Angel Studios, Inc. is an American independent Christian media company and
film distribution studio based in
Provo, Utah
Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...
. It operates the
over-the-top video on-demand
Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syst ...
service Angel.
The
streaming service
Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...
is available worldwide and can be accessed via
web browser
A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...
s or via
application software
Application software is any computer program that is intended for end-user use not operating, administering or programming the computer. An application (app, application program, software application) is any program that can be categorized as ...
installed on
smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s,
tablet computer
A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being computers ...
s, and
smart TV
A smart TV, also known as a connected TV (CTV or, rarely, CoTV), is a traditional television set with integrated Internet and interactive Web 2.0 features that allow users to stream music and videos, browse the internet, and view photos. Smart T ...
s.
Angel Studios emerged as the result of a bankruptcy reorganization from
VidAngel
VidAngel is an American streaming video company that allows the user to skip objectionable content based on user preferences regarding profanity, nudity, sexual situations, and graphic violence. The company uses customizable filters to automatica ...
, using
equity crowdfunding
Equity crowdfunding is the online offering of private company securities to a group of people for investment and therefore it is a part of the capital markets. Because equity crowdfunding involves investment into a commercial enterprise, it ...
through Angel Funding
to finance its original productions by offering individual investors the opportunity to purchase shares in the company and its titles.
Content produced by Angel Studios is distributed for free on their own streaming service.
Some titles are also available in other third-party streaming services as
distribution deal
A distribution deal (also known as distribution contract or distribution agreement) is a legal agreement between one party and another, to handle distribution of a product.
There are various forms of distribution deals. There are exclusive and ...
s.
[Form 1-K Annual Report 2022 Angel Studios, Inc.](_blank)
''SEC.report''
The studio has become known for its
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
-themed films. Notable titles that Angel Studios has produced include the film ''
Sound of Freedom'',
and the television series ''
The Chosen''.
History
Early years as VidAngel
Angel Studios was originally founded as VidAngel in 2014 by Latter-Day Saint family members Neal Harmon, Jeffrey Harmon, Daniel Harmon, Jordan Harmon, and Benton Crane. According to Neal Harmon, the brothers wanted to be able to show any movie to their children without worrying about explicit material. VidAngel provided a filtering service that allowed viewers to skip or mute scenes they did not want to watch from streamed movies and TV shows, by allowing viewers to set customized filters on graphic violence, nudity, and profanity.
In 2016, VidAngel was sued by several major Hollywood studios for copyright violations, accusing the service of streaming unlicensed content that was not created by VidAngel. VidAngel fought the lawsuit for several years, asserting its method was legal under the Family Movie Act of 2005, and then eventually reached a settlement in 2020.
As a result of the lawsuit, the Harmon brothers decided to sell the filtering service business and instead focus on producing original content through equity crowdfunding. The previous VidAngel service was sold to VidAngel Entertainment, and the company was rebranded as Angel Studios in 2021.
Equity crowdfunding
In December 2016, VidAngel was undergoing a lawsuit. To raise money for operations and lawsuit costs, the company conducted a Regulation A+ securities offering with a goal of $5 million in investment. It met its goal after 28 hours and had crowdfunded over $10 million after five days.
In 2017, the company conducted another Regulation A+ securities offering to crowdfund Season 1 of
''The Chosen''. Neal Harmon and Jeff Harmon worked together with
Dallas Jenkins
Dallas Jenkins (born July 25, 1975) is an American film and television director, writer and producer. He is best known as the creator, director, co-writer and executive producer of '' The Chosen'', the first multi-season series about the life of ...
and
Derral Eves
Derral Eves is an American digital media producer. He is known for executive producing ''The Chosen'', the first multi-season series about the life of Christ, and the highest crowd-funded TV series or film project of all time.
The Chosen
Aft ...
to produce and stream a multi-season television series about the life of Jesus and his disciples. After a pilot episode was developed, the company raised $13 million in equity crowdfunding to finance the first season, the largest amount ever crowdfunded for a TV show.
Also in 2017, a third foray into equity crowdfunding came from the launch of ''Dry Bar Comedy'', a series of 52 original
stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
sets filmed in Utah that are generally
clean and performed by lesser-known comedians. Much of its content went viral, with ''Dry Bar Comedy'' videos receiving over two billion views as of 2021.
