2016 Movie: Anti-Obama Documentary Is Box Office Bomb or Arthouse Hit?

2016 Obama’s America poster.

Barack Obama movie 2016 about to end its run

Oct. 6 update: 2016 Obama’s America is on its last legs at the domestic box office. Despite recent claims of an “organized misinformation campaign” against Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary – a strategy that could have raised the film’s box office profile – last weekend the 2016 movie suffered its steepest drop to date, 56 percent, after losing 641 venues.

At 575 sites, 2016 Obama’s America scored a paltry $411,929 over the Sept. 28-30 weekend, averaging only $716 per theater according to boxofficemojo.com. Such low numbers mean further downsizing this weekend. And that means the 2016 movie, currently with an estimated $32.94 million and to be released on DVD on October 16, will likely end its box office run with less than $34 million.

In other words, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie will fail to reach $35 million, a figure some had predicted was within the film’s reach at the time of its tremendously successful first expansion in early August.

Of course, $33 million and change is not bad at all for a movie that, if reports are to be believed, cost $2.1-$2.5 million to produce and less than $1 million to promote. Also, as discussed in several of my previous 2016 Obama’s America box office pieces, according to Box Office Mojo’s worldwide chart, the 2016 movie is 2012’s highest-grossing non-fiction film globally – even though the documentary has been screened only in North America.

On the downside, the highly probable fact that 2016 Obama’s America will finish its run with less than $35 million means there’s absolutely no chance the 2016 movie will become the second highest-grossing political documentary in history. Keep reading.

2016 Movie worldwide box office: Far behind ‘liberal’ docs

As mentioned before on this site, even after 2016 Obama’s America surpassed at the domestic box office the Al Gore-inspired global-warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine and Sicko, the 2016 movie remained far behind its “liberal” counterparts at the worldwide box office, especially if inflation were to be taken into account.

In North America, once inflation is factored in (so we can have a better idea about actual ticket sales), 2016 Obama’s America is trailing only four post-1982 documentaries according to Box Office Mojo (though that site’s pre-1995 data is spotty and a number of IMAX docs aren’t included on the chart): Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, with approx. $154 million, Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins with $97 million, Jon M. Chu’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never with $74.5 million, and Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield’s Earth with $35.8 million. One could also add Everest with $132.9 million, Mysteries of Egypt with $63.3 million, and a handful of others.

Unfortunately, worldwide box office data for non-fiction films is spotty at Box Office Mojo and all but nonexistent elsewhere. Having said that, here are the worldwide totals (not adjusted for inflation; in some cases incomplete) of the aforementioned six documentaries: Fahrenheit 9/11, $222.4 million; March of the Penguins, $127.4 million; Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, $98.4 million; Earth, $109 million; Everest, $128 million; and Mysteries of Egypt, $44.7 million. As you can see, 2016 Obama’s America will never get even remotely close to most of those, and it’ll end its run quite a bit behind Mysteries of Egypt as well.

But what about political documentaries? Well, even without taking inflation into account, 2016 Obama’s America will ultimately find itself trailing not only Fahrenheit 9/11‘s worldwide take of $222.4 million, but also Bowling for Columbine‘s $58 million and An Inconvenient Truth‘s $49.8 million. In addition, it’ll be a little behind Sicko‘s $36.1 million. Once inflation is factored in, even Sicko, with more than $40m, will remain some ways ahead of the 2016 movie.

Remember, if you say that 2016 Obama’s America is the second highest-grossing political documentary in history, you’ll be dead wrong. In order for your statement to be correct (assuming that history began in 1982, and that Box Office Mojo’s “all-time” documentary chart is complete and accurate), you’ll need to add the following qualifier: “in the United States.”

2016 movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 23

2016 Obama’s America box office plummets, but 2016 movie is now the no. 1 2012 documentary ‘worldwide’

This weekend, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary 2016 Obama’s America was down nearly as steeply as Mitt Romney’s popularity following his “47%” remarks. Even so, based on Box Office Mojo’s worldwide chart for 2012, the 2016 movie is now the year’s highest-grossing non-fiction film globally.

