Posted on 04/17/2011 9:43:01 AM PDT by RonDog
Here’s a marketing question I thought I’d never ask: Well, exactly that appears to be happening with the movie adaptation of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.
Would you think that a critically panned, low-budget movie, with a virtually unknown director and cast, could catapult a more than 50 year-old book near the top of the Amazon bestseller list?
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.forbes.com ...
Can’t say I’ve ever seen AS in the bargain bin. It may not have been fourth, but it’s always been hangin’ up there. Kinda like “Dark Side of the Moon”
Must be frustrating for them.
As a read, I liked The Fountainhead better, but what the heck. You can't argue with a true magnum opus.
Our son and gf saw it last night. I asked him how it was — ‘trite and shallow.’ They drove an hour to see it.
ATLAS SHRUGGED- Freeper Reviews
Atlas Shrugged Part 1 Quick Review- 5 stars! Very faithful to Rand's ideas. I didn't feel like they skipped any major items... the back story with Francisco was hinted at and would have been too hard to develop completely.Casting was superb. Hank (Hooray!) and Lillian (Boo!)Rearden and Ellis Wyatt (!!!) were done perfectly as was Wesley Mouch and the other moochers and looters. Dagny was good but it took about ten minutes for me to completely buy her in the role.
Pace was perfect... it kept moving at a fast speed, and I didn't want it to end. Cinematography...
Good to know I contributed, my copy supposed to be delivered on Tuesday. Excellent movie, my first time in a theater in 20 years. I swore off polluting my mind with hollywood drivel.
...The best word to describe Atlas Shrugged Part 1 is...surprising.It’s surprisingly well-paced, surprisingly intelligent, surprisingly well-acted, and surprisingly entertaining. Perhaps most surprising of all, it has me thinking about re-reading the novel again.
I would highly recommend it to friends and their families.
-- snip --
...according to Box Office Mojo, the limited release seems to be paying dividends.
The film had the third highest per-screen average on Friday night of the films at the box office.
The trick will be to move it up from 300 screens to somewhere over 1000, if possible. With a budget of only $10 million, it won’t take long for the film to recoup its costs.
It maintained that average thru the weekend...per-theatre average take just behind 'Scream 4'. $1.677 million take in the first three days. For a limited-run in only 300 theatres?
Not bad. Not bad at all.
The other thing to remember about the per theater average is that Rio is in 3D with the associated ticket prices.
I read “Atlas Shrugged”, and “The Fountainhead” many, many years ago, and just this morning had the former downloaded to my kindle.
How sad that the younger generation just doesn’t get it. They’ve been too Feducated!
The Fountainhead Movie is ok, but the acting is so stiff. and everyone seems to talk in a forced style. but Coop’s speech at the end is worth the wait.
The book is taking off again. We were there first.
Good point...
just imagine if it were ALLOWED to be shown in more then 10% of theaters
the left is doing all they can to minimize it’s impact
Won't happen. The tsunami has begun...
I saw it Friday night. I'll be seeing it a few more times over the next 7-10 days. I'll be handing out copies of the DVD to everyone on my Christmas list.
The last piece of the puzzle is an endorsement by Rush, Hannity, Levin, and Palin.
I saw the movie yesterday. It was excellent. The major actors were perfect. The sets were beautiful. The plot was fast moving and cogent. I never read the book but now I will. The only reason it is being panned by professional critics is politics, pure and simple.
And the best. :)
Any ideas which book you'll do for the next book club review?
And we at the FReeper Book Club will be happy to assist.
FReeper Book Club: Introduction to Atlas Shrugged
Part I, Chapter I: The Theme
Part I, Chapter II: The Chain
Part I, Chapter III: The Top and the Bottom
Part I, Chapter IV: The Immovable Movers
Part I, Chapter V: The Climax of the d’Anconias
Part I, Chapter VI: The Non-Commercial
Part I, Chapter VII: The Exploiters and the Exploited
Part I, Chapter VIII: The John Galt Line
Part I, Chapter IX: The Sacred and the Profane
Part I, Chapter X: Wyatt’s Torch
Part II, Chapter I: The Man Who Belonged on Earth
Part II, Chapter II: The Aristocracy of Pull
Part II, Chapter III: White Blackmail
Part II, Chapter IV: The Sanction of the Victim
Part II, Chapter V: Account Overdrawn
Part II, Chapter VI: Miracle Metal
Part II, Chapter VII: The Moratorium on Brains
Part II, Chapter VIII: By Our Love
Part II, Chapter IX: The Face Without Pain or Fear or Guilt
Part II, Chapter X: The Sign of the Dollar
Part III, Chapter I: Atlantis
Part III, Chapter II: The Utopia of Greed
Part III, Chapter III: Anti-Greed
Part III, Chapter IV: Anti-Life
Part III, Chapter V: Their Brothers’ Keepers
Part III, Chapter VI: The Concerto of Deliverance
Part III, Chapter VII: “This is John Galt Speaking”
Part III, Chapter VIII: The Egoist
Part III, Chapter IX: The Generator
Part III, Chapter X: In the Name of the Best Within Us
Coda: Ten Years After
Afterword and Suggested Reading
Took one look at this beautiful pic, knew it was Alaska, (got homesick) and it is now my desktop background.
