Yep..people are staying away from FAHRENHEIT 9/11 in droves.

[Reeder]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2004-06-25&p=.htm

Great money for such a small amout of theaters.

1 FAHRENHEIT 9/11

868 $8,200,000

10921.5% / $9,447
$8,358,000 / 3

[elfbabe]

All four of the theaters showing it in the Baltimore area were apparently sold out last night, according to my friends who tried to go. Good thing I went to that midnight showing, I suppose.

I'll be interested in seeing how many more theaters pick it up now that it's proven its commercial viability, and how well it holds through the weekend.

[Triskadecamus]

Well, at the theater I saw it at last night, it out drew all five of the other movies, which included Harry Himself.

It's a local Arts theater, and it generally has a fairly small audience average for any movie, even the odd big draw that they show to stay in business. (i.e. Potter). The showing at 5:4O last night was not quite sold out, but close. There were about sixty people waiting in line for the next one, as we left.

We have a Republican Senator, and Congressman, here. Folks laughed and applauded at times during the show.

Tris

[fluiddruid]

I was going to go last night, but was feeling tired.

I drove past the theater, which is normally pretty sleepy in summertime due to being a campus theatre aimed at students (with horrible parking)...

The line was out the door! First time I've ever seen that happen.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I went to the 5:15 showing at a large Miami theater last night, and lines were out the door for that showing and the one after it. My three friends were in line ahead of me, and the show officially SOLD OUT right before I got up to buy my ticket. So what could I do? I ended up sneaking in to see it, since I wasn't going to wait for them in the lobby! People whooped and clapped at various moments, and the audience gave it a standing ovation at the end... I've only seen such strong crowd reactions when I go to see "geek" movies on opening day, like the Star Wars, X-Men, and Spider-Man films.

[Garfield226]

People whooped and clapped at various moments, and the audience gave it a standing ovation at the end... I've only seen such strong crowd reactions when I go to see "geek" movies on opening day, like the Star Wars, X-Men, and Spider-Man films.

Well that kinda explains it right there, doesn't it?

[Revtim]

Was there an industry projection of how much business they expected it to do? Doesn't the studio or releasing company release an estimate, perhaps for sharholders in the company? Sometimes I hear things "Such-and-such movie made 10 million, which was a surprise because (somebody) expected it to only make 4 million," but I have no idea where projections come from.


Also, let me point out how whether the movie did well or not of course will be easily explained by rabid Bush supporters. If it did poorly, they'd probably say something like "It failed because the public knows it's bullshit!" and now that it's doing well I predict they'll say something like "Obviously the public has been brainwashed by the [scary organ music]LIBERAL MEDIA[/som]!!!!"

Or course, the rabid anti-Bushes would have similar arguments either way also (poorly="The public has bought W's bullshit!" well="It shows how fed-up the public is with Bush's bullshit!").


And, Moore foes are making an anti-Moore film festival (http://199.249.170.186/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000552469), that should make him proud. I would find that the finest honor the film could get if I were Moore, far better than an Academy Award. Whether they are or not, it looks like they are running scared and desperate.

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

I really don't care for Moore's ethos that the United States is the most evil nation in living memory, but I do like to see someone shake up the status quo as he tends to do.

Last I heard, his movie was expected to break all records for a documentary.

I'm certainly planning to see it.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I found it interesting that Larry Elder's film purports to be a pro-gun response to Moore's "anti-gun" movie, Bowling For Columbine since BFC is not anti-gun and has nothing to do with gun control.

Where did this misconception comes from that BFC is some sort of anti-gun screed? It drives me nuts when people who haven't seen the movie claim that's what it is.

Moore is a provacateur, he's biased, he's not necessarily fair. But it seems like the anti-Moore crap has gone completely over the top, calling him a "liar" and comparing him to Nazi propagandists. These are people who have seen neither BFC nor F911 yet they're experts on everything Moore. They never actually cite anything that Moore has lied about, mind you (except for linking to spurious web pages like Bowling for Truth which contain factually erroneous information) but they've decided (because they've been told to by the right-wing media) that Moore just a hate-filled, lying loon with no substance at all. That's bullshit. There are even people on this board who think they're being oh so objective by likening Moore to a left wing Coulter. That's just bullshit. A left wing John Stossel, maybe, he's nowhere near as vicious and dishonest or as flat-out crazy as Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly. I think Moore has been caricatured to an absurd degree by the right. He isn't Rush Limbaugh. He does have something to say. He does have some substance, certainly more than Sean Hannity or any of those other nitwits at Fox.

There are people on the right who have substance as well, PJ O'Rourke, George Will, Tucker Carlson and others. they're still wrong but they ahve substance.

Since Michael Moore is really the only leftist voice out there in a sea of pro-Bush, pro-corporate, gung ho, conservative cheerleaders (and that includes the mainstream networks) he's the guy who gets crucified.

Oh,well. I'm glad people are seeing F911 but I fear it's only the choir that's going. Not very many Busco kool-aid swillers are going to want to have their preconceptions challenged. The cognitive dissonance would kill them.

[_xiao_wenti_]

Well, I'd like to see it, but so far as I have been able to google, the closest place to see it is in Atlanta -- 200 miles. Not even beeing shown in my state. Pshew.

Not to worry. Hopefully I will be able to rent it on video. After the election.

[antechinus]

... the closest place to see it is in Atlanta -- 200 miles. Not even beeing shown in my state. ...

The land of the free.

[vanilla]

I plan to see it.

[WCOT©]

Well, I'd like to see it, but so far as I have been able to google, the closest place to see it is in Atlanta -- 200 miles. Not even beeing shown in my state. Pshew

yeah same problem here, although its only 40 miles away the theater there charges $10 a ticket compared to $6 here :(

[Wesley Clark]

http://www.f911tix.com/results.php?st=IN

woohoo, kerasotes here in bloomington is showing it. I'm going to watch it.

[jellyblue]

We pre-bought our tickets this morning for an 8 pm show. I'm expecting it to be mobbed. And I did round up quite a few friends to see it with as well, although I'm not feeling optimistic about all being able to sit together. I'm just hoping it isn't horribly graphic, although I'm expecting it will be. Hopefully I'll have enough warning to earnestly begin rooting through my bag at those moments.

[ivylass]

Well, for comparison, Harry Potter and the PoA brought in $92 million (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter3.htm) on opening weekend. F-9/11 is averaging $9,629 a theater, against HP's $24,302 opening weekend. Granted, those are just Friday numbers for F-9/11. I also think you're seeing long lines because it isn't showing on as many screens.

