by Mark Schwendau
Some moviegoers to the new “Sound of Freedom” movie about child sex trafficking are not having an optimal experience. It is not because of the movie itself but how they are being catered to by some AMC theaters screening the movie. This weekend the movie topped the $80 million mark, which is not too bad for an indie outsider movie made on a low budget. It also slipped from #1 last week to #2 this week.
The blockbuster film was produced by indie film company Angel Studios (The Chosen) and stars Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a producer of the project. As we reported previously, he was previously with Homeland Security investigations before he left the agency to start the anti-child sex trafficking organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR).
People all over the nation are having issues at some theaters showing the movie. Common complaints include movies shown sold out online when the theater is empty on arrival, lack of air-conditioning, fire alarms going off, overhead lights not being turned off after the movie begins, movie cancellations (without explanation), movie projector bulbs going out, film sound stuttering or freezing on screen, video not coming to screen, and the list goes on.
The fake news media has labeled moviegoers to this movie as “conservatives” as well as “Christians.” In fact, many moviegoers are neither of these. Some are curiosity seekers simply wanting to know about the dark side of American pedophilia (America is the largest consumer of child sex trafficking), and some are parents/grandparents ready to do real physical harm to anyone who lays a hand on their offspring.
The fake news media has then gone on to falsely accuse these actual incidents of theater mishaps of theater moviegoers spreading conspiracy theories and trying to dissuade people from seeing the movie.
These events were real, and they are backed up with video proof, so how does anybody in their right mind think they can get off writing off these incidents as “conspiracy theories”? They are all over such media platforms as Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube.
One TikTok user of a screening of the film said there were “shenanigans” going on as part of his viewing experience.
“AMC, I don’t know what’s going on here, but first off, the AC [air conditioning] was out when we went to watch the movie,” he said. “I’ve seen someone else post something, too, that also saw it at AMC, and their AC was out. As soon as we walked into the theater, it was hot as heck.”
This same man also said the theater, whose location he did not disclose, also kept the lights on during the entire duration of the film. “They’re trying to make it unenjoyable.”
Meanwhile, conservative Matt Wallace, who has 1.1 million followers, tweeted, “Hollywood desperately tried to block this from theaters.”
Soon, rumblings of a possible boycott of all AMC theaters began to circulate the Internet, and AMC CEO Adam Aron made several social media posts to quell the fires popping up around the country.
“Really bizarre FUD [fear, uncertainty, and doubt] floating around Twitter that we are suppressing attendance for Sound of Freedom,” Aron tweeted on the first Saturday of the release. “Yesterday, we showed that movie 3,000 times at our 570 U.S. theatres, and more than 100,000 people watched it @AMCTheatres. Misinformation on Twitter is astonishing. Bots? Haters?”
Thereafter Jeffrey Harmon, the co-founder of Angel Studios, responded to Aron’s tweet and thanked him for showing the film nationwide at a high volume to help stop any possible AMC boycott.
“I want to personally thank you for how amazing of a partner you have been,” Harmon posted. “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.”
Aron chimed in on the same issue again last Wednesday as the theories continue to spread, tweeting, “Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America.”
“So much garbage information is spread,” Aron wrote. “More than ONE MILLION people have watched Sound of Freedom at AMC Theatres. More than at any other theatre chain on the planet. Yet people falsely claim otherwise. It is so bizarre.”
I got a gut feeling the experiences at a few select AMC franchises are specific to those locations, but it is odd similar reports have not come out from AMC competitors CineMarkand Regal.
Time will tell. The heat is on.
Editor’s Note: If it’s deliberate, it’s not working. The movie still beats Indiana Jones and Dial of Destiny. They made $85 million, and it’s expected to make $100 million by this weekend. By the way, we don’t care if Hollywood is on strike.
Copyright © 2023 by Mark S. Schwendau
Mark S. Schwendau is a retired technology professor who has always had a sideline in news-editorial writing where his byline has been, “Bringing little known news to people who simply want to know the truth.” He classifies himself as a Christian conservative who God cast to be a realist. His personal website is www.IDrawIWrite.Tech.