“Hollywood is just this bubble. They’re not connected with the average person,” said Angel Studios co-founder Jordan Harmon. “We make movies for the other 90 percent,” he told AFP.

Co-founded by four Mormon brothers, Angel Studios rocked Hollywood last July with its wildly successful thriller about a vigilante who takes on a child sex trafficking ring. Debuting days after the fifth “Indiana Jones” film, “Sound of Freedom” left Disney’s pricey franchise in the dust, going on to gross $250 million worldwide.

Featuring overt religious messages, and with a plot that some likened to QAnon conspiracy theories, the film found itself at the heart of the United States’ “culture wars.” But according to Harmon, it is a failure to cater to both sides of those stark ideological fractures that has left Hollywood box office hauls in recent decline.

In return for monthly fees, a membership base known as the “Angel Guild” gets to vote via a mobile app on which movies or shows the studio should buy, make and release. “It’s just entrepreneurship 101,” said Harmon. “Listen to what your customer wants, and do it.”

– ‘Pay it forward’ –

Angel Studios began life as VidAngel, a service that enabled parents to watch popular films and shows with the “bosoms, blood and bad words” removed. A first entanglement with Hollywood ensued over copyright infringement. The brothers rebranded and shifted to making original titles.

Today, many Angel films and shows feature heavily Christian themes or stories, and the company’s manifesto promises content that “amplifies light.” “The Chosen,” a television series about the life of Jesus, originally released by VidAngel, claims more than 700 million episode views.

But the company has come under fierce criticism, particularly since “Sound of Freedom.” A “pay it forward” model that encouraged fans to buy theater tickets for strangers and spread the film’s message was accused of artificially inflating box office figures. Some questioned how Angel was actually spending the money, leading the company to publish a spreadsheet of costs and profits online. Along with accusations of peddling conspiracy theories, the film was accused of mischaracterizing the problem of trafficking. While fans said it drew attention to a devastating and important problem, others accused the film of exaggerating facts. “Haters can criticize all they want,” said Harmon. “Everybody all of a sudden framed it as ‘this is a right-leaning movie,’ when in reality there’s nothing in it that’s right-leaning,” he added.

– ‘Very pro-life’ –

Angel’s next film, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” is being launched over the July 4 weekend, and comes with an activist message of its own. It tells the true story of a small Texas town in the 1990s, when 22 families decided to tackle the foster care crisis and adopt dozens of at-risk children. Coming in a US election year, the film is “very, very pro-life,” says Harmon, even if it does not directly tackle the nation’s raging debate over abortion.

While another “Sound of Freedom”-level hit seems improbable, that success helped the company grow to around 250 staff. “David,” an animated musical about the biblical king, is set for release next year, with Angel executives bullishly stating they want it to be “the most viewed animated film ever released.”

The move into animation makes sense for a studio that sees Disney as emblematic of Hollywood’s excessive “wokeness” and tendency to “prioritize politics over storytelling.” “They’ve disenfranchised and hurt their brand in such a significant way over the last years,” said Harmon, pointing to Disney’s recent “Star Wars: The Acolyte” series, which has been slammed in conservative circles for its heavy LGBTQ themes. “For us as founders, our long-term vision is that we are going to try to compete with Disney on the highest level, or die trying.”

© 2024 AFP

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Social media users point to what they say are “suspicious listings” on Etsy — including downloadable images of pizza selling for thousands of dollars — as evidence that the platform is selling children to be abused.

“Don’t let them gaslight you anymore,” said one QAnon supporter sharing screenshots from the website on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the busy holiday shopping season.

The rumors build on the long-debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, which falsely linked a pizza restaurant in Washington to an underground child sex trafficking ring involving high-ranking Democrats.

The narrative culminated in 2016 when a North Carolina man opened fire at the restaurant without striking anyone, later saying he intended to investigate the supposed crimes.He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to several years in prison.

Etsy denied the trafficking claims in a statement to AFP.The company said it found no evidence of a risk to child safety but removed the pizza-related posts because they did not appear to be legitimate.

A similar false theory emerged in 2020, accusing online retailer Wayfair of conducting a sex trafficking operation under the guise of furniture sales.In that case, social media users also shared screenshots of items with seemingly exorbitant prices.

No evidence has emerged to link either retailer to human trafficking, but the allegations have taken off among supporters of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory.Public figures such as commentator Liz Crokin and former national security adviser Michael Flynn have amplified them.

“It used to be the conspiracies kind of died with the fanatics that attempted to spread them.Social media just magnifies and speeds up the process,” said Bond Benton, an associate professor of public relations at Montclair State University and an expert on extremist groups.

“This sort of mentality takes us to a really dangerous place where I can sort of rationalize violence against people that I don’t like

.

” – The Musk factor – The Etsy claims come on the heels of a renewed interest online in child trafficking theories — thanks in part to a shoutout from Elon Musk.

“Pizzagate is real,” said a meme the X CEO shared in late November.

Mark Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida and a conspiracy theory expert, said influencers often latch onto QAnon-related narratives to boost their likes and followers on social media.

Benton said the correlation between Musk and the Etsy claim is “undeniable.”

Research he conducted with Daniela Peterka-Benton, director of the Global Center on Human Trafficking, found Musk’s posts increased Pizzagate-related activity on X by more than 9,500 percent from the month prior.

Peterka-Benton said these conspiracy theories “have painted a distorted picture of what human trafficking is” and can affect funding, policies and public perception in ways that harm victims.

One reason such narratives have such a long shelf life is because their promoters often encourage others to research the topic on their own.

“The research is not really ‘doing your own research.’

It is connecting the dots, a carefully laid-out trail by conspiracy people online,” Benton said.

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