Launch of Angel Studios
The success of ''Dry Bar Comedy'' and ''The Chosen'' gave way to a new business model that would allow the company to produce and distribute original content. The founders decided to focus on developing original content using its equity crowdfunding model and rebrand as Angel Studios.
Angel Studios was named after the "angel investors" that participate in the new model that uses equity crowdfunding to finance original productions. These productions are distributed via the Angel Studios streaming platform for free. The company relies on a
pay what you want
Pay what you want (or PWYW, also referred to as value-for-value model) is a pricing strategy where buyers pay their desired amount for a given commodity. This amount can sometimes include zero. A minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggest ...
revenue model, coined "Pay It Forward", in which viewers can optionally pay for the content if they choose to support it.
In early 2021, Angel Studios purchased the domain angel.com for $2 million. Soon after, Angel Studios launched an investment portal called Angel Funding that offered investment opportunities through Regulation Crowdfunding securities offerings.
Several productions were successfully funded through the investment portal after its launch in March 2021. ''
Tuttle Twins
''Tuttle Twins'' is an American animated series distributed by Angel Studios and produced by Tuttle Twins Show LLC, based on the book series of the same name by Connor Boyack. First released on June 30, 2021, the series follows twin siblings Et ...
'', a show for children with educational themes on economic freedom raised $4.6 million in equity crowdfunding for its production. ''
The Wingfeather Saga
''The Wingfeather Saga'' is a series of four children's fantasy novels written by singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson. It is being adapted into a free-to-watch, seven-season animated television series by Angel Studios, with Peterson as an executi ...
'', an animated series based on the award-winning book collection of the same name raised $1 million in the first 48 hours and $5 million in 20 days.
In April 2021, ''The Chosen'', which was originally distributed through the VidAngel platform, was made available on Angel Studios for the launch of Season 2. The show became a viral hit with renowned success worldwide.
In 2022, Angel Studios raised $47 million in an investment round led by a Gigafund, a venture capital company. In May 2022, the studio reported that it had $123 million in revenue, and that 50,000 people have invested over $100 million for production of new original content on its platform.
As of 2022, Angel Studios had 50,000 individual investors and had over $100 million worth of original content, including 12 titles, in production.
Launch of the Angel Guild
The Angel Guild, launched in 2023, is a group of approximately 1 million members who review and vote on completed episodes and movies to help Angel Studios decide if they should take on a project. If a film or show's voting results meet the Guild's minimum eligibility requirements, the project enters into a due diligence process to determine its potential for distribution.
Angel Guild members pay a monthly or annual membership fee to receive exclusive benefits such as access to Angel Studios’ entire library, new monthly releases, merchandise discounts, two complimentary movie tickets to every release, and more. The Angel Guild supports Angel Studios’ mission to share stories that amplify light.
Notable films greenlit by the Angel Guild include ''
His Only Son'', which earned $13 million at the worldwide box office, and
''Sound of Freedom'', which grossed $250 million after Angel Guild members voted for its distribution.
On February 7, 2025, Angel Studios signed a deal with U.K.'s only faith-based distributor Kova Releasing.
On February 10th, 2025, Angel Studios partnered with more studios include (France), (Germany), Rialto (Australia, New Zealand), Role (multiple Latin American countries), Crystalsky (Philippines), Empire (multiple African countries),
Shaw (Singapore), Skyline Entertainment (Sri Lanka), Contracorriente (Spain), Blitz (Croatia and ex-Yugoslavia), Filmone (Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria), Neema Media (Benelux),
Nos (Portugal), Paris Films (Brazil), Santa Barbara Films (Colombia) and
Paka Paka
Pakapaka is an Argentine television channel and website providing shows and original programming for children ages 2 to 12 and their families. Launched initially as a programming section in the Encuentro television channel on September 23, 2007, ...
(Argentina).
Production library
Films
Live-action
Animation
Television
Live-action
Animation
Content
TV series
''The Chosen''
''The Chosen'', a streaming multi-season television series created by
Dallas Jenkins
Dallas Jenkins (born July 25, 1975) is an American film and television director, writer and producer. He is best known as the creator, director, co-writer and executive producer of '' The Chosen'', the first multi-season series about the life of ...
and about the life of Jesus, was first produced under the VidAngel umbrella and later distributed by Angel Studios.
