The documentary “After Death,” the latest from Angel Studios, gets a wide release today

The religious indie group behind the summer hit Sound of freedom is out with a documentary After deathwhich opens in more than 2,600 theaters this weekend, an extremely wide release for a documentary that is also, not coincidentally, a concert film.

The exploration of near-death experiences by survivors, scientists, doctors and authors who answer the question of what happens when we die has already sold more than 211,000 tickets in advance. That’s according to the latest review of a continuously updated ticket counter on Angel’s website, which estimates pre-orders based on integrations with ticketing platforms and issuers.

The company declined to specify advance sales in dollars. “We are delighted with the response from the audience, who crave a theatrical experience After deathsaid Jared Geesey, sales manager for Angel in Provo, Utah. “Life’s biggest question deserves the biggest screens and distraction-free environments.”

Director Stephen Gray said the sudden loss of his brother-in-law at the age of 36 partly inspired the film. “Life can be short. I hope so after watching it After deathIt makes the audience think and consider all the evidence. Movies have the unique ability to shape culture, and this film allows us all to explore what happens when we die. We want everyone to leave with a sense of appreciation and hope that their life has meaning.”

Angel Studios’ structure attracts tens of thousands of investors who join the Angel Guild and help select and finance titles for the studio to distribute. It was a jackpot with an anti-sex-trafficking feature Sound of freedom, which opened on July 4 and grossed $184 million domestically ($258 million worldwide), despite some controversy, appeals to a loyal audience that can make box office gold. Among other things, previous films were extremely successful The chosen onesAnd Dry bar comedy.

Sound of freedom Director Alejandro Monteverde is working with Angel Studios again on his next film. CabriniThe story of Francesca Cabrini, a poor but courageous Italian immigrant who became one of the great entrepreneurs of the 19th century, will be published next spring.

Angel will let go The postponementin cinemas from December 1. The lead role in the sci-fi thriller is played by Neal McDonough (Yellowstone, Minority Report), Sean Astin (Stranger Things, Lord of the Rings), Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman, 1984, Mad Men), Liz Tabish (The chosen ones), Paras Patel (The chosen ones) and Rose Reid (Find yourself surprised by Oxford).

After deathA Sypher Studios production written and directed by Gray (Discover the sky), co-director: Chris Radtke (Among thieves) and produced by Jens Jacob (I’m not crazy, I’m sick, the war is on) and Jason Pamer (Nick: The story of Nick Vujicic, the heart of man).

Angel Studios was originally founded in 2014 by a group of brothers led by Neal and Jeffrey Harmon as VidAngel – a filtering service that removed non-family-friendly content from Hollywood films. It has been sued for copyright infringement and filed for bankruptcy by Disney, LucasFilm, Twentieth Century Fox, Warner Bros., Turner Entertainment and New Line Productions. It emerged, renamed itself and focused on original production.