How summer blockbuster ‘Sound of Freedom’ became a battlefield in the culture war

It doesn’t take much to manufacture a culture war: Gas stove restrictions. Elmo’s vaccination special. The nefarious mixing of green and brown M&Ms.

It does take a lot to produce a box office hit. Just ask poor Indiana Jones.

That may be one reason why the surprise hit of the summer, “Sound of Freedom” — which has accumulated a domestic box-office total of $96.1 million since its July 4 opening — has become the war’s latest battleground. But it’s not the only one.

The thriller, which is loosely based on the story of anti-trafficking advocate Tim Ballard (played by Jim Caviezel), follows the Homeland Security agent as he goes rogue to save two kidnapped siblings and free dozens of more kids from a Colombian sex trafficking ring.

It’s debatable whether the film’s portrayal of the subject is realistic, and — as with just about any film “based on a true story” — there have been questions about the accuracy of its depiction of the real-life Ballard, whose organization Operation Underground Railroad claims to have saved hundreds of victims to date. On balance, though, “Sound of Freedom,” directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde, and co-starring Mira Sorvino and Bill Camp, tackles a brutal if uncontroversial topic: Everyone agrees that the exploitation of children is a horrific crime that must be stopped.

Unfortunately, the very mention of pedophilia rings a Pavlovian bell for QAnon subscribers who believe that Hilary Clinton, the Democratic Party and anyone else with whom they disagree is a “groomer,” molester, child porn kingpin or preschooler pimp. And though “Sound of Freedom” doesn’t go down such rabbit holes, Caviezel has espoused conspiracy theories around pedophilia, most recently on Steve Bannon’s podcast while promoting the film. The “Passion of the Christ” star expressed specific concerns about adrenochrome, a chemical compound that QAnon followers believe sex traffickers are harvesting from children.

Right-wing wags now contend that because of his beliefs, the left, the mainstream media and Hollywood —specifically AMC Theatres — are doing their best to suppress attendance to the film. They’ve alleged that AMC has shut off air conditioning and evacuated theaters to keep audiences away, claims that have gone viral across social media. The theater chain denies the accusations, calling them “bizarre.” (As of Thursday, the film was playing at AMC cinemas at the Americana, the Grove, CityWalk and Burbank, among other L.A.-area theaters.) But a campaign to “save” “Sound of Freedom” has bolstered its steady presence near the top of the summer box office.

Distributor Angel Studios includes a heartfelt message at the end of the film from Caviezel. Speaking directly to the audience, he provides alarming statistics about present-day slavery, mentions all the resistance and roadblocks they faced making the film, then encourages the audience to take out their phones and scan the code on the screen. It leads to an app where users can help “spread the word” by buying more tickets to the film. “Pay it forward,” he says.

Creative approaches to supporting faith-based films are nothing new — Caviezel’s own “The Passion of the Christ” was a pioneer in this area — and there’s an even longer tradition of identity groups such as Black and LGBTQ+ people rallying around films made outside the studio system. Many of those paying it forward may be ardent fans of the film, not shadowy megadonors with political points to score. But the combination of unorthodox marketing and conspiracy theory catnip has made “Sound of Freedom” the perfect focus for another sort of victimology.

Indeed, the us-against-the-world ethos that made the careers of politicians and pundits like Bannon, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene is rife within the film’s origin story. The filmmakers have said they could not find a distributor when they wrapped in 2018, and though they had a deal with 20th Century Fox, Disney decided against releasing the film when it acquired the company in 2019. Netflix and Amazon then allegedly passed on the film. Angel Studios picked up distribution rights earlier this year, using investor funding to distribute and promote the film.

Now, supporting the film has become a cause du jour for the MAGA crowd. Next week, former President Trump will host a screening of the film at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

So is “Sound of Freedom” guilty by association? Unfairly overlooked? Just another political football? In this era of misinformation, “fake news” and endless culture wars, it can be hard to know where grassroots ends and AstroTurf begins.

We do know one thing for sure, though: If Hollywood could control what is and isn’t a box-office hit, many of this summer’s disappointing “blockbusters” would be rolling in it.