George Washington continues to win battles centuries after his death, and this time the casualty is a Kryptonian.
Angel Studios' Young Washington pulled in an estimated $20.8 million during its July 3-5 opening weekend, as Trending Politics reported, blowing past industry projections that had the film pegged around $12 million to $17 million. That is roughly a 40 percent overperformance, which in Hollywood math means a whole lot of executives at other studios are staring at spreadsheets and quietly weeping.
The film, directed by Jon Erwin, follows a young George Washington (played by William Franklyn-Miller) through his early military career during the French and Indian War. Think less cherry tree mythology and more frontier survival, diplomatic chaos, and the Battle of Jumonville Glen. The official synopsis sets the tone: "Before he was the Father of a Nation, he was a soldier fighting to survive. A single misstep thrusts young George Washington into the center of a global conflict, testing his honor, loyalty, and courage. As alliances crumble and the frontier erupts into war, he must confront not only his enemies but the man he's becoming."
The supporting cast features Ben Kingsley, Andy Serkis, Kelsey Grammer, Mary-Louise Parker, and Joel Smallbone, which is honestly a lineup that could sell tickets to a reading of the phone book.
Now here is where things get truly entertaining. Young Washington was made for an estimated $20 million. In its second weekend, DC Studios' Supergirl collected approximately $9.6 million to $10 million after a steep drop from its debut. Supergirl reportedly carried a production budget somewhere between $170 million and $275 million, and that is before anyone bought a single billboard. So to recap: a movie about a teenager in the 1750s Ohio Valley, made for the cost of Supergirl's catering budget, just lapped it at the box office on Independence Day weekend. You genuinely cannot script irony that perfect.
The $7,700 per-theater average from roughly 2,700 screens showed efficient distribution, and strong word-of-mouth plus positive CinemaScore feedback helped push the numbers well beyond what tracking estimates had predicted. The opening landed Young Washington behind only heavyweight holdovers like Toy Story 5 and Minions and Monsters for the holiday frame.
This marks Angel Studios' largest live-action debut ever, surpassing Sound of Freedom and trailing only their animated release David among all the studio's openings. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June 2026 before going wide on July 3.
The lesson here is pretty simple. Audiences will show up for a well-told story about an actual historical figure made on a reasonable budget. Meanwhile, spending a quarter of a billion dollars does not automatically guarantee anyone cares. George Washington understood fiscal responsibility, and apparently so does his box office.
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