"Fahrenheit 9/11" Hits $$100 million$$

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-18-2000
"Fahrenheit 9/11" Hits $$100 million$$
57
Mon, 07-26-2004 - 9:38am

"Fahrenheit" Hits 100 (Million)+


http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14582,00.html?tnews


Sometimes, when the fahrenheit hits 100 in the middle of summer, it's a good thing.



Just ask Michael Moore.


The Oscar-winning filmmaker's latest fireball of a documentary, the President Bush-bashing Fahrenheit 9/11, cooked up another $5 million in ticket sales this weekend, ranking in seventh place on the weekly box-office rundown.


But more importantly, the film, already the highest grossing documentary since its first weekend in theaters, hit the $100 million mark on Saturday, becoming the first doc in history to reach that milestone. Its total haul stands at $103.3 million in five weeks of release. Not too shabby for a film that cost just $6 million to make.


In a conference call Sunday, Moore credited the success to the public's desire to "look for the truth and begin the important discussion and debate that needs to take place in this county." Besides, he said,"right now it's really cool to talk about politics."


Moore also said that judging by his mail and snooping around cineplexes, Fahrenheit 9/11's record box office shows that people "want to go to a good movie. I don't think they are saying, 'Let's go see a documentary tonight.' I think they are saying that they've heard that this movie is funny, they've heard that this movie is sad, they've heard that this movie will show them things that they have never seen before, and I think that's why we all like to go to the movies."


Lions Gate, which, along with IFC Films, agreed to distribute the documentary after it was dissed by Disney, reports Fahrenheit 9/11 has performed best on the coasts, but is peforming strongly throughout the entire country. Although its audience is chiefly Democratic, the film is reportedly also scoring very well with independents. Perhaps most surprisingly, the studio says surveys suggest that more than 40 percent of the Republicans who have seen the movie would recommend it to others.


"I believe this movie is going to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the polls who otherwise were not going to vote," said Moore, who describes audiences as being very moved by the plight of the soldiers and their families. (Sony is planning on releasing a DVD version of the film by September.)


Moore also says that the film has benefited from free publicity, mostly courtesy of conservative types who continue to complain about the film, try to ban it from theaters, encourage illegal downloading of the film or evict Linda Ronstadt from Vegas casinos when she praised the film.


"A month ago it was all about, 'This movie is just going to preach to the converted.' Well the converted came the first weekend...and as each weekend goes by it's not the hardcore political people--they did not wait--the people going now are the people that live in that great gray middle of America, people who don't necessarily consider themselves political people, but who are interested in the movie now because they turn on the TV and it's Linda Ronstadt one day, it's people on Fox going nuts, going absolutely nuts...and they go, 'Maybe I should go check this movie out.'"


Finally, Moore couldn't resist on zinger at Mickey's expense. "If you had told me when we were going through all our pre-distribution problems with Disney that this film would gross more than any other Disney film this year...I don't even know to respond to that," he said.


For his part Mouse House big cheese Michael Eisner has been gracious--perhaps because, as part of his deal with the film's producers, Disney gets to pick charities that will receive the bulk of Fahrenheit 9/11's profits. Eisner has also admitted to seeing the doc he dumped, telling the Associated Press, "The reason it is a hit is it's entertaining. I thought it was like going to a rock concert. I loved it, but not in a political ."


The White House continues to try to ignore the movie. But Moore is trying to change that. He says that he plans to make an announcement this week during the Democratic National Convention about "my attempts to get to see the movie and an offer that I plan to make to him so that he has a chance to see the movie."


Other threads on the board about Fahrenheit 9/11.........


Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' Wins at Cannes.


http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-elinthenews/?msg=6602.1


Hollywood abuzz about 'Fahrenheit 9/11'.


http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-elinthenews/?msg=6725.1


violation of freedom of expression


http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-elinthenews&msg=6483.1

cl-Libraone~

 


Photobucket&nbs

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 2:39pm
"By your own admission a few posts ago, you feel that Americans are (Sadly) stupid as well. Again I don't see the difference, except that Moore has a long history of fighting is battles through the use of film and I will allow him that initial modicum of credibility."

