ATLAS SHRUGGED PART 2 Reaches $3m, DVD Prospects Dim

Atlas Shrugged Part 2 box office: $3 million mark finally reached, but DVD prospects look Dim

The second installment in a planned movie trilogy based on Ayn Rand’s anti-altruism, anti-government epic Atlas Shrugged, the John Putch-directed Atlas Shrugged: Part II had one of the worst domestic openings ever for a movie in wide release (600-2,000 site). Things got so bad, that the following weekend weak-at-the-knees Atlas collapsed, suffering the steepest box-office drop among the top 15 movies on Box Office Mojo‘s domestic weekend chart — a whopping 65%. (Photo: Atlas Shrugged Part 2 Samantha Mathis as Dagny Taggart.)

The critically lambasted sequel to 2011′s box-office bomb Atlas Shrugged: Part I, Atlas Shrugged Part 2 stars Samantha Mathis as the enterprising Dagny Taggart (played by The Lucky One‘s Taylor Schilling in Part I). Although Ayn Rand’s novel is a sort of bible for American Libertarians and the American far right (who choose to focus on the topic of government-imposed taxes while ignoring Rand’s derision of religion and blind faith), the film has found little favor in the United States. (Atlas Shrugged Part 2 has no international audience; with luck, the film will end up as a DVD curio outside of the U.S.)

Anyhow, here’s some (sort of) good news: after 13 days out, Atlas Shrugged Part 2 has finally surpassed the $3 million mark at the North American box office. After adding $62,306 on Wednesday, Part 2‘s cume reached $3,042,201. Now, another bit of bad news: Atlas Shrugged Part 2 had the lowest per-theater average on the top 15 box-office chart: $66. That means fewer theaters this coming weekend, and a quick-as-lightning disappearance from theaters.

Atlas Shrugged Part 2 to have better luck on DVD?

Some have raised the possibility that Atlas Shrugged Part 2 will do better on DVD. Though not impossible, that doesn’t seem all that likely if the performance of its predecessor is any indication. Atlas Shrugged Part 1 grossed $4.62 million at the box office (five weekends), but according to The Numbers the film earned only $2.97 million on DVD sales in its first two weeks out, plummeting 67% on week no. 2.

Atlas Shrugged Part 2‘s production budget was a reported $20m. The film currently has a 0% approval rating and 2.2/10 average among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics.

Samantha Mathis as Dagny Taggart Atlas Shrugged Part 2 photo: Atlas Distribution.

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http://www.glenwoodfin.com/contact/ Glen Woodfin

Atlas Shrugged Part 2 is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Moviegoer

I don’t know about anyone else, but I was waiting for Part II, but it didn’t come to my local theatres, so now I’m anxious for it to come out on DVD/Blu Ray. Since I missed seeing Part I at the theatre, I was looking forward to being in the know when Part II came out. Yes, I would agree that there is clearly a definite effort to suppress this movie from those who are actually interested and crush box office sales.

But if there are many other folks like myself, then DVD/Blu Ray sales will (maybe) make up for this effort. In any event, I’m still waiting and hope this doesn’t derail Part III.
Terry

Much like you have witnessed in the most recent election, the majority of people in the USA lack critical thinking abilities. Like the book and film depict, people have become so inept in creativity that they prefer someone take care of and think for them. For one to be unable to draw the parallels in the movie to what is transpiring right now at this moment in this country shows how society has been dumbed down. It is being presented from a perspective written over fifty years ago and yet the public has a blind eye as to what they are sacrificing. The film follows the book very closely and amazingly captures the insincere altruism being displayed in the current social and political environment. Ayn Rand lived through the same phenomena at the turn of the century and witnessed what is happening first hand. Liberals hate the book and have distain for anyone that sees this as plausible. But then again, these are the people I am talking about. WHO IS JOHN GAULT - HE’S US!
Ron

I have NEVER seen a movie that did a written story “Justice”… It always seems that too much stuff is either left out or just “glossed over”… Having read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, I was indeed a little let down by the first movie but, I will purchase the Second AND the Third movie if it is made and releasd to DVD… Movies made from books are NEVER as good as the BOOKS!!! It’s a hell of a story and deserves a decent telling!!!!
nwzimmer

I wanted to see this in the theatre in downtown Austin, but the closest place showing it was way out in in the suburbs.