This isn't a big movie weekend. For God's sake, it's up against White Chicks. Let's see how it does next weekend, against Spiderman 2.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I saw it this afternoon with a packed house. This movie got more applause at the end than any other I've ever been to. I'm guessing there weren't many Republicans in the crowd.

I would like to know the reactions of any pro-Bush/ anti-Moore people to the film. There's an awful lot in it that can't just be dismissed by calling Moore a big fat liar.

[Zoe]

Ivylass, it's going to be hard to compare to HP since F9/11 opened in only 800+ theaters across the country.

The theater here had sold out all shows by around noon. They could have sold plenty more tickets. Lots of folks were turned away.

It is a fascinating film.

[ivylass]

That's what I'm saying. The long lines and sellout could be due to the smaller release.

[ftg]

I really don't care for Moore's ethos that the United States is the most evil nation in living memory, ...

Please, for the love of God, see something that Moore has made first before making such a claim. From "Roger and Me" down, Micheal Moore is a 100% true-blue America-loving patriot. He is against certain people and companies who are selling his beloved nation down the drain.

[Johnny L.A.]

yeah same problem here, although its only 40 miles away the theater there charges $10 a ticket compared to $6 here :(
I drove over 40 miles to see it. (Got in for $6.50 at the matinee.)

[MsRobyn]

Well, Airman and I have achieved a compromise.

He will "let" me see Fahrenheit 9/11 IF I work overtime to pay for it. If I want a Coke, I have to work 2 hours, and if I want popcorn AND the Coke, I have to work 3 hours.

Sounds fair to me. It'd just be nice if it were playing closer than Harrisburg.

Robin

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Well, Airman and I have achieved a compromise.

He will "let" me see Fahrenheit 9/11 IF I work overtime to pay for it. If I want a Coke, I have to work 2 hours, and if I want popcorn AND the Coke, I have to work 3 hours.

Sounds fair to me. It'd just be nice if it were playing closer than Harrisburg.

Robin
Wow. Mrs. Mercotan would rip me a new excretory orifice if I made such a statement to her.

But whatever works for you two. More power to you for working out a compromise.

I take it hubby's not going? We'll be traveling about 40 miles one way to see it together later this week.

[MsRobyn]

Wow. Mrs. Mercotan would rip me a new excretory orifice if I made such a statement to her.

But whatever works for you two. More power to you for working out a compromise.

I take it hubby's not going? We'll be traveling about 40 miles one way to see it together later this week.

No, hubby's not going. And "let" was in quotation marks for the reason that I'm going to see it regardless. The compromise is just in place to keep the peace.

Robin

[elfbabe]

Wow. Mrs. Mercotan would rip me a new excretory orifice if I made such a statement to her.

You're darn right she would! And I'd help!

That's contrary to Mercotan ethics, that is...

[scr4]

Well, I'd like to see it, but so far as I have been able to google, the closest place to see it is in Atlanta -- 200 miles. Not even beeing shown in my state. Pshew.
There's a list here (http://www.f911tix.com/). I'm sure there is at least one place in your state - I don' t know where you are but each state adjacent to Georgia has at least one place showing.

Although you might still be right about Atlanta being the closest - I too will have to drive 200 miles to Atlanta to see it. Which I might do next weekend...

[_xiao_wenti_]

Thank you scr4!!! I take back my earlier comments. F 9/11 *is* being shown in my state and I only have to drive an hour to see it. My googling skills must be poor indeed.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

You're darn right she would! And I'd help!
Suuuuuuuuure you would, my little academic subsidy project.

:cool:

[Chefguy]

Well, Airman and I have achieved a compromise.

He will "let" me see Fahrenheit 9/11 IF I work overtime to pay for it. If I want a Coke, I have to work 2 hours, and if I want popcorn AND the Coke, I have to work 3 hours.



How positively...Republican...of him. ;)

[MsRobyn]

How positively...Republican...of him. ;)

I think that was the point.

Anyway, I think I can manage to spend July 5th to see the movie.

Robin

[NothingMan]

I had the same experience here in Knoxville. Went to the 2 o'clock showing on Friday. There was a line wrapped around the building to buy tickets. My friend and I barely got in the movie.

All throughout the showing the audience laughed and cheered and clapped. It was a very boisterous and loud audience. An interesting experience.

As we left the theater after the film, there were signs up on the box office proclaiming F9/11 sold-out for the rest of the day.






Sure looks like its going to be a very close election.

[Brainiac4]

I saw it last night. Here in the Twin Cities, it's showing all over the place -- we had 4 choices for a 9-something show within a 15-minute drive range. The place must be some kind of liberal hotbed. :)

The 9:15 show at the Woodbury 10 was about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Since that theater is out at the ass-end of nowhere (outskirts of the metro area, hidden behind a Target), it doesn't get a lot of attendance for anything. I think that's one of the largest crowds I've seen there.

I'm interested in a discussion with Bush supporters as well. I think it will be hard to stay completely civil, on both sides of the debate, since it's such a polarizing issue, but would be willing to make the attempt. I'd like to know if there are questions raised that need answering in the mind of the Bush voter/supporter who sees F911.

[Zebra]

I really don't care for Moore's ethos that the United States is the most evil nation in living memory, but I do like to see someone shake up the status quo as he tends to do.

Last I heard, his movie was expected to break all records for a documentary.

I'm certainly planning to see it.


Actually Moore doesn't think that at all. He belives that we are a basically good people and that America is basically liberal. Now his opinion of the people in charge, CEOs, Government etc. is quite different.

[robgruver]

Please, for the love of God, see something that Moore has made first before making such a claim. From "Roger and Me" down, Micheal Moore is a 100% true-blue America-loving patriot. He is against certain people and companies who are selling his beloved nation down the drain.

Point well taken. I have seen everything Moore has done (including the Bravo show) and you hit the nail right on the head. He is a tried and true American using his FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH!

I don't like Bush, the war, or corporations right now. Moore is using his voice to be mine, when no one else will listen to me.

Not an American. Pshaw. He is more of an American than most.

[Cajun Man]

This thread is better suited for Cafe Society. I'll move it for you.

Cajun Man
for the SDMB

[chula]

I'm just hoping it isn't horribly graphic, although I'm expecting it will be. Hopefully I'll have enough warning to earnestly begin rooting through my bag at those moments.Assuming you are referring to blood and guts, not just disturbing images of a corrupt moron trying to run the world, I want to let people know it's not that bad. I faint when I see very graphic images, but I was fine, because the nasty war footage is on screen very briefly.

