‘Sound of Freedom’ Defies the Industry Again: Angel Studios’ Streaming Service Has the Exclusive Digital Debut

Tom Brueggemann
·2 min read
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The industry watched in shock as Angel Studios’ summer hit “Sound of Freedom” grossed $183 million in North American theaters — but certainly a major streamer would nab the lucrative indie drama. Now, after much consideration, Angel chose… Angel Studios.

As of October 13, “Sound of Freedom” will be available exclusively on Angel Studios’ own subscription viewing service, Angel Guild. The press announcement did not name a price nor did Angel respond to a request for comment, but the charge for an auto-renewed Angel Guild membership is $20 per month (about the same as a typical $19.99 PVOD rental) or $175 per year.

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That’s about 100 days after its theatrical debut (a very long window, similar to rarefied titles like “Oppenheimer” and “Avatar: The Way of Water”). After three weeks exclusively on Angel Guild, “Sound of Freedom” will be available for digital purchase November 3, with DVD and Blu-ray to follow November 14 on Angel Studios’ retail site as well as major retailers. Digital rental will be available December 15.

Angel provided no pricing information and no indication of how it will manage individual purchases and rentals. If they’re available via major platforms like Apple and Amazon they’ll collect 80 percent of the revenue; everything sold via their site, of course, is Angel’s to keep.

a still from Sound of Freedom
“Sound of Freedom”Courtesy Everett Collection

If Angel gets to recoup all revenues, there’s a tradeoff: “Sound of Freedom” would skip access to familiar platforms including Vudu, Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play, as well as the potentially massive licensing fee a major streamer would offer. Angel is betting that it will see a greater return in the potential of direct consumer relationships and multi-month memberships.

Angel proved skeptics wrong before. It’s unlikely to report any verifiable revenues — but if it’s successful, studios might consider some experiments of their own.

The film is based on the experiences of anti-child trafficking crusader Tim Ballard, who recently denied reports of sexual harassment at Operation Underground Railroad, the organization he founded but left earlier this year.

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