Sound of Freedom studio slaps down claims of cinemas sabotaging screenings

Angel Studios, the company behind this week’s most talked-about movie Sound of Freedom, has slapped down claims of cinemas sabotaging screenings.

Sound of Freedom tells the true story of Tim Ballard and his organization Operation Underground Railroad (OUR), a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing children from sex trafficking rings. 

While there’s been a fair share of controversy surrounding the film, from questions raised about OUR’s practices to links with QAnon, ultimately it’s proven to be a David and Goliath story, with Sound of Freedom beating out the likes of Indiana Jones 5 and Insidious: The Red Door at the box office this week.

Another scandal has seen movie-goers accuse theaters of purposely sabotaging screenings in some sort of twisted attempt to cover up the truth about child abuse – and it looks like the studio has had enough. 

Sound of Freedom studio shuts down claims against AMC Theatres

Many of the accusations have been aimed at AMC Theatres, one of Sound of Freedom’s most significant theatrical partners, with a number of audience members taking to social media to claim that their local AMC had either purposely shut off the air conditioning or cranked it up in order to repel viewers. 

The bizarre tweets have garnered attention from all directions, and now Angel Studios has chimed in to put the rumors to bed. 

As part of a joint statement, Brandon Purdie, Head of Angel Theatrical Distribution, said: “We understand there are rumors – predominantly in social media – that AMC theaters have made it difficult for fans to see Sound of Freedom in local AMC theaters, and we want to make it clear these rumors are not accurate.

Twitter/@AngelStudiosInc

“AMC has been an outstanding partner for Angel Studios, and in fact, as a result of the movie’s performance and consumer demand, AMC has agreed to add additional screens for Sound of Freedom this weekend.

“Angel Studios and the producers of Sound of Freedom are asking our fans to support AMC, and all of our other theatrical partners. Summer is the busiest season for people working in theaters, so we ask that anyone attending a screening of Sound of Freedom show kindness to their local theater staff. 

“We have the best movie fans in the business. Let’s continue to show theaters the love that Angel supporters are known for.”

The statement follows the numerous allegations against AMC, with one woman taking to TikTok to claim the cinema chain pulled “some sketchy crap with The Sound of Freedom,” explaining that her ticket for the film was refunded as the AC wasn’t working in the theater. 

Over on Twitter, another wrote: “I had the reverse scenario. I nearly froze. They turned up the air conditioning so much in Regal that it was unbearable, but I refused to move/leave the theater. I’ll likely get sick, but I felt a sense of duty to not leave the theater and felt it was inappropriate to complain considering the content of the movie.”

But things took an even more bizarre turn when @mrnastynodrama tweeted a satirical message, stating: “I work at AMC and just got fired for refusing to add this liquid to a customer’s soda. We were instructed specifically to serve this to Sound of Freedom audiences. I am a microbiology student and took it to the lab to examine and found what looks like nanobots inside.”

Twitter/@mrnastynodrama

Though the post has misinformation warnings beneath it, Angel Studios and AMC Theatres decided enough was enough and shared their joint statement.

Prior to this, CEO Adam Aron posted a response to the growing rumors. “Really bizarre FUD floating around Twitter that we are suppressing attendance for Sound of Freedom,” he wrote.  

“Yesterday we showed that movie 3,000 times at our 570 U.S. theatres and more than 100,000 people watched it at AMC Theatres. Misinformation on Twitter is astonishing. Bots? Haters?”

He added: “Sadly, conspiracy theorists are so prevalent in America. So much garbage information is spread. 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.

“Let’s put this ridiculous conspiracy theory to bed. Fri/Sat more than 250,000 people watched Sound of Freedom at AMC in the US.”

Sound of Freedom is in cinemas now. You can check out more of our coverage on the movie below: 

How to watch Sound of Freedom | Sound of Freedom controversy explained | Who is Jim Caviezel? | Why did Disney shelve Sound of Freedom? | Sound of Freedom box office | Is Sound of Freedom not being promoted?