[Wendell Wagner]

There were several scenes with some blood and guts. It wasn't as bad as some films. There was one scene with several uses of a strong obscenity. Again, it wasn't as bad as some films.

[chula]

It made $22 million in its opening weekend. Thank god this movie is being seen.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=5523171

[uglyvan]

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/?sortdate=2004-06-25&p=.htm

Great money for such a small amout of theaters.

1 FAHRENHEIT 9/11

868 $8,200,000

10921.5% / $9,447
$8,358,000 / 3

Funny, I saw Moore's film in a very "Bushy" area of Texas. Even though it was a workday at 1:30pm, the theater was nearly full! It looks to me this film is doing extremely well.

[chula]

Fans of the movie should look at Michael Moore's website (http://www.michaelmoore.com). I love the photo of the great Grand Lake Theater in Oakland (my hometown) with their marquee saying they will not enforce the R rating. There are also photos and accounts from openings around the country. My second favorite is the photo from my current neighborhood theater (in the East Village) of a sign listing added showings throughout the night. People were actually going to see this movie in the middle of the night! It feels like history is being made.

[Exapno Mapcase]

The page of top grossing documentaries (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=documentary.htm) is very interesting.

Fahrenheit 9/11 is already the top grossing documentary of all that have been tracked since 1982, passing up Bowling for Columbine. It's showing in 868 theaters.

Only five of the top 100 opened in more than 100 theaters. Only 17 ever showed in more than 100 theaters.

There's no way to compare F911 to any other documentary ever released. Bowling only ever showed in 248 theaters, so you already have a three times better chance of seeing F911, no matter how far away from you it is.

And while they timed the release well, who could possibly imagine a documentary beating out a summer comedy for the number one spot, even if it is the slowest weekend of the summer? Utterly unprecedented.

Despite the hype, I hadn't thought that it would really have much sway in the election, especially this early. I assumed that, like the coverage of Reagan's funeral, only those who already bought in would be reinforced by the message.

I might be wrong. This movie will have legs. I'll bet people will see it more than once - and when was the last time you heard anybody say that about a documentary?

BTW, Control Room, the documentary about the Al-Jazeera tv network, is well worth seeing.

[dreamer]

I saw it last night in a Huge Shopping Center/Theatre here in So Cal. I bought my tickets on Fandango earlier in the day and when we went to pick them up the showing was sold out. We were an hour early and were thinking about getting some grub before going in but I'm glad we didn't because they had already started lining up.

I really, really hope this movie continues it's popularity.

[Troy McClure SF]

The land of the free.

Yep. Theater owners who choose not to show it aren't.

[Marley23]

Well, for comparison, Harry Potter and the PoA brought in $92 million (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter3.htm) on opening weekend. F-9/11 is averaging $9,629 a theater, against HP's $24,302 opening weekend.
Its weekend total estimate is $21.96 million (counting two NY theatres where it opened on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, that bumps the average up by a good bit. It's now $25,299.54, which is more than HP.

This isn't a big movie weekend. For God's sake, it's up against White Chicks. Let's see how it does next weekend, against Spiderman 2.
It was intentionally released on an off weekend (no documentary is going to compete with Spider-Man 2), and this is a bad comparison. Spider-Man 2 is a better-known, much more publicized movie. It's going to open on (I imagines) something like 4,000 screens, and it'll be on multiple screens in the big theatres. Much of Fahrenheit's take is probably from smaller, 'art-house' type places. Spider-Man will be basically everywhere.

[Garfield226]

Spider-Man 2 is a better-known, much more publicized movie.
You must be joking.

[hill o beans]

Did anyone else have a very emotional reaction to the movie? I saw it on Friday evening (standing room only crowd). Certainly there were parts that I found funny and others that made me angry. But from the audio of the 9/11 attacks onward, I cried through almost the entire film. The scenes from Iraq hit me very hard. I am a teacher, and one of my (adult) students is from Baghdad and still has family there. As I was watching the scenes of the dead and injured children and the woman screaming about the destruction of her home and the midnight raid, I just kept thinking, "That could be her family." Then, when Lila was telling her story and the story of her son....I just found it to be so emotionally overwhelming. I try to follow the news and I try to read as much as I can from different sources. But this film hit me like a truck. After the lights came up I just sat and cried for several minutes. It was a while before I could even talk with my husband and friend (who had seen it with me) about it.

My emotions are generally pretty close to the surface, and I'm a sleep deprived mother of young children, so I'm sure that was most of it. But I just found this to be an extremely powerful movie that hit me on an emotional level. I was pretty unprepared for it but very glad I saw it. I hope I will get to see it again, I know there was a lot I missed.

hill

[gobear]

No, hubby's not going. And "let" was in quotation marks for the reason that I'm going to see it regardless. The compromise is just in place to keep the peace.

Robin

I'm disappointed in Dave. I figured he was fair-minded enough to see a movie before he trashed it and to see the movie in order to understand Moore's case against Bush. I guess I was wrong.

[Shoeless]

Well, I'd like to see it, but so far as I have been able to google, the closest place to see it is in Atlanta -- 200 miles. Not even beeing shown in my state. Pshew.

Not to worry. Hopefully I will be able to rent it on video. After the election.

Actually, I believe they are planning on having it out on DVD well before the election.

[evilbeth]

Hill o Beans-- I, too, had a surprisingly emotional reaction to it. I cried several times. At one point, it was almost actually sobbing. I didn't expect that at all.

I have seen 9/11 footage and war footage from Iraq many times and while it makes me sad and upset it usually doesn't spur me to actual tears. This did. And it did it to the two grown men I was with also.

Very, very powerful film.

[Askia]

Spider-Man 2 is a better-known, much more publicized movie.
You must be joking.
Let's see -- one movie is a sequel to a very successful franchise film two years in the making about a 30-plus year old fictional character known to several generations that most 5-year year olds worldwide can recognize, and is positioned to be tthe blockbuster movie of the summer opening on an estimated 4,000 screens and has tie-ins from fast food to a failed baseball endeavor that went south; one is a documentary -- a genre that typically appeals to a very small audience -- that only began the publicity machine since its reception in Cannes a month and a half ago, about one white guy on one side of the American political spectrum criticizing the administration on the other side of the political spectrum.

Yeah, I'd say Marley's right.

[Marley23]

Yeah, I'd say Marley's right.
Thank you. ;) But I'm only right by a little bit. After all, Fahrenheit 9/11 made $21.8 million this weekend. Spider-Man two will probably have made more money by Saturday than Fahrenheit will make in its entire run. :rolleyes:

Fahrenheit 9/11 has gotten more attention from news sources. I have no doubt Spider-Man's producers have spent more on advertising and promotion (which is what I was talking about) than Moore spent making his movie. By a long shot.