As I’d predicted a week ago, 2016 Obama’s America was down sharply this weekend – an estimated 54 percent – after losing 660 venues. Yet, with an estimated domestic cume of $32 million as of Sunday, Sept. 23, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie has now (slightly) outgrossed the Katy Perry concert movie Katy Perry: Part of Me – cume: $31.91 million – to become the most successful 2012 non-fiction film at the global box office. (We’ll get confirmation of that feat once weekend domestic box office actuals are released on Monday.)

2016 Obama’s America tops ‘Worldwide’ chart – without any international following

As I’ve explained in previous posts, 2016 Obama’s America has absolutely no international following. After all, most people outside the United States have never heard of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, and couldn’t care less whether or not Barack Obama is an anti-colonialist like his absentee father (and like the United States’ “Founding Fathers”). In fact, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie was made for and targeted to the American Right. Having said that, the film’s North American box office performance has been strong enough to ensure it the top spot for a 2012 documentary “worldwide.”

Now, expect 2016 Obama’s America‘s box office take to plummet once again next weekend, as the 2016 movie’s per-theater average this weekend was a paltry $755 at 1,216 locations. If that pattern continues, chances are 2016 Obama’s America will fail to reach $35 million, a milestone some had predicted was within the film’s reach at the time of its successful first expansion a month ago. We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.

Either way, 2016 Obama’s America is an undeniable success, and one of the year’s sleeper hits – especially considering the film’s reported $2.1-$2.5 million production budget (not including marketing / distribution expenses, which, according to reports, didn’t reach $1m).

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 20

2016 movie box office: No. 1 ‘worldwide’ 2012 documentary by Sunday evening?

2016 Obama’s America, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary that has been embraced by the American Right, lambasted by the White House, and criticized for its factual inaccuracies and flights of fancy, is 2012’s top non-fiction film at the North American box office. (Image: U.S. president Barack Obama, 2016 movie.)

With a domestic cume of $30.6 million as of Tuesday, Sept. 18, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie has also surpassed the inflation-adjusted take of recent documentaries directed by liberals: Michael Moore’s Sicko (inflation-adjusted $28.6m) and Bowling for Columbine ($29.44 million), and Davis Guggenheim’s Oscar-winning, Al Gore-inspired An Inconvenient Truth ($29.56 million). Is “world domination” next?

2016 Obama’s America to beat Katy Perry concert doc

Well, “world domination” lies beyond reach, but by Sunday evening Katy Perry will likely pass on the “worldwide box office” crown to 2016 Obama’s America. Before the weekend is over, the 2016 movie should outgross Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $31.91 million to become the most successful 2012 non-fiction film at the global box office.

2016 Obama’s America, of course, has absolutely no international following. It was made for and targeted to the American Right. Even so, the film’s North American box office performance has been strong enough to ultimately ensure the 2016 movie the top spot worldwide.

2016 Movie still trailing ‘liberal docs’ at worldwide box office

Now, bear in mind that 2016 Obama’s America remains way behind Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, and An Inconvenient Truth at the worldwide box office, especially if inflation is taken into account. On the inflation-adjusted domestic front, the 2016 movie is trailing only four post-1982 documentaries (though pre-1995 data is spotty): Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, with approx. $154 million, Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins with $97 million, Jon M. Chu’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never with $74.5 million, and Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield’s Earth with $35.8 million.

Before the end of its run, 2016 Obama’s America may also outgross Earth in North America. Admittedly, that seems less likely now than only a few days ago, as on weekdays the 2016 movie has been grossing less than $300,000 per day and that figure is likely to go down sharply next week. Why? Because 2016 Obama’s America, whose per-theater averages have been mediocre (a paltry $1,060 last weekend), is inevitably about to lose another large chunk of theaters.

And finally, as I’ve explained before, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 remains beyond 2016 Obama’s America‘s reach in every which way, whether you factor in 2004 ticket prices, number of theaters showing each film, the American economy’s up and downs, changes in the Earth’s axis, earthquakes patterns, lunar tides, and the like.

Not including marketing / distribution expenses, 2016 Obama’s America was budgeted at a reported $2.1-$2.5 million.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 16

2016 Obama’s America movie box office: Anti-Obama movie is 2012’s highest-grossing documentary

2016 Obama’s America, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary that has been embraced by the American Right, has now truly surpassed Michael Moore’s Sicko (inflation-adjusted $28.6m) and Bowling for Columbine ($29.44 million), and Davis Guggenheim’s Oscar-winning, Al Gore-inspired An Inconvenient Truth ($29.56m) at the North American box office. Earlier claims that the 2016 movie was ahead of its “left-wing” counterparts were based on inflated 2012 movie-ticket prices. (Image: U.S. president Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America.)

