Posted on 04/29/2011 7:52:41 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
The relative box-office success of the independent film "Atlas Shrugged," based on the bestselling Ayn Rand novel that features the character John Galt, has reportedly surprised Hollywood insiders who took a pass on the script. It shouldn't have.
The box-office results show that cinematic clashes between self-made industrialists and government bureaucrats fit this moment in American history snugly, addressing both tea party sentiments and polls that show growing pessimism about the direction of the country.
QUIZ: How much do you know about the tea party?
"Atlas Shrugged: Part I" (Parts II and III are reportedly in the planning stages) cost $10 million and wrapped in 26 days. Last weekend when it opened, it reported a respectable $5,640 per-theater take, with a Duluth, Ga., theater leading the way with more than $25,000 in receipts. In all, the movie earned $1.7 million in 244 theaters the first weekend, enough to warrant further distribution.
With no studio backing for a public-relations blitz, co-producers John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow pushed the movie out through various "Randian" fan networks and tea party channels, including Dick Armey's FreedomWorks. Despite critical panning (Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson called it a "model of mediocrity") and some admittedly two-dimensional characters, the movie seems to have struck a chord among at least some concerned Americans.
People are hungry for what these characters are saying, Mr. Aglialoro told The Washington Times. Theyre telling the government, Just leave me alone. Let me hang onto my life and pursue my passions and rational self-interest.' Thats what will benefit society.
For their part, critics see "Atlas Shrugged" as a dangerous balm "for conservatives, free marketeers, predatory capitalists, and people who hate the government and the poor," in the words of Huffington Post columnist Jonathan Kim.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
So far Unintended Consequences is the largest single book I’ve read. Very interesting > 800 pages.
I do want to read Atlas Shrugged, but I can’t bugger myself enough to go out and get it.
Can’t remember the last time I bought a book in a ‘store.”
Amazon is my friend - never have to leave the house. And I get most of my books for pennies on the dollar - “new or used.”
>>> ‘Atlas Shrugged’ strikes a chord with activists.
Apparently not a very loud chord. Up to date information makes me skeptical about the sequels.
Atlas Shrugged
Domestic Total as of Apr. 28, 2011: $3,479,254
Production Budget: $20 million
Opening Weekend: $1,686,347
(#14 rank, 299 theaters, $5,640 average)
% of Total Gross: 48.5%
Looking just at last Thursdays grosses, Atlas came in 16th, bringing in $96,929. Tyler Perry in drag’s latest Medea move earned $1,089,575. Even the awful “Arthur” remake made $301,358.
That adds up to a debacle. A movie was a poor choice to present the subject matter. An extended mini-series would have made a lot more sense.
“We Can’t Just Let the Rich Relax & Count Their Money”
When I e-mailed from the Atlas Shrugged website they said, “We’re not on strike yet.”
Go to a used bookstore, or get it on Amazon as a used book.
The target audience for this film was always going to be conservatives. How many conservatives do you know who would go to the movies during Holy Week/Easter? I believe that is why the second week tanked.
Hey. You don't have read it all @ once, just a few pages @ a time
within a month, you'll be finished w/ the book....smarter & wiser.
(& then re-read it again. :)
Ping.
Apparently, conservatives also stayed away in droves even after Easter. From Wiki, just for what it’s worth, but it is footnoted. I saw it twice and loved it, btw. Hope this turns out to be a sleeper movie and that it gets popular via Netflix.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged:_Part_I#Box_office
Box officeAtlas Shrugged: Part I was a box office bomb. The film opened on 300 screens on April 15, 2011, and made $1,676,917 in its opening weekend, finishing in 14th place overall,[23] but when compared on a per-screen basis, it finished 9th, or 3rd if films on less than 100 screens are discounted, with $5590 per screen.[24] Producers announced expansion to 423 theaters several days after release, and spoke of their intent to place the movie in 1000 theaters by the end of April 2011.[25]
Ticket sales dropped off significantly in its second week of release, despite opening an additional 165 screens. The per-screen average dropped 71% from $2,254 dollars on the opening Friday to $660 one week later, with the result that despite the increased number of screens, the total revenue actually dropped by 54%.[26] These poor returns led producer John Aglialoro to cancel his plans for a wide release, saying: “Critics, you won.”[27]
The box office collapse continued in the third week of release. Instead of the 1000 screens the producers promised, the film ended April playing on 371 screens, with total sales on the third Friday down 58% from the previous Friday. The following Friday the total sales fell another 57%, marking an unbroken pattern since the film’s release in which Friday ticket sales dropped more than 50% week over week.[26]
the movie has since broken out in the main stream theaters and doing well. I saw in in a 'regular' theater - even up here in Maine - and it showed across the state.
what is your agenda - one could wonder. Will you be keeping track of this thread and re-post that every month?
What????????
Try to pay attention. I’ll speak slowly for you.
1) Publius reposted this. If you have an issue, take it up with him. Geez.
2) Reposting my own words: “I saw it twice and loved it, btw. Hope this turns out to be a sleeper movie and that it gets popular via Netflix.”
Got it now?
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