[vix]

We tried to see it twice and it was sold out both times. Not many theaters around here (South Florida) are showing it, though.

[Sengkelat]

Did anyone else have a very emotional reaction to the movie?
I held it together through the movie, but there were some difficult spots where I thought I was going to start crying. And I don't normally have emotions at all, for the most part. Lila's pain and the Iraqi woman's rant were hard to watch. It was difficult to imagine how helpless the Iraqi woman must feel, seeing her relations killed. And it was hard seeing her railing at god for justice, knowing that justice would not be forthcoming. Those responsible, Bush and his associates, will be rich and powerful no matter what happens in Iraq.

I was a little disappointed with F9/11 in that it didn't provide an incontrovertible step-by-step proof that Bush was corrupt. For the most part Moore shows associations and connections that are disturbing, but not entirely damning. For instance, the Bush family's ties to the house of Saud certainly makes me suspicious. But showing the Bushes to have a connection doesn't prove that that connection motivated them to do any particular thing.

Of course, it'd take a large amount of credulity to believe that all the connections are innocent. But a lot of the american public has shown themselves to have an amazing capacity for credulity.

[B. Serum]

I'm surprised I made it to the thread before it became a trainwreck. I thought the right-wingers would have been here by now.

I just got back from traveling today. I tried to see it earlier today but it was sold out, so I got tickets for a later show and I just got back from it.

Hill o Beans There was a great deal of emotional effect in the movie. How can a person not be affected when you see the Iraqi people's lives turned upside down or Lila's life without her son? I was watching in disbelief when that when Lila went to the White House, that lady came in saying that "this is staged" and starts challenging Lila when and where her son died.

Objectively speaking, I've seen all of Moore's stuff and have always appreciated that he gives voice to the "little guy." In the past few years, I've come to understand that his work sometimes (http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20021119.html) distorts (http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20031016b.html) the truth. (http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20020403.html) to make his point. So wheras I don't allow Moore to make my mind up for me, I do appreciate him asking the tough questions and I look forward to seeing how this movie will stand up to scrutiny. I hope it stands up well.

[Voluble]

I have always admired Christopher Hitchens even though he is on the opposite side of the political spectrum. I would love to see Moore debate Hitchens or even Coulter for that matter. Neither of them suffer fools gladly.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/

I would expect an emotional response to the film since that is what it is designed to engender in the audience. It isn't meant to enlighten or provoke thought or inform. It isn't meant to be a fair minded or accurate look at the events surrounding 9/11 or the Iraq war. It is a propaganda piece made as much for the self-aggrandisement of its maker as for any other purpose. The sad part of it is that people will go to this movie and have a poorer understanding of the situation we are now in than they did before they went. This is how you judge the worth of any "documentary." In this regard it fails miserably for all of the reasons that Hitchens mentions in his criticism.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I have always admired Christopher Hitchens even though he is on the opposite side of the political spectrum. I would love to see Moore debate Hitchens or even Coulter for that matter. Neither of them suffer fools gladly.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/

I would expect an emotional response to the film since that is what it is designed to engender in the audience. It isn't meant to enlighten or provoke thought or inform. It isn't meant to be a fair minded or accurate look at the events surrounding 9/11 or the Iraq war. It is a propaganda piece made as much for the self-aggrandisement of its maker as for any other purpose. The sad part of it is that people will go to this movie and have a poorer understanding of the situation we are now in than they did before they went. This is how you judge the worth of any "documentary." In this regard it fails miserably for all of the reasons that Hitchens mentions in his criticism.
You're new around here, aren't you?

The Hitchens hatchet piece has already been much posted and thoroughly shredded on this board.

See mhendo's masterful deconstruction in two parts, here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5007548&postcount=73) and here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5007553&postcount=74).

See Hitchens get bitchslapped here (http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=1150) as well.

Have you actually seen the movie or is this just a drive by linking?

Ann Coulter is a ridiculous, insane seahag, btw.

[Equipoise]

I have always admired Christopher Hitchens even though he is on the opposite side of the political spectrum. I would love to see Moore debate Hitchens or even Coulter for that matter. Neither of them suffer fools gladly.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2102723/

Here's an excellent response to that Hitchens editorial. I urge everyone who has read that, to read this.

Defending Truth: Slate's Chris Hitchens does a hatchet job on Michael Moore (http://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/feature.php?feature=1150)




I would expect an emotional response to the film since that is what it is designed to engender in the audience. It isn't meant to enlighten or provoke thought or inform.

It does enlighten, provoke thought and inform, as well as cause a genuine emotional response in many, and conservative talking points aren't going to change that.


It isn't meant to be a fair minded or accurate look at the events surrounding 9/11 or the Iraq war.

I'd say it's fairer and more accurate than what we've been fed by the adminstration and the conservative media.



It is a propaganda piece made as much for the self-aggrandisement of its maker as for any other purpose.

Buzzwords and talking points are losing their effectiveness, and conservatives are hopping mad about it. This movie is for the people. It's for US, not Moore, and I thank him for making it.


The sad part of it is that people will go to this movie and have a poorer understanding of the situation we are now in than they did before they went.

You are so wrong. People are coming out of the movie questioning, angry, upset and wanting change. People felt helpless after 9/11. They wanted to be led. They wanted to be told what to do. That trust was shit on by the Bush administration, and people are finally waking up to it.


This is how you judge the worth of any "documentary."

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a documentary (no quotes), like it or not.


In this regard it fails miserably for all of the reasons that Hitchens mentions in his criticism.

I think it suceeds admirably. You need to read Chris Parry's article too.


Have you seen the movie, btw?

[fluiddruid]

Just got back from seeing it. Even here in Ames, there were long lines, and all of the shows are selling out.

It was a packed house, which was pretty neat, given the audience's responses. Sometimes it was hard to hear because people were laughing so hard (at parts).

I've never laughed and cried at the same time before.

I don't think it was intended to be a pure, balanced look at the facts. It was a wakeup call against all the talk coming from the right that's been dominating the mass media. I don't agree with everything Moore stated (his conclusions were a bit much), but I definitely feel, just as I did before, that Bush has been a horrible president who has completely abused our trust and our goodwill. I hope this film helps us vote him out.

[Teelo]

I saw it earlier tonight, packed theatre.
I didn't understand some of the more talky politics parts but still liked it.

I feel so helpless and frustrated after seeing what Bush has done.

