(NewsNation) — At the box office, “Sound of Freedom” scored big despite being an independent film up against big summer blockbusters. Yet, there are concerns that politics may muddle the film’s message, as former President Donald Trump is set to host a screening Wednesday.
Tim Ballard, whose anti-child trafficking advocacy is depicted in the film, says American border security is key to preventing abuses as seen in the film, and the issue is already political.
“We’re way past that,” he said on NewsNation’s “Morning In America.” “When they decided to politicize border enforcement under the Trump administration, it was done. They already made it a political issue. I wish it wasn’t; it shouldn’t be.”
The film is a fictionalized account of a controversial organization that engaged in stings to catch child sex traffickers.
Ballard worked for as a special agent on the southern border 10 years. He expressed a desire for border enforcement to be free from political influence, saying they used border enforcement to rescue children.
“When you have tens of thousands of unaccompanied children being dropped off and lost… that’s scary,” Ballard said.
He said he’d be happy to host a screening with President Joe Biden.
“I’ll come to anyone who wants to host a screening, anyone’s invited to help rescue children. I’m just going to wherever I’m being invited and that’s unfortunately, it’s become political,” he said.
Critics have said the movie amplifies conspiracy theories about trafficking and experts have warned it doesn’t paint a realistic picture of how sex trafficking works. They’ve expressed concerns that the movie perpetuates myths about trafficking that could have very real consequences for victims.
The faith-based group portrayed in the film, Operation Underground Railroad, conducted stings in an effort to rescue children. But some criticized the group’s tactics, including allowing citizens who don’t work in law enforcement to take part. They’ve also accused the group of overwhelming local authorities who were not prepared to deal with the aftermath of the stings.
The film took five years to make, but has made a quick profit and generated lots of buzz. It took second place in the July 14-16 weekend box office wars with $27.3 million, according to Box Office Mojo. On July 4, the movie took Hollywood by surprise when it brought in more money than the latest Indiana Jones film on the same day.
Angel Studios, which produced the film, announced it will play in an additional 450 theaters over the upcoming weekend.