Also, with a cume of $30.08 million 2016 Obama’s America is now officially the highest-grossing documentary on the 2012 North American box office chart, having just outgrossed Chimpanzee‘s $28.97 million. The 2016 movie reached its current total after adding $2.03 million this weekend (Sept. 14-16), according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.

2016 movie gone from top twelve box office chart?

At no. 13 on the domestic box office chart, 2016 Obama’s America is gone from the top twelve after four weekends in wide release. Well, unless that is, either Rocky Mountain Pictures underestimated the 2016 movie’s weekend gross and/or Roadside Attractions overestimated Arbitrage‘s box office take at 197 locations. The gap between the Richard Gere drama and 2016 Obama’s America is a mere $39,000.

Having lost 141 venues – this past week, I’d predicted a “theater contraction” – and if studio estimates are accurate, 2016 Obama’s America was down 39 percent compared to the previous weekend. The 2016 movie’s per-theater average was a meager $1,083, which in all likelihood means a more dramatic reduction in the number of theaters next weekend.

2016 Obama’s America to become 2012’s most successful documentary at ‘worldwide’ box office

Also worth noting is that within week or so (a few days later than I’d predicted last week), 2016 Obama’s America will likely surpass Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $31.91 million to become the most successful 2012 non-fiction film at the worldwide box office. The 2016 movie, of course, has no international audience. But its North American box office performance has been strong enough to ensure that feat.

Now, worldwide, of course, 2016 Obama’s America remains way behind Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, and An Inconvenient Truth. The gap between the right-wing documentary and its “liberal” counterparts widens even more if inflation is taken into account. Needless to say, Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 remains totally beyond reach in every which way, whether you factor in 2004 ticket prices, the world economy, lunar tides, and the like.

Not including marketing / distribution expenses, 2016 Obama’s America was budgeted at a reported $2.1-$2.5 million.

Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama (Barack Obama’s half-brother) in 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 13

2016 Obama’s America still trailing Michael Moore, Al Gore docs in North America – for now

Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary 2016 Obama’s America has already outgrossed the concert movie Katy Perry: Part of Me to become the second biggest non-fiction moneymaker released in North America in 2012. By Sunday evening, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie should also be ahead of Chimpanzee ($28.97m) to become the year’s no. 1 documentary in the U.S. and Canada. According to Box Office Mojo, the film’s current cume is an estimated $27.66 million. (Image: Dinesh D’Souza and Barack Obama’s half-brother George Obama in Kenya: 2016 Obama’s America.)

Worldwide, 2016 Obama’s America – a 100 percent domestic box office hit like, say, the Tyler Perry movies – continues to trail not only Chimpanzee (another domestic-only release), but also Katy Perry: Part of Me. With $31.91 million, the Katy Perry concert movie is the no. 1 2012 non-fiction hit globally, followed by Chimpanzee and the 2016 movie, both with only their domestic cumes. Needless to say, the 2016 movie will surpass Chimpanzee by Sunday; it’ll likely surpass Katy Perry: Part of Me within the next ten days or so.

2016 Obama movie trailing 1991 Madonna movie: inflation-adjusted box office chart

As per numerous box office reports, as the sixth biggest non-fiction film ever (or rather, since 1982) in North America, 2016 Obama’s America has beaten every Michael Moore documentary except for Fahrenheit 9/11, as well as Davis Guggenheim’s Oscar-winning, Al Gore-inspired An Inconvenient Truth. Those reports, however, fail to take a key box office element into account: inflation, which affects movies made by progressives, reactionaries, left-wingers, and right-wingers.

Once inflation is factored in, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie is the no. 10 documentary at the domestic box office since 1982. (Note: Box Office Mojo’s documentary data for the 1980s and early 1990s is spotty at best.) Placed right behind Madonna: Truth or Dare ($28.59m) on the inflation-adjusted chart, the anti-Obama doc is also trailing Michael Moore’s Sicko ($28.6m) and his Oscar-winning Bowling for Columbine ($29.44 million), in addition to Guggenheim’s global-warming treatise An Inconvenient Truth ($29.56m).

