Three years ago, Angel Studios became a box office water cooler sensation with Sound of Freedom, an out-of-nowhere hit released amid the 2023 labor strikes that outgrossed a number of Hollywood tentpoles and put the upstart studio on the map.
While it hasn’t again reached the $250 million heights of Sound of Freedom, Angel has consistently put out movies, and landed a hit with the animated Biblical film David over Christmas ($85.8 million globally).
And on Monday, the values-driven studio arrived at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to remind theater owners it is keeping its films flowing, promoting its eight wide releases still to come this year.
Among them was a first look at Brink of War, which stars Jeff Daniels as President Ronald Reagan amid the high stakes, 1986 nuclear summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, played by Jared Harris. The feature opens Aug. 14, with J.K. Simmons and Hope Davis also starring in director
Michael Russell Gunn’s film.
It’s not the only historical drama on Angel’s docket. The studio released the trailer for Young Washington (out July 3), starring William Franklyn-Miller as young George Washington. Jon Erwin directs a cast that also stars Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker and Ben Kingsley.
On the modern day front, Angel released the trailer for Alan Ritchson and Owen Wilson’s Runner, about a man who must deliver a liver to a dying girl while dodging criminals who want the organ, which can sell for $1 million on the black market. The film made headlines last year, when Ritchson split with his longtime manager over a dispute on the set.
Other titles on the Angel docket this year include Andy Serkis’ Animal Farm (May 1), Tommy Lee Jones starrer Angel and the Badman (October), American Revolution feature Drummer Boy (Nov. 6), Finn Wittrock and Alexandra Daddario’s Hershey chocolate story Hershey (Thanksgiving), and the biblical epic Zero A.D., which reteams Sound of Freadom director Alejandro Monteverde with star Jim Caviezel, and also stars Sam Worthington and Ben Mendelsohn.
“CinemaCon marks an important moment for us to show where Angel is headed,” said Brandon Purdie, executive vice president and head of theatrical, Angel. “Our 2026 slate is a celebration of what makes moviegoing matter – cinematic stories designed to be experienced together on the big screen, and it reflects our belief that the power of cinema lies in bringing people together for unforgettable, shared experiences.”