And, BTW, I will now be making a donation to FR.
Billthedrill and I have a lot of work to do on our book on the Federalist and anti-Federalist papers, so we won't be attacking it until late this year.
Not at all surprising. I think “Blind Side” shot back up after the movie came out.
Not at all surprising. I think “Blind Side” shot back up after the movie came out.
One might start to believe the critics-—liberals all— don’t know WTF they are talking about.
Looked it up. Sounds wonderful. Ordered it. Waiting patiently.
[I wrote these comments BEFORE I read the posts on this thread]
Mrs. Taxman and I just returned FRom a special First Coast TEA Party Member matinee screening of “Atlas Shrugged;” it was, in a word, OUTSTANDING! It is true to the book, and captures the essence of Ayn Rand’s message.
I’m no movie expert nor am I a film critic, but IMHO, the movie flowed well – not too fast, not too slow; the cimematography was excellent, and the computer generated scenes were very well done. For a “small budget” film, the producers and directors acquitted themselves very well. The actors and actresses were a most excellent fit for their parts, both in appearance and mannerisms, and were true (IMHO) to the book’s character development.
Obviously, some minor scenes were left on the cutting room floor. That the producers were able to cut 300 pages down to 1 hour and 45 minutes without losing the book’s story line is testament to their ability and thoughtfulness.
I urge you, in the strongest of terms, GO SEE THE MOVIE!
AND, take one or two Friends! If enough Real Americans (that would be US!) attend Part 1, Part II will be produced.
All Americans really need to understand what the looters and moochers have done/are doing to us. “Atlas Shrugged” is a most excellent vehicle for getting that message into the “Popular Culture.”
I’d like some feedback FRom you after you see the movie. Particularly, I’d like to know what those of you who have not read the book think about it.
Mrs. Taxman and I do not ordinarily attend movies — we do not appreciate the cultural corruption Hollywood has engendered, and for that reason, refuse to purchase tickets to movies produced by people who seem intent on tearing America apart.
“Atlas Shrugged” is the first movie we have gone to in roughly 15 years. Since the folks behind it are not contributing to the corruption of our culture, and since the movie has an uplifting message, we heartily recommend you take some FRiends and go see it. More than once, it the mood strikes you. We’ll go again.
bump
Well, besides spreading the godless, materialist, selfish Objectivist ideology...
The Randian idea that we can have just government, or maintain liberty, without God, without a moral basis for our laws, is one of the leading corruptions in our culture, old friend.
As I'm sure you've gathered from reading my reply, I'll not be attending.
Hope you and your bride are well.
Woo hoo!
Thank you very much!
Is it a family-friendly movie?
just came back from the movie - and I really enjoyed it.
My brother went as well. He hasn’t read the book, but
the movie made him want to reading it.
Just saw it again today!
I saw it this morning with high hopes. Unfortunately your son is correct.
“”The book is taking off again.””
Hallelujah!
Rand may not have believed in God, but she darn sure believed in freedom.
And I believe that God works through each of us.
May God give us strength.
Tatt
America is waking up!
Judging from the early numbers, the film version is doing surprisingly well. According the the tall from Box Office Mojo, “Atlas Shrugged” has the second highest average per screen ($5590) of any film in first run release this weekend. In fact, the only movie with a higher per-screen average is Scream 4, and its showing on 3,305 screens around the country. Atlas Shrugged is pulling in a similar average—in only 300 theaters.
The problem here is distribution. If they can get the film into wider release, Atlas could produce some rather impressive numbers. The problem is getting it into more theaters that are already booked for other films. And, the first wave of big summer movies is just around the corner, so the film really needs to do well over the next two or three weeks to earn back its production and distribution costs, and generate a groundswell for Part II.
Not possible. There is no true freedom without God.
-- The Declaration of Independence"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men..."
Destroy that, and you've destroyed America.
