minutes into the Sound of Freedom at the Regal Theatre in Mccain Mall, North Little Rock, AR," read a caption for the footage, which has been viewed more than 840,000 times.

In the clip, a prerecorded announcement was heard advising moviegoers that the "sound you have just heard indicates a report of a fire in this building. Please proceed to the next exit and leave the building."

With the lights on in the movie theater, a staff member was seen telling patrons that "we still have to evacuate the building," which apparently was the protocol despite no indication that there was an emergency.

Patrons then asked whether they would still be able to watch the movie. The staffer responded: "If we get the all clear, you can either get a refund or we'll bring you back in and rewind the movie to where you were at."

"We don't want a refund. We want a credit for another movie," a person was heard saying. "That way, this movie gets the benefit."

"That's fine," said the movie theater employee. "You'll have to talk to the manager about that."

"I don't want to leave. This is ridiculous," a moviegoer was heard saying as the footage came to an end.

Released on July 4, Sound of Freedom opened to strong audience figures, beating Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny at the box office. Sound of Freedom made $14,242,063 on its first day in theaters, while the Indiana Jones flick made $11,698,989 domestically.

Distributed by Utah-based Angel Studios, Sound of Freedom is the first post-pandemic independent movie to pass the $100 million milestone domestically. While last year's Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, a critical and commercial hit, also sprinted across the $100 million line, $63 million of that income came from the international box office. Remarkably, Sound of Freedom has achieved its success ahead of its recently announced release outside of North America.

However, the movie, which has won the approval of former President Donald Trump, continues to be dogged by persistent allegations that it is the focus of a U.S.-wide sabotage effort in the weeks since its release.

In a trio of Twitter posts, Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Theatres, rejected rumors that his chain was in any way "suppressing" the release of Sound of Freedom.

"Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America," he wrote last week. "So much garbage information is spread. More than ONE MILLION people have watched Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres. More than at any other theater chain on the planet. Yet people falsely claim otherwise. It is so bizarre."

The team behind Sound of Freedom has also rejected allegations that the movie theater chain is sabotaging people's attempts to view the film.

Responding to Newsweek's request for comment, an Angel Studios spokesperson absolved AMC Theatres of any 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 of the busy summer movie season," Angel Studios' Matthew Faraci said.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas via email for comment.