The series was supported by
equity crowdfunding
Equity crowdfunding is the online offering of private company securities to a group of people for investment and therefore it is a part of the capital markets. Because equity crowdfunding involves investment into a commercial enterprise, it ...
and raised over $13 million, the largest amount ever crowdfunded for a TV show.
Following the Season 3 finale in February 2023, ''The Chosen'' and Jenkins broke away from Angel Studios. The show is now handled by the Come and See Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation formed specifically to produce, license, and distribute ''The Chosen''.
Following months of legal arbitration between Angel Studios and The Chosen LLC, a decision by the arbitrator in favor of The Chosen was given in late May 2024. One day after Jenkins announced the ruling, Angel Studios' CEO Neal Harmon announced his company planned to appeal.
''Dry Bar Comedy''
''Dry Bar Comedy'' was one of the preceding company's first forays into original content, launched in 2017. It began as a series of 52 original stand-up comedy sets filmed in Utah that are generally
clean and performed by lesser-known comedians. ''Dry Bar Comedy'' has attracted a large social media following, particularly on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. As of 2021, ''Dry Bar Comedy'' videos have attracted over 2 billion views.
''The Wingfeather Saga''
Angel Studios produced an animated TV adaptation of ''
The Wingfeather Saga
''The Wingfeather Saga'' is a series of four children's fantasy novels written by singer-songwriter Andrew Peterson. It is being adapted into a free-to-watch, seven-season animated television series by Angel Studios, with Peterson as an executi ...
'', a fantasy book series for children and young adults written by
Andrew Peterson. Investors contributed $5 million to produce the first season.
Feature films
, Angel's distributed feature films include ''
His Only Son'', a March 2023 live-action drama retelling the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac produced by RockBridge Productions, ''
Sound of Freedom'', produced by Santa Fe Films and released in July 2023, and ''
The Shift'', a sci-fi film released in late 2023 starring
Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough (born February 13, 1966) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Lynn Compton, Lynn "Buck" Compton in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers'' (2001), Deputy District Attorney ...
,
Sean Astin
Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...
,
Kristoffer Polaha
Kristoffer Polaha is an American actor. He is best known for his starring roles on television as Jason Matthews in ''North Shore (2004 TV series), North Shore'', Nate Bazile, Nathaniel "Baze" Bazile in ''Life Unexpected'', and Henry Butler in '' ...
, and
Emily Rose, which was Angel Studios's first original theatrical feature film.
''David'', an animated film about
the eponymous biblical hero was originally set to be released by Angel Studios in 2025. However, in November 2024, Slingshot Pictures terminated its distribution agreement with Angel, citing "multiple alleged incurable contract breaches". Slingshot filed a lawsuit against Angel in March 2025 and is seeking a new distributor for ''David''.
''Sound of Freedom''
On July 3, 2023, Angel Studios released the film
''Sound of Freedom'' as its first international theatrical release.
Directed by
Alejandro Monteverde
Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander.
Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander ( Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (R ...
, the film stars
Jim Caviezel
James Patrick Caviezel Jr. ( ; born September 26, 1968) is an American actor. He played Jesus in ''The Passion of the Christ'' (2004), Tim Ballard in Sound of Freedom (film), ''Sound of Freedom'' (2023), and starred as John Reese (Person of Inte ...
,
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born ) is an American actress. She rose to stardom with her performance as a prostitute in the comedy film ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995), which won her both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Academy Award for Best S ...
, and
Bill Camp
Bill Camp (born ) is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in many films such as '' Lincoln'' (2012), '' Compliance'' (2012), '' Lawless'' (2012), ''12 Years a Slave'' (2013), '' Love & Mercy'' (2015), '' Loving'' (2016), ''Molly's G ...
. The film was a box office success, earning over $250 million worldwide.
However, the film also attracted controversy due to allegations of exaggerated ticket sales,
challenges to the credibility of its subject
Tim Ballard,
and its ties to the
QAnon
QAnon ( ) is a far-right conspiracy theories in United States politics, American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in 2017. QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals kno ...
conspiracy theory.
References
External links
*
{{Film Studio
American film studios
American companies established in 2014
Film production companies of the United States
Companies based in Provo, Utah
Entertainment companies established in 2014
Film distributors of the United States
Angel Studios
2014 establishments in Utah
Conservative media in the United States