Even if it doesn’t make it big (and I think it definitely will,) I think book sales will go through the roof over the discussion it’s started. Even the movie house manager where I saw it said he would be buying/reading it because of this premier and the discussion he’s had with patrons.
The book has moved to #4 on Amazon.
Second, $1.6m would be terrific for my little documentary, but for a major motion picture shot for (they say) $10 million, it's not good. Your first weekend IS the movie. Few movies last past two weeks, and certainly not in 300 theaters. So producers look to make back cost on weekend one, then profit on everything after that. Dropoff for GOOD movies is often more than 50% after the first weekend.
Not saying this is always the case. There are a few films that "build" ("Slumdog Millionaire") and let's hope this is one.
Third, posted costs for movies are almost always lies. If they say it cost $10 million, it probably at least cost $12 million BEFORE "P&A," or the prints and advertising needed to put it in 300 theaters . . . all of which comes OFF THE TOP before the investors get a dime.
I happen to know the distributor of this film who did the deal for the P&A (I do not have the details of the deal), but he's a tough guy and I don't see him cutting the producers any breaks. In other words, I'm betting AS will need to show $15 million minimum before it makes a penny of profit.
Remember "Gettysburg?" Did ok. Then "Gods and Generals?" Total flop. Ever see "The Last Full Measure," the third book in the Shaara trilogy? Nope. "G&G" lost too much money, and even Ted Turner wouldn't put up for a third film. Perhaps the producers have a package deal whereby the $10m covers all episodes of AS (and I don't know if there are two or three planned) but if not, I'd like to see who ponies up another $10m when AS has a hard time repaying the first investors.
This is just to provide a little insight, not to throw cold water on things, but Freepers tend to think that a couple of hundred conservatives in a theater can somehow "make" a movie. Doesn't work that way. We are in the business of making conservative films that MAKE A PROFIT because we can show that our production and message can reach a larger population than only conservatives. We'll see in a few years if we've succeeded.
I’m not hopeful the book sales will help.
Rand’s work is difficult to read. She takes 10 pages to make a story point that could be made in one page. She does not have an easy to read style.
The book is (imho) prophetic in a number of ways. Govt loans that are really a way to take over businesses, the easing of laws for certain industries, crony capitalism, people going off to college and comming back with an impractical “idealistic” worldview, profit being used like a swear word, etc... But getting people to slog through the book could be tough.