Box Office Report: Anti-Obama Doc Surges to No. 2 on Monday

Hollywood Reporter ^ | 8-28-2012 | Pamela McClintock

[smoothsailing]

August 28, 2012

Box Office Report: Anti-Obama Doc Surges to No. 2 on Monday

by Pamela McClintock

The film grossed $1.2 million for the day, according to preliminary estimates, bested only by "The Expendables 2."

As Republicans gathered in Tampa, Fla., for the GOP convention, conservative documentary 2016: Obama's America rocketed to No. 2 at the domestic box office Monday.

Obama's America grossed an estimated $1.2 million for the day from 1,091 theaters, dropping a narrow 37 percent from Sunday. Most films dropped 60 percent or more.

The film, based on Dinesh D’Souza book, now has grossed $10.5 million to become the No. 6 political documentary of all time and the top conservative doc. It's also the top documentary of 2012, excluding nature films.

Monday's number could come in slightly lower or higher once final numbers are released. Obama's America came in No. 7 for the weekend with a hearty gross of $6.5 million.

Lionsgate and Millennium Films' The Expendables 2 continued to top the box office Monday, grossing an estimated $1.4 million.

Obama's America, co-directed by D'Souza and John Sullivan, is planning another major expansion that will push its theater count past 1,700 locations in the coming days.

"Screens are being added on an hourly basis in response to demand," said Mark Joseph of MJM Entertainment, which is helping to market the film. "Our job over the last six months was to create interest in the film. The rest is up to the people. Ultimately, they'll decide the screen count."

Obama's America -- promoted heavily on talk radio and distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures -- timed its nationwide expansion Friday to the Republican National Convention, which officially gets underway Tuesday after a one-day weather delay due to Tropical Storm Isaac....

[JediJones]

That’s really incredible. It was in 7th place on Sunday. This could mean it’s starting to play like a true sleeper hit. Which means it could keep grossing more and more and more instead of staying in a pattern of a steady decrease like a typical film. At this rate it also means it has a pretty good chance to outgross all of Moore’s political documentaries except for Fahrenheit 9/11.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I watched an 11:10 pm showing Saturday night...great movie and it totally explains how Obama became the man he is today.

[smoothsailing]

Here’s a chart/calendar that shows the progession in sales from day to day. It’s impressive and shows a pattern of building as you mention.

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=2016obamasamerica.htm

[JediJones]

I've been there, studying box office is a hobby of mine. What's even more interesting is this comparison chart of older political documentaries. To have a drop only in the 30s on the first Monday of the wide release is pretty much unprecedented by a very wide margin. It's a sign of serious word-of-mouth building for the movie. I could feel the word-of-mouth on here when multiple people were saying "no one who sees this movie could vote for Obama." That is a strong statement saying that the movie has a powerful effect on the audience, which is what's necessary to sell tickets. The concept alone isn't going to sell tickets. Those comments certainly made me more interested in seeing the movie than I was before.

http://boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?view=daily&id=atlasvs.htm

[Eva]

The first week-end, the film was number 8, but only showing in 1/3 the theaters as the other films.

[smoothsailing]

Thanks for the link and insight!

[smoothsailing]

I’ve read D’Souza’s books so I’m looking forward to the movie. It opened here locally on 8/24. I’ll probably go to the Friday mantinee.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I haven’t seen it yet. Does it really reveal who his mysterious patrons are, who is the brains behind the idiot, who paid for his education, how he mysteriously rose up out of nothing to his positions of power? I believe there’s a big story remaining to be told about the Manchurian president.

[ckilmer]

no. rather it shows obama’s anti colonial and communist background

[ExGeeEye]

You, like me (saw it Tue afternoon) would probably hear no new information. This is for the people who heard "hope!", "change!", and "Bush Bad!" and haven't heard anything but MSNBC and The Daily Show, and have only in the last couple years started feeling vaguely disquiet.

Everyone should see it, and bring somebody. I plan to do that this weekend.

[Ronin]

LOL... caught between a capitalist rock and a Obama hard place. Theater owners need to fill seats and the public is going to be demanding. Any sympathies in the industry towards Obama is going to be hard to follow in the face of the ticket sale lure.

And even if they try to block people from seeing it, it will get out anyhow. There are always DVD sales and I am sure it is already on the Internet somewhere.

It will be interesting to see how effective it is.

[Eva]

Are you still in Japan? I have never wanted to live anywhere besides the US, until the last 5 or 6 years. Now, it sounds, I don’t know, maybe, peaceful is the right word, away from the turmoil that had defined the political landscape here.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

I think Magic Johnson is keeping it out of his theatres in Los Angeles.

Funniest joke vis-a-vis Magic Johnson:

SNL Fake News with Norm MacDonald:

Magic Johnson just came out with a new book "How Not to get AIDS". The first chapter:

Don't Have Sex with Me

[JLAGRAYFOX]

This is truly amazing!!! This magnificent film is morphing “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. It is now expanded to 1800 theaters this week!!! My goodness this flick has legs!!! America, keep on attending this outstanding movie that exposes the dictator, American destroyer, Barack Hussein Obama.

[Gene Eric]

The motion picture theater is the last place I’m interested in going, but I’m thinking about purchasing tickets online anyway.

[1010RD]

Then we need to demand our local libraries pick up multiple copies when it comes out on DVD. I was startled to discover my local library carries 3+ copies of each of Moore’s films.

[mikey_hates_everything]

“Anti-Obama”? How could it be pro-Obama without lying or leaving out significant facts?

[JediJones]

On Fandango.com they have an offer to sign up for various free trials to get 2 free movie tickets (for any movie). You can do a free trial of Netflix if you haven’t been a member in the past year I think, and other ones. Just make sure that the theater you’re planning to go to allows online purchasing of tickets through Fandango first.

[Gene Eric]

Thanks for the tip!