Angel Studios, a small Utah-based movie studio, sees an opportunity in Hollywood’s perceived “wokeness” criticism by right-wing figures. According to co-founder Jordan Harmon, Hollywood is out of touch with the average person.
“We make movies for the other 90 percent,” he told AFP. Co-founded by four Mormon brothers, Angel Studios shook up Hollywood last July with its highly successful thriller about a vigilante battling a child sex trafficking ring.
Premiering shortly after the fifth “Indiana Jones” film, “Sound of Freedom” outperformed Disney’s franchise, earning $250 million globally. With explicit religious themes and a storyline that drew comparisons to QAnon conspiracy theories, the film became a focal point in the United States’ “culture wars.”
But according to Harmon, not catering to both sides of those ideological divides has contributed to Hollywood’s recent box office decline. Through the “Angel Guild” membership, subscribers pay monthly fees to vote on the studio’s production decisions via a mobile app. Harmon stated, “It’s just entrepreneurship 101. Listen to what your customer wants, and do it.”
Angel Studios initially started as VidAngel, a platform that allowed parents to view popular movies and shows with certain content filtered out. After facing legal issues related to copyright infringement, the brothers rebranded the company and transitioned to producing original content. Presently, many Angel productions center around Christian themes and narratives, aligning with the company’s commitment to creating content that “amplifies light.”
“The Chosen,” a TV series depicting Jesus’ life, initially launched by VidAngel, reports over 700 million episode views. However, the company faced strong criticism, especially post “Sound of Freedom.” Their “pay it forward” approach, where fans bought movie tickets for others to promote the film, was accused of inflating box office numbers artificially.
