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EAST TEXAS (KTRE) - A movie centered around a Deep East Texas community’s efforts in adopting foster children remained in a strong position in the domestic box office.

“Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” gets its name from a community in the Pineywoods of Shelby County, where 22 families in a single church adopted 77 children from foster care.

Released on the Fourth of July, the film debuted to a fourth-place spot in the box office, topping several films from larger studios. As of Monday, “Possum Trot” remains in seventh-place, with a Gross To Date of $6,811,094 from 2,200 theaters nationwide.

The film was written and directed by LA-turned-East Texas residents Josh and Rebekah Weigel for the small Christian production company Angel Studios. It has managed to stay above Focus Features’ “The Bikeriders” and Searchlight Pictures’ “Kinds of Kindness;” films that, while also created on non-blockbuster budgets, starred household names and were widely marketed.

“Possum Trot” was created on a budget of $8.5 million, an amount sourced entirely from donations, according to the Weigels in their April interview on East Texas Now. The filmmakers said that this support will allow the entirety of the profits from the film to go directly back to the cause: ending the foster crisis in America.

If you have an interest in adopting children in the East Texas foster systems, you can send an email to hello@heartgalleryetx.org. More information about the foster crisis, as well as how you can get involved, can be found at their website.

Watch the full April interview with the Weigels below:

Rebekah Weigel and Josh Weigel, East Texas filmmakers behind the new Possum Trot movie, joined East Texas Now to discuss the project.

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