'Fahrenheit 9/11' a No. 1 Hit
Across America
By Dean Goodman
28 June, 2004
Reuters
LOS ANGELES -
Bush-bashing became America's favorite spectator sport over the
weekend as Michael Moore's red-hot documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11"
earned more in its first three days of release across North America
than his previous record-breaking movie did in its entire run.
These are mind-blowing
numbers. And the fact that all the predictions that the movie would
only speak to the choir and that it would only be those who don't like
Bush coming to the movie, I don't think have turned out to be true.
According to studio
estimates issued on Sunday, "Fahrenheit 9/11," in which Moore
takes aim at President Bush, and the war in Iraq, opened at No. 1 after
selling about $21.8 million worth of tickets in the United States and
Canada since June 25.
All told, the movie's
total stands at $21.96 million, because it got a head-start on Wednesday
in two Manhattan theaters to help build more media buzz before expanding
to a relatively modest 868 theaters two days later. (By contrast, most
of the other movies in the top five were playing in more than 2,500
theaters each.)
Moore's previous
movie, "Bowling for Columbine," which nabbed the Academy Award
for best documentary last year, grossed about $21.5 million during its
nine-month run, peaking at about 250 theaters, according to Moore. That
haul was a record for a documentary in regular movie theaters.
"These are
mind-blowing numbers," Moore said during a conference call, "And
the fact that all the predictions that the movie would only speak to
the choir and that it would only be those who don't like Bush coming
to the movie, I don't think have turned out to be true."
Indeed, "Fahrenheit
9/11" played strongly in big cities and small towns, in Democrat
and Republican states, said Tom Ortenberg, the president of distribution
at Lions Gate Films, one of the firms that backed the movie.
"FAHRENHEIT"
FRENZY
According to exit
surveys in about 15 cities, 91 percent of respondents gave the film
an "excellent" rating, while 93 percent said they would "definitely
recommend" the film -- tallies that Ortenberg said were the best
he had ever seen. The core audience was aged between 25 and 34, he added.
Lions Gate, a unit
of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, partnered on the film's distribution
with IFC Films, a unit of Cablevision Systems Corp.'s Rainbow Media
Holdings LLC, and Miramax co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The
Weinsteins bought the movie's rights with their own money after Miramax
parent Walt Disney Co. refused to let them release it under the Miramax
banner.
The Disney brouhaha,
which broke in early May, weeks before "Fahrenheit 9/11" went
on to win the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, helped give the
movie a huge public profile virtually unprecedented for a $6 million
documentary.
Moore and the Weinsteins,
well-practiced masters of media spin, were also helped in their efforts
by grassroots groups from both sides of the political fence that chimed
in with their opinions. Moore thanked his detractors for helping boost
awareness and ticket sales.
While Moore has
previously boasted that "Fahrenheit 9/11" would help Bush
lose his job in November, he backed down during the teleconference,
merely hoping that the film would inspire the large non-voting bloc
to be "an active participant in our democracy." Similarly,
Moore reversed himself on previously stated plans to release the DVD
version of the film in October. "No deal has been done to do that,"
he said.
But one thing is
certain. The Oscar race is now definitely underway ahead of next year's
Feb. 27 ceremony, with "Fahrenheit 9/11" joining Mel Gibson's
"The Passion of the Christ" as the highest-profile contender.
"We have big plans for the award season, absolutely," Ortenberg
said.
Elsewhere at the
box office, the comedy "White Chicks" opened at No. 2 with
$19.6 million for the weekend, and $27.1 million since bowing nationally
on Wednesday. Last weekend's champion, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog
Story," fell to No. 3 with $18.5 million, and a 10-day haul of
$67.2 million.
Steven Spielberg's
"The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks, fell two places to No.
4 with $13.9 million, and a 10-day total of $41.8 million. Director
Nick Cassavetes' "The Notebook," a tear-jerker romance based
on the Nicholas Sparks bestseller," opened at No. 5 with a solid
$13 million.
"White Chicks"
was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp . "Dodgeball"
was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment
Group Inc . "The Terminal" was released by DreamWorks SKG,
which is privately held. "The Notebook" was released by New
Line Cinema, a unit of Time Warner Inc .
© 2004 Reuters
Ltd