Domestic box office: 2016 Obama’s America no. 4 doc ‘ever’ by Sunday evening?

Quite possibly, by Sunday evening the 2016 movie will have surpassed all but four documentaries at the U.S. and Canada (inflation-adjusted) box office: Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, with approx. $154 million, Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins with $97 million, Jon M. Chu’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never with $74.5 million, and Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield’s Earth with $35.8 million. Before the end of its run, 2016 Obama’s America may also outgross Earth in North America. Though not guaranteed, that’s certainly a possibility.

Now, the all-time worldwide box office chart for non-fiction films would look quite different. Unfortunately, global box office data for documentaries is spotty even at Box Office Mojo, but here are the worldwide totals (not adjusted for inflation; in some cases incomplete) of North America’s aforementioned top four documentaries: Fahrenheit 9/11, $222.44m; March of the Penguins, $127.39m; Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, $98.44m; and Earth, $108.97 million.

And here are three more documentaries that will undoubtedly remain way ahead of 2016 Obama’s America‘s final (worldwide) cume even without factoring in inflation: Oceans, $82.65m; Bowling for Columbine, $58m; and An Inconvenient Truth, $49.75 million. Also, with $36.08 million worldwide, Michael Moore’s Sicko will possibly remain ahead – however slightly – of the 2016 movie. (Once inflation is factored in, Sicko – with more than $40 million – will almost surely remain quite a bit ahead.)

Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama (Barack Obama’s half-brother) in 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 12

George Obama, Barack Obama’s half-brother, talks with Dinesh D’Souza in 2016 Obama’s America.

2016 movie box office: Third wide-release weekend actuals

2016 Movie: Wide release likely to be downsized in near future

This past weekend, Sept. 7-9, despite a 15 percent increase in number of venues and last week’s Democratic National Convention, 2016 Obama’s America was down a relatively steep 41 percent. As a result, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie’s per-theater average plummeted another 50 percent (after tumbling 46 percent the previous weekend), down to a paltry $1,641 on the documentary’s third weekend in wide release.

In all likelihood, exhibitors will start replacing 2016 Obama’s America with something potentially more profitable within the next two weekends. Barring a miracle, expect the 2016 movie’s actual weekend grosses and per-theater averages to go down dramatically.

Even so, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary will surely end its run north of $30m, possibly around $35-36 million. That depends on how the 2016 movie will fare this coming weekend and the next. Either way, by next Sunday 2016 Obama’s America should have surpassed Chimpanzee to become 2012’s top non-fiction film at the North American box office.

“2016 Movie Box Office: No. 3 on Weekday Chart” Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama (Barack Obama’s half-brother) in 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 9

2016 movie box office: More theaters, lower grosses

The “2016 movie,” Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary 2016 Obama’s America, based on D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage, was down 41.5 percent this weekend, Sept. 7–9, raking in $3.281 million at 2,017 North American locations according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. The box office drop took place even though D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie added 270 locations – a not inconsiderable 15 percent increase – and in spite of this past week’s Democratic National Convention starring U.S. president Barack Obama.

On Labor Day weekend, despite the addition of 656 theaters (from 1,091 to 1,747 sites) and the fact that Sunday preceded a major U.S. holiday, 2016 Obama’s America was down 14 percent. At no. 9 on the domestic box office chart (Aug. 31–Sept. 2), the 2016 movie collected $5.6 million. As mentioned in a previous article, there was basically no room for any further expansion, as the documentary saw its per-theater average plummet 46 percent – from the previous weekend’s $5,966 to $3,211.

Yet, distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures and some exhibitors opted to gamble on the 2016 movie. Thus, this weekend 2016 Obama’s America‘s per-theater average plummeted another 50 percent, down to a meager $1,627 on the anti-Obama documentary’s third weekend in wide release. By the way, that’s not bias. In case studio estimates are correct, that’s merely reporting the facts.

2016 movie surpasses Katy Perry, but still behind Michael Moore, Al Gore

2016 Obama’s America has surpassed Katy Perry: Part of Me to become the second most successful non-fiction film released in 2012. And the 2016 movie will likely overtake Chimpanzee ($29 million) within the next ten days to become the year’s top doc. That’s no small feat.

