Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard’s film “Sound of Freedom,” which highlights the realities of child sex-trafficking, is continuing to draw in audiences across the country.
The movie is outperforming other Hollywood contenders such as Walt Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” raking in over $14 million on its opening day.
The thriller is based on the true story of Ballard, a former federal agent, and his mission to save children from the underground sex slave trade.
In 2013, Ballard quit his job as a DHS special agent to establish Operation Underground Railroad, which helps rescue trafficked children from sex slavery and exploitation worldwide.
“We’ve ranked in the top three for destination countries,” he added. “It’s the economy of pedophilia.”
Ballard said he hopes “Sound of Freedom” will cause people to “wake up.”
‘SOUND OF FREEDOM’ BECOMES TOP GROSSING JULY 4TH MOVIE, BEATING OUT INDIANA JONES
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‘The Sound of Freedom’ is, at times, difficult to watch and meant to make viewers feel discomfort toward the grotesque reality of the abusive, $150 billion-dollar, global criminal enterprise that is child trafficking. (Angel Studios/ ‘The Sound of Freedom’)
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While patriotic at its core, the movie’s inclusion of big-name actors from various Latin-American countries aims to help spread awareness about the crime on a global scale, according to Matt Osborne. (Angel Studios/ ‘The Sound of Freedom’)
Caviezel recalled his reaction to the script when he was first approached about the film on Wednesday’s “The Ingraham Angle.”
“The script was phenomenal. I saw the movie ‘Taken’ years ago, and this is a real story about ‘Taken,’ and it’s a quintessential good versus evil, and there’s those who want to protect the children and those that want to exploit the children,” he said. “So it’s good versus evil.”
WHY JIM CAVIEZEL’S NEW FILM IS PERSONAL TO A MAN OF FAITH: ‘THE DEVIL OWNS THE FENCE’
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The film follows the story of Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R. Rescue), played by actor Jim Caviezel, as he quits his job with Homeland Security while on a mission to rescue missing children in Honduras and starts organizing his own independent team of child rescuers. (Angel Studios/ ‘The Sound of Freedom’)
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At any given time, as of 2021 statistics from The International Labour Organization, there are more than 27 million people in forced labor, 6.3 million of which are forced into commercial sexual exploitation. (Angel Studios/ ‘The Sound of Freedom’)
“It’s about the children and Americans waking up right now,” he continued. “And the only way these laws are going to be changed is that if the people move right now to save them, this is a good-versus-evil story. This is a battle hero story, and I was very blessed that I got the opportunity, just as I was blessed to do ‘The Passion of the Christ,’ and this is the best film I’ve done since that film.”
Fox News Digital’s Audrey Conklin, Lauryn Overhultz and Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
