Sound of FreedomGoes International: 23 Countries to Get Hit Film

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2 years ago

August 4, 2023

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The record-setting movie Sound of Freedom is expanding into more than 20 international markets across four additional continents as it continues to enjoy momentum in the United States, Angel Studios announced Wednesday.

The faith-centric film, which finished No. 3 at the box office over the weekend and passed $125 million Monday in total gross, will expand into South Africa on Aug. 18 before opening in Australia and New Zealand on Aug. 24 and 17 other countries on Aug. 31. It launches in the United Kingdom and Ireland Sept. 1 and Spain Oct. 11.Since Sound of Freedom launched in the U.S., demand has been building around the world in dozens of regions and languages, said Jared Geesey, senior vice president of global distribution for Angel Studios. Child trafficking is a global issue, and we hope to build on the incredible momentum here in the States and share the films powerful message worldwide.

The 17 countries its expanding into on Aug. 31 are Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize, Panama, Columbia, Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica.

All total, it is expanding into 23 countries.

Sound of Freedom is the only wide release in Hollywood history to have a second-weekend increase greater than 35 percent at the summer box office. Movies typically decrease in revenue from their first weekend to their second weekend.

It opened at No. 1 on the Fourth of July and grabbed the top spot three more times.

The PG-13 film tells the true story of a government agent, Tim Ballard, who quit his job at the Department of Homeland Security so he could dedicate his life to rescuing children in other countries from sex trafficking. Jim Caviezel portrays Ballard.

It received an A+ CinemaScore grade from moviegoers. An incredible 41 percent of Sound of Freedom moviegoers say they plan to see it again, Purdie told Christian Headlines, quoting exit data.

4 Things You Should Know about Sound of Freedom

Angel Studios Is Revolutionizing Hollywood ‘Forever,’ Exec Says: ‘This Is a Game-Changer’

Sound of Freedom Shatters Hollywood Record, Crosses $85 Million: Its a Summer Phenomenon

Sound of Freedom to Expand after Stunning Success: It’s Been a Surprise to Hollywood

AMC Is not Censoring Sound of Freedom, Angel Studios Says: the Rumors Are False

Photo courtesy: Angel Studios, used with permission.

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Politics

The evolution of crypto payments and what lies ahead

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44 mins ago

February 7, 2025

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The evolution of crypto payments and what lies ahead

From Bitcoin to stablecoins, what’s next for digital currency? Stablecoins will continue to play a fundamental role in crypto payments, and their important role will only grow.

Technology

Trump delays cancellation of de minimis trade exemption targeting China imports

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1 hour ago

February 7, 2025

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Trump delays cancellation of de minimis trade exemption targeting China imports

Employees package and sort express parcels at an e-commerce company on Nov. 1, 2024, around the Double 11 Shopping Festival in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province of China.

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that puts a pause on his closing of the de minimis trade exemption, a provision commonly used by Chinese e-commerce companies Temu and Shein.

The order states that de minimis will be restored for small packages shipped from China, “but shall cease to be available for such articles upon notification by the Secretary of Commerce to the President that adequate systems are in place to fully and expediently process and collect tariff revenue” on those items.

Trump on Saturday suspended the exemption as part of new tariffs that include an additional 10% tax on Chinese goods. The nearly century-old exception, known as de minimis, has been used by many e-commerce companies to send goods worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free, creating a competitive advantage.

It was predicted that its removal could overwhelm U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees, as the mountain of low-value shipments already making their way into the U.S. would suddenly require formal processing.

De minimis has helped fuel an explosion in cheap goods being shipped from China into the U.S. CBP has said it processed more than 1.3 billion de minimis shipments in 2024. A 2023 report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party found that Temu and Shein are “likely responsible” for more than 30% of de minimis shipments into the U.S., and “likely nearly half” of all de minimis shipments originate from China.

Critics of the de minimis provision say it’s provided an unfair advantage to Chinese e-commerce companies, and created an influx of packages that are “subject to minimal documentation and inspection,” raising concerns around counterfeit and unsafe goods.

The Biden administration proposed a new rule last September to curb the “overuse and abuse” of de minimis. The rule proposes to strengthen the CBP’s information collection requirements for de minimis shipments.

Environment

Tesla increases Model X price, brings back incentive Elon Musk said was ‘not coming back’

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2 hours ago

February 7, 2025

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Tesla increases Model X price, brings back incentive Elon Musk said was 'not coming back'

Tesla has increased Model X prices and brought back an incentive that CEO Elon Musk said was unsustainable and “not coming back to any vehicles.”

Today, Tesla updated its Model X configurator in the US to raise the prices of the electric SUV by $5,000.

The new prices are $84,990 for the Long Range version and $99,990 for the Plaid version:

The price increase means the Model X ino longer qualifies for the $7,500 Federal EV tax credit as it now exceeds the $80,000 price cap for electric SUVs.

But with the price increase, Tesla is ramping up the incentives.

Tesla brings the price down by $1,000 with a referral code, it gives one option for free if you buy the Full Self-Driving package, and it is bringing pack “free Supercharing for life.”

The latter, Tesla stopped offering because CEO Elon Musk said it was unsustainable.

Back in 2020, the CEO said that it will “not come back to any [Tesla] vehicles”:

“Just us being fools, but free Supercharging forever is not coming back to any vehicles. It’s not a good incentive structure.”

However, it did bring it back last year as an “end-of-the-year incentive.”

But now, Tesla is bringing it back for Model S and Model X, and it applies to orders from the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, Europe and Middle East.

Tesla has made some changes to the program. Instead of being linked to the vehicle, meaning free Supercharging would remain if you sell it, it is now attached to your Tesla account.

The automaker also says that it doesn’t apply to vehicles used for commercial purposes:

“Customers who purchase or lease a new Model X are eligible for free Supercharging during your ownership of the vehicle. Offer is tied to your Tesla Account and cannot be transferred to another vehicle, person or order, even in the case of ownership transfer. Used vehicles, business orders and vehicles used for commercial purposes (like taxi, rideshare and delivery services) are excluded from this promotion.”

However, Tesla also said that the last time, but it is hard to enforce.

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