I’ll most definitely be buying it on DVD/Blu Ray, and I’ve been buying fewer movies than ever recently…
Patricia Kayden

Dying for “Atlas Shrugs Part 3: Who the hell cares?”
Thomas Austin

It showed up in theaters but did not stay long. And it was in mostly liberal towns where it would not draw an audience. The nearest it came to Jacksonville, NC was Greenville which is an hour drive. It was in Greenville for only a few days and in Wilmington for less than a week. I will get the DVD when it comes out.
Sumerian Man

Poor turnout at the theaters isn’t due to this being a bad movie, it’s only due to the usual intellectually challanged movie goer. Part 1 and Part 2 so far were great! Like the book, it may take some time for the masses to understand and appreciate. Please don’t stop now!
Bob

I just saw Part 2 and did not think it was that bad. I have see a lot worse. Argo was supposed to be great but I thought it was only fair. Ben Affleck seems to have a limited range of facial expressions.

Only 3 people in the theaters, but that is not surprising since the mainstream media would never talk about it since it is counter to their political views. It is amazing to me that journalism has taken such a left leaning approach to everything.

I am going to go back and see Part 1.
aj

Very strange tone in this “article”… trying to celebrate a perceived failure of a film that deals with some cause you don’t approve of. If you ask me, $3 million in less than two weeks is pretty good for a independent film. Not quite the $20M it took to make it, but oh well… looks like they spent the money on special effects instead of good actors.
Dejah

I thought Atlas Shrugged Part 2 was a good movie and also part 1.
Hope part 3 comes out since I have never read the book, I would like to
know the ending. Every rotten review the movie got was mostly political crap from the
reviewer — they were throwing out “their” political views not caring if the movie was
good or bad. Since I enjoyed it and don’t trust reviewers I would hope it comes out on DVD for the people who will not be able to see it after next week in the theaters.
Florian

Can you Randroid dummies just face reality? The movie SUCKED.

Don’t blame the media or the critics…blame the genius who produced it who stands to lose $40 million if they make three of them.

When you make a crap movie, it gets panned and won’t make any money back. Duh.
Bill

I saw it second night at a local theater. There were four people in the audience and the other three left early.

I thought it a nicely acted and plotted movie but it has so little of Ayn Rand that it is really its own story.

I’ll buy the DVD.
Bill
Cat

I love this novel and really was looking forward to the movie.
Matthew

The first movie was released to nearly no theaters. DVD release was extremely limited - and major stores, Target, Wall-Fart did not carry it at all - although online sales have been reporting “Out of Stock,” for months.

Granted, after the media assassination of the movie, and the nasty reviews that were released before the movie was even seen, it’s not surprising that it’s done poorly.

But even though this movie was given a wider release, it was shown in the lousiest theaters imaginable. What I mean, is that most stadium theaters have one or two at the very end of the hallway that are smelly, have bad seats, and generally make you feel as if you’ve been relegated to the back of the bus. But I still saw it three times. The theater was full, then as well.

But the movie itself had some really bad flaws. For instance, in the book, Dagny found the motor - not Hank. The movie swapped that around. The second movie continued that storyline even though it was already annoying the people who wanted a strong female lead. They writers also tried to bring the movie to today and then to the future, and that doesn’t work… I wish they had stuck to the alternate earth that Rand wrote - it would have given the filmmaker a lot more flexibility.

Did it do badly? Yep, sure did.

Was it worth seeing? For the most part, yes.

I do want to see part three.
http://www.fuguewriter.com Michael R. Brown

DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD deal already inked with 20th Century Fox.