He waged war on the wrong people? Does. Not. Compute. :(

[rjung]

The only pre-opening estimates I'd heard for Fahrenheit 9/11 was a Friday-morning guess from a movie industry analyst who had expected it to place fifth or sixth in the weekend box office. "There's only 800-some theaters showing it; more mainstream pictures will easily beat it, and White Chicks will probably get #1 for this weekend." So in retrospect, it's reassuring to see Fahrenheit 9/11 stomp over a lame-ass piece of trash like White Chicks. :D

Not to drag politics into this thread (IMO, political analysis of F911 should be in Great Debates), but I think the most effective point of this movie is to simply remind everyone of all that's happened in the past four years. There isn't a lot of stuff in the movie that's new, but there is a lot of stuff -- the Bin Laden's early departure, low funding for security matters, the miniscule effort in Afghanistan, the numerous attempts to tie Iraq to Al Qaeda, troop level problems in Iraq, etc. -- that's fallen by the wayside. Moore reassembles these issues into a "Worst of" collection, and challenges the viewer to remain supportive of Bush in their presence.

And I dunno about MsRobyn, but any SO who wanted me to "get permission" before I could see a movie would be looking at divorce papers inside of a micron. But then, I'm one of those old-fashioned folks who believe in spouses treating each other with mutual respect and support...

[DKW]

Haven't found any place in Hawaii that's showing it, dang it all, so I'll have to wait for video.

For now, I'd just like to say that I'm incredibly thrilled to see someone post the other point of view. One of the things that's been lost in this whole War on Terror fiasco is the fact that a lot of Iraqis are suffering greatly. And I can't think of ONE mainstream news outlet that gave a single normal Iraqi the time of day.

Frankly, the responses I'm hearing to this movie say a lot about some Americans' truly unbelievable capacity for self-denial...and its success is an indication of just how many more reasonable Americans have had it up to their eyeballs with that crap. No, Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. Yes, if we allowed the UN to complete their investigations, we'd have found that out. No, you shouldn't expect the families of the 800 and counting servicepeople killed for a lie to just laugh it off. No, you shouldn't expect anybody to laugh off the billions we're squandering on this. No, there is no connection between Saddam and Al-Quaeda. Yes, if you invade a country, trash the cities, allow looters to run wild, disband the entire army, and cruelly torture prisoners, there's a pretty good chance that they're going to hate your guts. Pigs is pigs! You shouldn't need a documentary to point this out!

Anyway, I'm pumped as hell that this movie is doing so great. And who knows, maybe it'll inspire other producers to grow a little backbone and follow suit. Nothing talks like money.

[Sublight]

Went to visit some friends stationed at Camp Zama (US Marine base just west of Tokyo) this weekend, and took their kids to the movie theater. Usually, the bases get the new movies well before they're released in Japan, but for some reason F 9/11 hadn't made it out there yet.

Harry Potter was fun, though.

[Revtim]

One of the things that's been lost in this whole War on Terror fiasco is the fact that a lot of Iraqis are suffering greatly.Yes, I find that even few of the war's opposers mention the thousands of Iraqi civilians that have been killed. Many mention the coalition forces that have been killed, but it seems like the Iraqi civilians don't count to some.

[Knowed Out]

I gather this thread is supposed to address F9/11's popularity, so apologies if this is a hijack...

It was interesting to see the Bush family's relationship with the Bin Ladens so doumented, as I didn't know the extent of their dealings. But, Moore hints that even though the Bin Ladens disowned Osama, they still maintain ties with him, and Osama was a guest of the Bushes before 9/11. He supports this with a clip of an interview an Arab diplomat had with Larry King, in which he says that he knew of several Bin Laden family members who attended the wedding of one of Osama's sons.

First of all, I know many families who despise each other but will still go to each others' weddings just to get that dagger working further into each others' backs. Second, is Moore implying that the Bushes had a deal with Osama to attack the US just so they could have an excuse to conquer Iraq? He doesn't outright say so, but the implication is there.

He shows a lot of footage of Bush on vacation, swinging his golf club and shooting skeet, portraying him as an aloof Nero who fiddles while Rome burns. Again, Moore doesn't outright make any statements. He just makes sure the implication is there.

By the second half of the movie however, Moore stops with the snarkiness, as he portrays life from the POV of the soldiers, their families, and the families of the victims. There is also the stunt that he pulls with trying to get congressmen to sign a petition to have their children enlist first in the event of war that's hilarious.

I will say the clip of Ashcroft singing is unreal.

[Trunk]

to a couple of the posters in this thread:

going into a sold out movie by purchasing a ticket to a different movie equals being an jerk.

Someone showed up on time and paid for a seat to that show, and you took it from them.

Sorry, but buy a ticket for the next available show, and come back when its playing.

And if you want to make your movie, get there earlier.

anyway. . .

for 22M on 868 screens means this movie had like a $24,000 per screen average. That's just about as good as you can do. That would be the equivalent of like Harry Potter (on 3500 screens) making about 85M over a weekend. A big big number.

(of course, it doesn't exactly translate, because moore's average probably would not have held up if he had opened on 3500 screens, but you get what I'm saying).

[Johnny L.A.]

Osama was a guest of the Bushes before 9/11.
I must have missed that part. I remember that some members of the bin Laden family were guests, but not Osama.
Second, is Moore implying that the Bushes had a deal with Osama to attack the US just so they could have an excuse to conquer Iraq? He doesn't outright say so, but the implication is there.
I don't see how you could interpret it that way. The way I saw it was that after the attack, the Administration allowed the bin Laden family members to leave the country. As Moore pointed out with his Dragnet clips, this meant that they could not be interviewed by investigators. So I saw no implication that the Bushes "had a deal with Osama to attack the U.S."; but that because of the Bush's close ties to the bin Laden family, people who might have been able to provide us with valuable information (like where Osama likes to hide, maybe), to leave the country without the routine questioning that happens in other crime investigations.

[lissener]

I think that was the point.

Anyway, I think I can manage to spend July 5th to see the movie.

Robin
So . . . you're saying that the Dope's leading (well, shrillest) critic of a film not only hasn't seen it, he has no intention of seeing it? Wow. Wish I had those reserves of nerve. How Republican, indeed.

