'Sound of Freedom' Producer Announces Political Run Days After Film Becomes Number 1 in Latin America
As the blockbuster hit “Sound of Freedom” becomes a box-office sensation throughout Latin America, its producer has announced he wants to run for the Mexican presidency.
“After a period of discernment, I made the most important decision of my life: I have just registered with the INE [National Electoral Institute] my intention as an aspiring independent candidate for the presidency of the Mexican Republic for the elections on June 2, 2024,” Eduardo Verástegui wrote on Instagram, according to HumanEvents.
“My fight is for life. My fight is for freedom. It is time to remove the same old people from power. Our country needs a new way of doing politics, to eradicate corruption and impunity,” Verástegui, a pro-life supporter who will campaign as an independent, said.
Verástegui said he wants to give Mexican voters a choice.
“I want to change Mexico, this is a struggle for the freedom of Mexico and I am convinced that it will not be by the usual way, by the usual gap, the same parties as always, the same politicians as always, the same promises as always and the same, and the same, and the same as always, where we are told that we are going to arrive, but we are going backward,” Verástequi said, according to the Daily Caller, citing the Spanish-language website Milenio.
“There is more poverty in Mexico, there is more corruption, there is more violence, Mexico is not doing well,” Verástegui said.
“And we can see it, we have two candidates who are exactly the same, they dress differently, maybe they eat differently, different ages maybe, but they are the same, the same, that’s the opposition,” he said.
Verástegui, 49, was formerly a pop star and a soap opera actor, according to the Guardian.
Political analyst Vanessa Romero Rocha was cool to his chances.
“I don’t think this is the moment for this political movement in Mexico. But the next electoral cycle might be – especially if we don’t manage to solve the problem of violence in this country,” she said.
Verástegui’s announcement comes after a weekend in which “Sound of Freedom” was at the top of the box office in 18 Latin American countries, according to Angel Studios.
Jared Geesey, chief distribution officer at Angel Studios, noted that “some industry experts have argued our film would not be able to translate this success overseas. We’re grateful to our fans for proving them wrong, and making us the number one movie in Latin America.”
“We’re seeing packed theaters, standing ovations, widespread enthusiasm, and strong word-of-mouth from Buenos Aires to Mexico City to Bogota to Caracas, Lima, and beyond,” he said
“We set a goal of reaching 2 million in advance ticket sales — which took a full week in the U.S. — and reached that goal in just four days in Latin America. This film is fast becoming a global movement for change,” he said.
The film was tops at the box office in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Belize, Paraguay, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina and the Dominican Republic
Elsewhere, the film was at the top of the box office in New Zealand, second place in both Australia and South Africa and fourth in Great Britain.
The movie, which stars Jim Caviezel, tells the story of former U.S. Department of Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard, who waged his own war against human trafficking.
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