Young Washington Delivers Angel Studios' Best-Ever Live-Action Opening With $20.8M July 4th Debut

Angel Studios just had its biggest live-action weekend in company history, and it happened on the one weekend built for exactly this kind of movie.

Young Washington, Jon Erwin's historical drama about George Washington's early years in the French and Indian War, opened to $20.8 million domestically from 2,700 theaters, according to Deadline. That's well ahead of the industry's own $15 million forecast, and it puts the film in second place all-time among Angel Studios releases — behind only last December's animated hit David, which opened to $22 million. It also comfortably beats the studio's previous live-action benchmark, Sound of Freedom, which opened to $19.6 million over its first three days back in 2023 before going on to a $184 million domestic total.

How Did a Historical Drama Outdraw a Superhero Movie?

The geography of the opening tells its own story. 67% of the film's weekend gross came from the Mountain, Midwest, Southcentral, and South regions, and there wasn't a single premium large-format screen involved in getting there — no IMAX surcharge, no Dolby premium, just a straightforward wide release that found its audience in the middle of the country. The single best-performing location in the country was a megaplex in Utah, which brought in more than $111,000 in ticket sales on its own. Nearly half the audience, 47%, was 55 or older.

Reviews haven't been kind — the film sits at 58-59% on Rotten Tomatoes — but audiences clearly didn't care, handing it a "Verified Hot" 92% audience score. On July 4th itself, Young Washington finished as the day's number two release with $7.6 million, trailing only Minions & Monsters' $9.4 million and outperforming Warner Bros.' Supergirl, which was in the middle of a second-weekend collapse of its own.

Is a Founding Father Franchise Actually Happening?

The response was strong enough that director Jon Erwin didn't wait for final numbers before announcing what's next. Before the weekend tally was even confirmed, Erwin took to social media to reveal a sequel is already in motion: 1776, which will shift the story into the Revolutionary War. The announcement was made fittingly at Mount Vernon, Washington's former home, during the July 4th weekend itself.

Angel Studios EVP of Theatrical Brandon Purdie tied the moment directly to the calendar, saying seeing audiences embrace the film during the nation's 250th anniversary "has been incredibly meaningful," and calling it a testament to the studio's partnerships with Wonder Project and 2521 Entertainment.

It's become something of a pattern for Angel Studios: find an underserved audience, release on a meaningful date, and let word of mouth do the rest. With Young Washington, they may have found their next franchise to go along with it.