[Green Cymbeline]

Did anyone else have a very emotional reaction to the movie? I saw it on Friday evening (standing room only crowd). Certainly there were parts that I found funny and others that made me angry. But from the audio of the 9/11 attacks onward, I cried through almost the entire film. The scenes from Iraq hit me very hard. I am a teacher, and one of my (adult) students is from Baghdad and still has family there. As I was watching the scenes of the dead and injured children and the woman screaming about the destruction of her home and the midnight raid, I just kept thinking, "That could be her family." Then, when Lila was telling her story and the story of her son....I just found it to be so emotionally overwhelming. I try to follow the news and I try to read as much as I can from different sources. But this film hit me like a truck. After the lights came up I just sat and cried for several minutes. It was a while before I could even talk with my husband and friend (who had seen it with me) about it.

My emotions are generally pretty close to the surface, and I'm a sleep deprived mother of young children, so I'm sure that was most of it. But I just found this to be an extremely powerful movie that hit me on an emotional level. I was pretty unprepared for it but very glad I saw it. I hope I will get to see it again, I know there was a lot I missed.

hill
I was on the verge of tears throughout the whole movie. Well, except for the funny parts ;) It was an extremely touching yet disturbing film. Lila crying in front of the White House was heart wrenching. What did her son die for? The dead and injured children in Iraq, the attitudes of the soldiers. The Congressmen and women who couldn't get a senator to sign their petitions. It was an incredible movie. I was very depressed afterward. But it made me want to do something...Outside the theater before the movie were some John Kerry campaign workers. I signed up on their list as a possible volunteer. I definetly think I am going to do some volunteering.

Oh by the way, in the Northern Virginia area, right outside DC, everything was sold out...we managed to get some 11:30 p.m. tickets online.

[tiny ham]

And I dunno about MsRobyn, but any SO who wanted me to "get permission" before I could see a movie would be looking at divorce papers inside of a micron. But then, I'm one of those old-fashioned folks who believe in spouses treating each other with mutual respect and support...

NO...shit. Robyn, do you get to wear shoes to the movie? And will you be home in time to make Airman dinner?

You say you put 'let' in quotes because you're obviously going to go, but the fact is, he's putting restrictions on HOW you can go see it and under what circumstances. That's him...LETTING you. I'll put a dollar down that says something comes up on July 5th that means you can't go.

[Green Cymbeline]

Well, Airman and I have achieved a compromise.

He will "let" me see Fahrenheit 9/11 IF I work overtime to pay for it. If I want a Coke, I have to work 2 hours, and if I want popcorn AND the Coke, I have to work 3 hours.

Sounds fair to me. It'd just be nice if it were playing closer than Harrisburg.

Robin
Robin, I really hope you're kidding here...If not, I am very very sad for you :(

There is a lot I could say about this, but it's not the pit so I will hold my tounge. But, you know that kind of behavior from a spouse is just not right, don't you? I really hope you realize that.

I am pretty sure you are in school right now, right? Well I really hope that when you're done with school, you get a good job that pays more than Airman, (probably won't be hard) then you can decide to "let" or not let him do stuff. Give him a taste of his own medicine :D

[a35362]

I'm confused. I thought Hitchens was on the left. Didn't he used to write for The Nation...?

[Fiver]

Osama was a guest of the Bushes before 9/11.I didn't see anything in the movie that substantiates this claim.

Moore says (and has footage to support) that members of the bin Laden family (not Osama) were guests and friends of the Bushes, and that a Taliban leader had a friendly visit with Texas oil barons and officials of the Administration (but not Bush himself) earlier in 2001.

But I don't recall anything in the movie suggesting Osama bin Laden has even met the Bushes.

a35362, Hitchens did indeed used to write for The Nation. But after 9-11 his mind seems to have snapped.

[Spoke]

There's a list here (http://www.f911tix.com/). I'm sure there is at least one place in your state - I don' t know where you are but each state adjacent to Georgia has at least one place showing.

Although you might still be right about Atlanta being the closest - I too will have to drive 200 miles to Atlanta to see it. Which I might do next weekend...

Amazing how few theaters in Alabama are showing this movie.

That sort of thing, combined with the news that the Carlyle Group has just purchased Loew's Theaters (http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/06/21/daily4.html) gives me pause. (The Carlyle Group being one of the conservative power bases criticized by Moore in his film.)

[Spoke]

I'm confused. I thought Hitchens was on the left. Didn't he used to write for The Nation...?

Hitchens is on the left. His argument (as I understand it) is that Moore, by putting forth such a slanted polemic, is undercutting the credibility of the left (in much the same way that Rush Limbaugh might be seen as undercutting the credibility of the right).

As a centrist Democrat myself, I'm sort of torn on this issue. On the one hand, I dislike propaganda whether it is coming at me from the left or from the right. On the other hand, maybe someone like Moore is needed to help balance out all the crap being spouted by Limbaugh, Hannity, et al.

[Marley23]

Second, is Moore implying that the Bushes had a deal with Osama to attack the US just so they could have an excuse to conquer Iraq? He doesn't outright say so, but the implication is there.
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I doubt Moore implied anything of the sort. It's not in keeping with anything I've ever heard or read from him. He may be out there politically, but he's not that far out. Not by a long shot.

[kung fu lola]

I really don't care for Moore's ethos that the United States is the most evil nation in living memory.

You seem to have gotten Moore confused with Noam Chomsky.



:D

[uglyvan]

Hmmm!

The AMC Empire 25 Theaters in Times Square, where sell-out crowds gathered all weekend to see Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11." Photo by Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE.

With sold-out shows in numerous theaters Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" exceeded industry expectations and topped the weekend box office with an estimated $21.8 million and a huge $25,000 per screen average on 868 screens. Final numbers are due today and the film will likely top the entire $21.5 million "Bowling for Columbine" theatrical gross, after just a few days in release. During a conference call with journalists Sunday, Michael Moore, Lions Gate's Tom Ortenberg, and IFC's Jonathan Sehring talked about the opening weekend and confirmed that the film will expand to more theaters in the coming days.

"These are mind-blowing numbers," Moore said during the call yesterday, "All of the predictions that the movie would only speak to the choir, would only be for those who don't like Bush, I don't think have turned out to be true."

From http://www.indiewire.com/cgi-bin/content_site_search.cgi

[Dangerosa]

(or the choir is somewhat larger than previously suspected)

[TV time]

It will mean about a 400 mile round trip for me, but I'll probably try to catch the film this weekend.

[rjung]

First of all, I know many families who despise each other but will still go to each others' weddings just to get that dagger working further into each others' backs.
I don't think Moore intended for the wedding to be the only example of continued ties between Osama and his family, just that they were still conjugal up to several months before 9/11/2001. IIRC, there are more examples of continued ties between Osama and his family in House of Bush, House of Saud.

