June 27, 2004

Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's polemical film blasting the Bush administration, is on course to be the top-grossing documentary film of all time.

What the US electorate could not get from the "US mainstream news media," (i.e., the Truth about Fraudida, 9/11, Iraq, the Bush cabal itselt, etc.) has been delivered by the Internet-based Information Rebellion, which has now spread from cyber space into bookstores (and best-seller lists), movie theatres and DVD distribution...

Cameron McWhirter, Atlantic Journal-Constitution: "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's polemical film blasting the Bush administration, is on course to be the top-grossing documentary film of all time. It also appears likely to be the top-grossing film of any genre for the weekend...
"This blows away any conceivable record for box office of a documentary," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Break the Bush Cabal Stranglehold on the "US
Mainstream News Media," Show Up for Democracy in 2004:
Defeat Bush (again!)


http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0604/27fahrenheit.html


Moore's jab at Bush a success: 'Fahrenheit 9/11' a box office hit

By CAMERON McWHIRTER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/26/04


"Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's polemical film
blasting the Bush administration, is on course to be
the top-grossing documentary film of all time. It also
appears likely to be the top-grossing film of any
genre for the weekend.

On Friday, its first day of national release, the film
earned about $8.2 million, already making it the
fourth-most profitable documentary in terms of
domestic gross receipts, according to the Web site Box
Office Mojo.

"This blows away any conceivable record for box office
of a documentary," said Paul Dergarabedian, president
of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Movie theaters nationwide reported sold-out shows.
>From New York to Michigan to California, theater
owners said they added shows to accommodate crowds. In
metro Atlanta, 12 theaters showed the film this
weekend.

Shawn Young, 35, of Atlanta bought his tickets
Saturday at Landmark's Midtown Art theater in Atlanta,
a Democratic stronghold. Young said he wanted to see
the movie on its opening weekend because he admired
Moore's Oscar-winning documentary "Bowling for
Columbine."

Also, he said, "I'm not a big fan of Bush.

"It's definitely a political statement," he said about
attending the film.

Gideon Carson Kennedy, first assistant manager at
Midtown Art, said the theater sold out most showings
of the film. The theater is showing the movie in rooms
that seat 350 and 150. "Even the midnight show was
sold out," he said.

Sales were somewhat slower at AMC Theatres at Discover
Mills in Gwinnett County, a traditional Republican
stronghold. A manager said sales were good, but not
overwhelming.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" opened in 868 theaters nationwide,
far more than most previous documentaries. "Bowling
for Columbine" — which earned about $21.5 million to
become the largest grossing documentary in history —
was shown in only 248 theaters.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" presents Bush as a feckless leader
whose administration cynically used the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks to convince the public that the country
needed to attack Iraq. In May, the Cannes Film
Festival awarded the movie its top honor.

Just before Cannes, Disney, which funded production of
the film through its subsidiary Miramax, announced it
would not release the movie because of its overtly
political content. Miramax bosses Harvey and Bob
Weinstein bought back the film and hooked up with
Lions Gate Films and IFC to distribute it.

If the movie does become the top-grossing documentary,
it still would bring in only a fraction of what a
Hollywood blockbuster does. To date, Moore's gross for
all his films is $37.5 million, according to Box
Office Mojo. "Titanic," the top-grossing film of all
time, has earned $1.8 billion.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.



Posted by richard at June 27, 2004 12:57 AM