‘Young Washington’ movie crushes projections, sequel already announced

Angel Studios’ historical drama “Young Washington” far exceeded pre-release expectations over the July Fourth weekend, prompting director Jon Erwin to announce a sequel before the film’s opening weekend had even finished.

Industry tracking had projected a domestic opening of approximately $15 million for the George Washington biopic. Box office data compiled by comScore, as reported by Seat42F, put the actual three-day total at $20.8 million from 2,700 theaters, averaging $7,721 per location — a figure that matches what Angel Studios and Christian Post separately reported. Some other industry tracking placed the weekend total closer to $19.4 million after subsequent revisions; the discrepancy reflects the normal gap between early weekend estimates and later confirmed actuals rather than a dispute over the film’s strong showing. 

Either figure places “Young Washington” among the strongest openings in Angel Studios’ history, trailing only 2025’s animated “David,” which opened to $22 million, and running roughly even with or ahead of 2023’s “Sound of Freedom,” which opened to $19.7 million over the same holiday weekend three years earlier. 

On July 4 itself, “Young Washington” earned $7.6 million, besting “Toy Story 5” while finishing behind “Minions & Monsters” for the day. Over the full three-day weekend, the film landed in third place domestically, per comScore data reported by Seat42F, trailing “Minions & Monsters” and “Toy Story 5” but outperforming “Supergirl” and “Disclosure Day.” 

The film performed disproportionately well outside major coastal markets. The Mountain West, Midwest, South Central and Southern regions of the U.S. combined accounted for 67% of the film’s opening-weekend revenue, according to Christian Post’s box office data. 

Audience reception has been strong even as critics have been more divided: the film earned an A CinemaScore from moviegoers and an 81% “definite recommend” rating from PostTrak surveys, Christian Post reported.

Mr. Erwin, who directed, co-wrote and produced the film, revealed plans for a sequel titled “1776” in a video posted from George Washington’s Mount Vernon on the Fourth of July. He said writing had already begun on the follow-up, which will focus on Washington’s role during the Revolutionary War, according to Christian Post. 

“Young Washington” stars William Franklyn-Miller as the future president, alongside Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Mary-Louise Parker and Kelsey Grammer. The film drew a high-profile endorsement from actor Chris Pratt, who urged his social media followers to see it after attending a screening, comparing it favorably to “The Revenant,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Braveheart,” Christian Post reported. 

Angel Studios previously found breakout success with 2023’s “Sound of Freedom,” a trafficking thriller that grossed $250.6 million worldwide against a modest production budget, according to DraftKings Network.