Second, is Moore implying that the Bushes had a deal with Osama to attack the US just so they could have an excuse to conquer Iraq? He doesn't outright say so, but the implication is there.
No, he never says or implies as such. He does imply that Bush soft-pedaled US treatment of Saudi Arabia because of extensive financial and family ties, and sorta implies that Bush didn't launch a balls-out attack on Osama/Afghanistan/the Taliban due to the family relationships, but I didn't see anything to suggest George and Osama, cackling over a campfire, coordinating their moves.

He shows a lot of footage of Bush on vacation, swinging his golf club and shooting skeet, portraying him as an aloof Nero who fiddles while Rome burns. Again, Moore doesn't outright make any statements. He just makes sure the implication is there.
Someone mentioned that Bush was "on vacation" more than Clinton or Bush Sr. were at comparable times during their terms of office. While you can argue that the POTUS is always working, George's extensive absence is worthy of a raised eyebrow, IMO.

[Middlea]

Was anyone else expecting during the movie when all the convoluted ties with Bushco and Saudis were rattled off...

"...and who appeared in *insert movie here* with Kevin Bacon"?

[Larry Mudd]

Someone mentioned that Bush was "on vacation" more than Clinton or Bush Sr. were at comparable times during their terms of office.Here's a link to the breakdown as of August 2003 (http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20031001.html). By then GWB had already taken more "vacation" days than Clinton and Carter had taken in their 12 years in office combined.

Make that two raised eyebrows.

[Equipoise]

Here's a link to the breakdown as of August 2003 (http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20031001.html). By then GWB had already taken more "vacation" days than Clinton and Carter had taken in their 12 years in office combined.

Make that two raised eyebrows.

Of course, if either Carter or Clinton had taken that much time off in their first year in office, the Conservatives/Republicans would understand and defend it. They'd know those guys would be "working" anyway, and wouldn't hold it against them.

Right?

*cue Twilight Zone theme*

[Spree]

www.boxofficemojo.com has the weekend actuals in and the numbers have been adjusted up, from $21.8 to $23.9 million for the weekend, $24 million total. The average was a whopping $27,558 per screen. Woohoo!

[commasense]

to a couple of the posters in this thread:

going into a sold out movie by purchasing a ticket to a different movie equals being an jerk.

Someone showed up on time and paid for a seat to that show, and you took it from them.

Sorry, but buy a ticket for the next available show, and come back when its playing.

And if you want to make your movie, get there earlier.
You may be right that in this case, in some theaters, walking into a theater showing F911 with another ticket might have taken a seat from a customer paying for that show. But probably not.

I used to be a theater manager and ticketing systems are usually set for a number slightly lower than the actual seat count. These unsold seats are called "house seats" and in addition to preventing accidental overselling, they let a manager seat last-minute VIPs or other special (read: irate) customers. They also allow for contingencies such as broken seats.

So one or two people slipping into a show probably won't displace others. Of course, if you slipped in an later see someone standing around looking for a seat, because there aren't any left, you should let your conscience be your guide.

[rjung]

I heard that, due to the sold-out nature of the film, a number of theaters are checking ticket stubs for Fahrenheit 9/11 before letting people in.

[Knowed Out]

I must have missed that part. I remember that some members of the bin Laden family were guests, but not Osama.



See? It worked on ME! Moore's method of overlapping images of Osama with those of the Bushes entertaining rich Arabs brainwashed me into believing that they met!

Damn Michael Moore! Damn him to HELL!!!

[Zebra]

Amazing how few theaters in Alabama are showing this movie.

That sort of thing, combined with the news that the Carlyle Group has just purchased Loew's Theaters (http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2004/06/21/daily4.html) gives me pause. (The Carlyle Group being one of the conservative power bases criticized by Moore in his film.)


Loews is one of the few circuits that really opened the film. They had plenty of playdates. I work in film distribution for anoter film company so I know who is and who isn't playing it. (but I won't speak as to who isn't)



Just a few words on per screen average. It's really not a very useful number for a comparison between two films for several reasons.

One is that a limited release film like F911 showing in the major markets is showing at theatres with a higher average ticket price. Just as some commented that they will have to pay $10 instead of $6 for a local theatre.

Another is that comparing to a film like Harry Potter is not very fair because HP draws many children to the show and those sell at reduced prices.

So really if you have films on a similar number of screens that attract a similar audience then a per screen average is useful, but then you would just use the total gross.

Per screen average is useful to see how well the theatres are doing with a film. Clearly a theatre would rather have a screen gross 24 grand over a weekend then 8 or 9 grand.

If you look at the opening weekend for Troy it looks pretty good at 45 million, but the per screen average was terrible so the theatres had a bad deal there.

I hope to see F911 this week.

Carry on.

[Zsofia]

I just saw it at a special showing at the American Library Association conference in Orlando Sunday night (man, talk about preaching to the choir!). Good response from that crowd, of course. I've heard about people "booing and hissing" at things before, but before John Ashcroft came on the screen at the ALA audience I'd never actually heard an audience hiss at anything.

I was quite impressed, and it didn't have the heavy-handedness of Bowling for Columbine. I have to wonder, though, how many ties any modern businessman would have to Saudi Arabia - is it really fair to cast such aspersions on the Bush family for their connections when Moore comes right out and says that the Saudis own something like 7% of this country - so "Six Degrees of Osama bin Laden" is a game one could probably play with a whole lot of people. I'm not sure how fair it is to pull that with these particular people, and of course Moore didn't address that.

[rowrrbazzle]

I'll put a dollar down that says something comes up on July 5th that means you can't go.If you're willing, I'll take that bet. And I even live in Chicago, so we can settle up promptly.

[rjung]

I have to wonder, though, how many ties any modern businessman would have to Saudi Arabia - is it really fair to cast such aspersions on the Bush family for their connections when Moore comes right out and says that the Saudis own something like 7% of this country - so "Six Degrees of Osama bin Laden" is a game one could probably play with a whole lot of people.
It's not the ties to Saudi Arabia that's the problem, it's the ties to Saudi Arabia coupled with the special treatment given to the Saudis in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Nobody would complain about Bush's ties to the Saudis if they didn't get priority queueing to leave the country on 9/13/01, or if Bush exercised his ties to the Sauds to pursue the terrorists in the Kingdom (as opposed to fooling around with Iraq).

[duffer]

Please, for the love of God, see something that Moore has made first before making such a claim. From "Roger and Me" down, Micheal Moore is a 100% true-blue America-loving patriot. He is against certain people and companies who are selling his beloved nation down the drain.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13583626_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-THE%2DAWKWARD%2DCONSCIENCE%2DOF%2DA%2DNATION-name_page.html

3rd and 4th paragraph under the mid-page pic. If you want another source just search for it. Americans like him make me want to move to Canada.