Many of them are stupid. That's unfortunate, but it's reality. As for not seeing a difference between me saying many Americans are stupid and Moore saying Americans are stupid, I'm not out taking advantage or capitalize on that stupidity as Michael Moore is doing. My only goal in commenting on this is to hopefully encourage some people to THINK, to objectively consider the things Moore wants them to blindly accept. Moore has his own personal agenda... making money and getting his way through preying on individuals who want others to think for them.

That should be enough difference for anyone.

As for Moore having a history of fighting battles, he also has a history of having little respect for the facts of the matters he addresses. It's evidently not as bad in F-9/11 as it was in some of his previous works such as BfC, but that history is there nonetheless, and is one of the reasons I and others have problems with him in general. He's lost whatever credibility he might have once had with us, and lost it through his own actions.

~mark~



iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 2:44pm
"You can't honestly critisize a film based on what was done previously, those were different movies, different issues."

Different films, different issues, but all created by a man with a historical and established lack of veracity in regards to the issues he addresses in his works. I was criticizing the man and his attitudes where the facts are concerned, not F-9/11 specifically.

"Trying to insinuate that anybody who went to see it as mindless sheep is just a desperate effort to thwart others who dare venture out and explore differing points of view."

Explore if you wish, but THINK while you're doing so. That's the point I've been trying to make.

~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-02-2004
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 3:19pm
>>>Explore if you wish, but THINK while you're doing so. That's the point I've been trying to make<<

I think it is hard for you to make a point when you in fact have not seen the movie and don't have a thought about it yourself, but based those thoughts on what others have said. so I don't see you are in a position to demand how others think on an issue you are not even willing to explore yourself.

alfie

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-08-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 4:05pm
Good post Mark, nothing left for me to even try to pick apart :)

Seriously, it's refreshing to see CONSTRUCTIVE criticism of Moore and his work and not the usual: He's a big fat stupid white man.

I'm withholding my judgement of 'The American IQ' until after the election.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 5:28pm
The point I'm making is objectively valid whether I've seen this particular movie or not, since the principle underlying it is applicable to a very wide range of issues and circumstances.

"so I don't see you are in a position to demand how others think on an issue you are not even willing to explore yourself."

You're misquoting me. Go back and read my post again. I'm not demanding others think any particular way on any issue, but just that they THINK, period, and not let others tell them how they should think or act.

For myself and my choice where F-9/11 is concerned, I've done my thinking on Moore and come to the conclusion based on his previous actions and works (with all the inherent problems they suffer from) that he isn't worthy of my financial support or even consideration. That's my decision, the result of due consideration and thought based on first-hand experience with him and his previous works.

~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 5:32pm
"Good post Mark, nothing left for me to even try to pick apart :)"

That's refreshing, as we generally have little we can agree on. ;p

"I'm withholding my judgement of 'The American IQ' until after the election."

True, and then we get to sit back and see if the results of that election reflect poorly or well on "The American IQ", and on what basis. We'll just have to burn that bridge when we get there.

~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2004
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 6:14pm
ooooooookdoke. We'll THINK! Now why didn't we THINK about it before!

LOL

we're all a bunch of nitwits who need to be reminded to THINK?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 6:19pm
"we're all a bunch of nitwits who need to be reminded to THINK?"

Some are, yes. They're appear perfectly content to let others do the thinking for them and simply follow their lead. These are the people who buy into what is set before them without going to the effort of actually objectively considering what they've been told or shown, and that applies to far more than just the film and film-maker in question. It may be unfortunate, but it's also true.

"Sheeple" is a phenomenon which has a long and deplorable history.

~mark~

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2004
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 9:05pm
Yes, and these come in all races, all cultures, and all political stripe.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 9:31pm
Yes they do. Did I somehow convey the impression they didn't? nt