Big Novel Meets Big Screen - B, by Martin Fridson, 2011 April 09
Atlas Shrugged, Part I is that rarest of rare commodities, a movie in which capitalists are the good guys. After almost 40 years of attempts to bring Ayn Rand's epic novel, or at least part of it, to the screen, this film will have its world premiere -- in a delicious irony -- on traditional Tax Day, April 15. The 102-minute film offers suspense, pathos and even a little sex. Although it covers just the first third of the novel – Parts II and III are being planned – it provides a tantalizing taste of the story's seductive power, while leaving viewers hungry for more. It should also satisfy followers of Rand's objectivist philosophy, which celebrates the virtues of laissez-faire economics. Among market luminaries, proponents of objectivism include Cliff Asness, Victor Niederhoffer, and Monroe Trout. Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan was a member of Rand's inner circle in the 1950s, and speaks admiringly of her in his memoir, The Age of Turbulence. Partisans will argue that the sweep and scale of the novel (it comes in at nearly 1200 pages) deserve a Hollywood mega-budget. They can also point to its extraordinary influence. In a 1991 survey conducted for the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress, Atlas Shrugged ranked second only to the Bible among books that made a difference in people's lives. A best seller on publication in 1957, it has remained perennially hot – and set sales records since the 2008 financial crisis. The novel features a mysterious strike, in which government's increasingly crushing directives -- designed to solve government-created problems -- are resisted by society's most productive members. Thus, Atlas "shrugs" -- refusing, as the novel explains, to continue to hold the world on his shoulders. (The Atlas of Greek mythology actually held up the heavens, but no matter.) Admirers of this vision might expect the movie adaptation to feature A-list actors on the level of Gary Cooper, who starred in the 1949 film of Rand's The Fountainhead, for which she herself wrote the script. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were, in fact, among the names mentioned during Atlas Shrugged's long journey to the screen. But the major studios saw too little commercial potential in producing a movie faithful to the colossal original. One proposed screenplay even left out the strike, an omission likened by objectivist philosopher David Kelley to filming Gone with the Wind without the Civil War. ..... < snip > ..... Rand's advocates will regard this film as an eloquent statement of her call for individual freedom. Moviegoers interested mainly in entertainment will appreciate its locomotive-like pace, and will be moved by searing images of America in a devastating depression in 2016. Add to that Elia Cmiral's stirring score, and Atlas Shrugged, Part Iis a gripping, although unsolved, mystery. ..... < snip >
The movie version of Atlas Shrugged is both entertaining and true to its author's vision, our reviewer says. And guess who the guys in the white hats are.
Saw it last night. Great movie. Great understated ending. Ironically, two of the few theaters showing it in the SFO Bay Area are in Berkley. I tend to think it was not to educate them, but rather to ensure the movie had a bad first weekend showing.
The philosophy of the movie is liberals’ worse nightmare. That’s why all the critics panned it; 17 out of 18 reviews gave it rotten tomatoes.
Prove these Bolsheviks wrong. Go see it and enjoy it. It’s refreshing.
Thanks for the ping/post. Good for you. You went "Galt" with your $ on the "entertainment" industry. I have done pretty much the same in all facets of Barry's economy. The last movie I saw (with my wife, kids and grandkids) was Marley and Me. Good movie. I saw Atlas Shrugged Friday night with the same gang (including grandkids) that went to see Marley and Me.
I saw it Friday night in downtown Birmingham, Michigan in Oakland county. Oakland county used to be one of the wealthier counties in the U.S.A. Birmingham is still one of the most affluent cities in Michigan. Lots of wealthy job creators/producers live there. (Lots of General Motors/auto company managers...oh, the irony) There was applause at the opening and applause at the end. It was good.
That's not even close to true. Books like The DaVinci Code and others have sold more books than Atlas Shrugged.
Indeed. I believe Rand has already converted more former commies, socialists, muslims, moral relativists, wishy-washy moderates and agnostics, and liberals to the cause of freedom than anyone else, perhaps because she didn't demand a blind faith that they always reject out of hand, but rested her case logically, syllogism by syllogism, on a reality that even they could not ignore. Millions of them, even. So many, in fact, that I believe we would have been in a collectivist dictatorship many, many years ago without her influence and the votes of her readers. Thank God for Ayn Rand ------ and her proof that man's life must rest on the moral absolutes that reality demands (and which actually are the necessary precursors to mutual benevolence among men) .
He does work in strange ways...
But as I said in my original post -
“I believe that God works through each of us.”
Regardless of whether you believe in Him or not, He most certainly believes in you :)
May God bless.
Tatt
Yes, He does.
“Thank God for (athiest) Ayn Rand”
“He does work in strange ways...”
Indeed.
Good news Bump!
May God give us strength.
Tatt
We're talking about the ideology promoted by Ayn Rand in her writings, which are godless, materialistic, empty, and destructive of the possibility of self-government and liberty.
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other." Margaret Thatcher: "Without a moral basis, [a free] society would not long endure."John Adams:
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.