[Equipoise]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13583626_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-THE%2DAWKWARD%2DCONSCIENCE%2DOF%2DA%2DNATION-name_page.html

3rd and 4th paragraph under the mid-page pic. If you want another source just search for it. Americans like him make me want to move to Canada.


This?

"We Americans suffer from an enforced ignorance. We don't know about anything that's happening outside our country. Our stupidity is embarrassing. National Geographic produced a survey which showed that 60 per cent of 18-25 year olds don't know where Great Britain is on a map. And 92 per cent of us don't own a passport."

What's the problem? He's got a point.

[Revtim]

Remember Equipoise, one can not criticize something or want it to improve without HATING it, according to some folks.

[Colophon]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13583626_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-THE%2DAWKWARD%2DCONSCIENCE%2DOF%2DA%2DNATION-name_page.html

3rd and 4th paragraph under the mid-page pic. If you want another source just search for it. Americans like him make me want to move to Canada.

So pointing out your country's shortcomings means that you hate your country? I think not, duffer. It means you love your country and hate to see it going to the dogs. If this were the Pit I'd suggest that America's gain may be Canada's loss, but it isn't, so I shan't.

[Northern Piper]

Myself, I've always liked Senator Schurz' gloss on the old "my country right or wrong" thing.

In a speech to the Senate in 1872 (http://www.bartleby.com/66/47/15947.html), Schurz put it: “Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right.”

I think that's Moore's take.

[Equipoise]

Remember Equipoise, one can not criticize something or want it to improve without HATING it, according to some folks.

I know, sigh.



Northern Piper, I love that quote. This is my current sig on another board (in small font):

"I confidently trust that the American people will prove themselves … too wise not to detect the false pride or the dangerous ambitions or the selfish schemes which so often hide themselves under that deceptive cry of mock patriotism: ‘Our country, right or wrong!’

They will not fail to recognize that our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: ‘Our country—when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.’” — Carl Schurz, October 17, 1899

Carl Schurz: German immigrant, Senator, Ambassador, Secretary of the Interior, Editor, Writer, Republican

[Spoke]

So pointing out your country's shortcomings means that you hate your country? I think not, duffer. It means you love your country and hate to see it going to the dogs.

You know, I'm a lefty myself, but Moore does frequently tread a mighty fine line between criticizing his country's actions and being one of those self-loathing Americans I find really tiresome.

I re-watched The Big One a couple of days ago, and Moore's final line in the movie was "One evil empire down, one to go."

And I got the impression he was only half joking.

[MovieMogul]

I used to be a theater manager and ticketing systems are usually set for a number slightly lower than the actual seat count. These unsold seats are called "house seats" and in addition to preventing accidental overselling, they let a manager seat last-minute VIPs or other special (read: irate) customers. They also allow for contingencies such as broken seats.

So one or two people slipping into a show probably won't displace others. Of course, if you slipped in an later see someone standing around looking for a seat, because there aren't any left, you should let your conscience be your guide.Another former theater manager here, and I'd have to respectfully disagree. Yes, we had buffers on admissions, too, but that was because not all seats are agreeable to people--some are too close to the screen or too far to the left or right. Also, the fuller a theater gets, the less likely that you'll find two or more seats together, and some people don't want to go to a film with their SO only to have to sit six rows away from each other.

I'd say that anyone who sneaks into a film is likely to take a more preferable seat, increasing the likelihood that rightful ticket-buyers will not find seats that are either comfortable or together, which means they have to compromise their experience or ask for a refund. So that still makes the "sneaker" a jerk.

[Larry Mudd]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objectid=13583626_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-THE%2DAWKWARD%2DCONSCIENCE%2DOF%2DA%2DNATION-name_page.html

3rd and 4th paragraph under the mid-page pic. If you want another source just search for it. Americans like him make me want to move to Canada.Let me get this straight: You resent sharing citizenship with people who are opposed to ignorance?

Uh...

[rjung]

I re-watched The Big One a couple of days ago, and Moore's final line in the movie was "One evil empire down, one to go."

And I got the impression he was only half joking.
Sure, but with Moore, he draws a very sharp distinction between the working-class Joe American regular citizen, and the "Powers That Be" who rule the country and run the corporations. That latter group (the haves) is the "evil empire" he's talking about.

Moore doesn't hate America as much as he hates the elites who run it. And I suspect he wouldn't hate the elites so much if they weren't (in his view) screwing over the non-elites at every opportunity. If there's one theme to everything he's ever produced, this is it.

[Legolamb]

Let me get this straight: You resent sharing citizenship with people who are opposed to ignorance?

Uh...

Exactly what I was thinking. I think friend Duffer may need a lesson in reading comprehension.

[Northern Piper]

Went to visit some friends stationed at Camp Zama (US Marine base just west of Tokyo) this weekend, and took their kids to the movie theater. Usually, the bases get the new movies well before they're released in Japan, but for some reason F 9/11 hadn't made it out there yet.It may just be that the film didn't have a very broad release originally.

According to the article on Moore in this week's TIME: The Army and Air Force Exhange Service, which books films to be shown on military bases around the world, has contacted Farenheit's distributor to book the film.

[MsRobyn]

I went yesterday and saw the film. Airman had no problems with that, aside from the fact that I spent six bucks to see it. So it was the money, not the principle of the thing.

Robin

[dnooman]

I just saw it, packed theater of course. The applause at the end was moving to say the least.

[rjung]

As long as we're reviving this thread, it's worth noting that Moore has released cites and references (http://www.michaelmoore.com/warroom/f911notes/) for the facts he presents in the film.

No discussion of the movie's accuracy (or lack thereof) is complete without this, IMO.

[Equipoise]

It's made $86,701,002 worldwide in 3 weeks. Who would have thought a Michael Moore documentary would make more money than a Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks movie? (The Terminal: $65,262,144 after 4 weeks)

Its domestic total is $80,121,002 and it's now playing in 2,011 theaters. It's made an additional $6,580,000 overseas, but it just opened in 4 countries:

Country Release Date Total Gross / As Of
Belgium 7/8/04 $576,109 7/11/04
France 7/7/04 $3,700,000 7/11/04
Switzerland 7/8/04 $303,138 7/11/04
United Kingdom 7/2/04 $2,400,000 7/11/04

It will be opening in more countries and playing on more theaters in current countries in the coming weeks.


Box Office Mojo's Fahrenheit 9/11 page (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=fahrenheit911.htm)


Yeah, people are sure staying away in droves. :D :p