Also, if you read box office reports, you’ll learn that 2016 Obama’s America – with $26.1 million to date – has surpassed every Michael Moore documentary except for Fahrenheit 9/11, in addition to having beaten Davis Guggenheim’s Oscar-winning, Al Gore-inspired An Inconvenient Truth. (Needless to say, the inconvenient – and ominous – truth that the polar ice caps are melting at a faster rate than ever in recorded history remains both unbeaten and unbeatable.)

The facts: In addition to rampant global warming, Planet Earth is also afflicted by something called “inflation.” Well, at least most countries, to some extent or other, are. The U.S. is no exception.

Taking inflation into account, so as to get a better idea of a movie’s actual ticket sales / box office popularity, 2016 Obama’s America is the no. 10 top documentary since 1982 (though Box Office Mojo’s documentary data for the 1980s and early 1990s is spotty), behind not only Madonna: Truth or Dare ($28.6 million), but also Michael Moore’s Sicko ($28.6 million) and Bowling for Columbine ($29.4 million), and Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth ($29.6 million).

Quite possibly, within two weeks or so the 2016 movie will have surpassed all but four documentaries at the North American (adjusted for inflation) box office: Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 (approx. $154 million), Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins ($97 million), Jon M. Chu’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($74.5 million), and Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield’s Earth ($35.8 million). Once again, that’s a remarkable feat. As a result, in the future expect more documentaries about White House dwellers around election time. (Note: Unlike the aforementioned documentaries, the 2016 movie is nonexistent overseas. In other words, 2016 Obama’s America would fall way behind on the worldwide documentary box office chart.)

2016 Obama’s America vs. Fahrenheit 9/11: Third weekend

For comparison’s sake: At 2,011 locations on its third weekend out in July 2004, Michael Moore’s anti-George W. Bush / anti-Iraq War documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 brought in $11.03 million, averaging $5,485 per site. Adjusted for inflation, those figures soar to $14.24 million and $7,100, respectively. That’s about four and a half times 2016 Obama’s America‘s estimated gross this weekend, and more than four times the 2016 movie’s estimated per-theater average.

“2016 Movie Box Office Plummets: Still Trailing Michael Moore / Al Gore Docs” Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama (Barack Obama’s half-brother) in 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 8

2016 movie box office: More theaters, less revenues

The “2016 movie,” Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s critically panned documentary 2016 Obama’s America, was down an estimated 33 percent on Friday, Sept. 7 (compared to Friday, Aug. 31), taking in $1.1 million at 2,017 North American locations according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. The drop took place despite the fact that D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie added 270 venues this weekend – a 15 percent increase – and despite this past week’s Democratic National Convention, whose star was none other than U.S. president Barack Obama.

On Labor Day weekend, despite the addition of 656 venues (from 1,091 to 1,747 sites), 2016 Obama’s America was down 14 percent. At no. 9 on the domestic box office chart (Aug. 31–Sept. 2), the 2016 movie collected $5.6 million. As mentioned in a previous article, there was basically no room for any further major expansion, as the per-theater average of the anti-Obama documentary had dropped 46 percent – from the previous weekend’s $5,966 to $3,211.

Yet, distributor Rocky Mountain Pictures and some exhibitors opted to gamble on the 2016 movie based on Dinesh D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage. As a result, this weekend’s final box office result will likely lie somewhere between $3.2-3.5 million at 2,017 locations, with a per-theater average hovering around a mediocre $1,600-1,700 on the documentary’s third weekend in wide release.

2016 movie: More good news, bad news

The good news: by Sunday evening, 2016 Obama’s America will in all likelihood surpass Katy Perry: Part of Me to become the second most successful documentary released in 2012. And the 2016 movie will likely overtake Chimpanzee within the next ten days to become the year’s top doc. (In case the current U.S. president is reelected in November, here’s wondering if in 2013 we’ll be getting 2016 Obama’s America Revisited.)

The bad news: if reported estimates are accurate, 2016 Obama’s America will still be down 40–45 percent this weekend despite having added 15 percent more theaters. Per-theater averages should drop even more sharply: somewhere around 45–50 percent. Barring a miracle (and/or some hard-and-fast contractual obligations), expect 2016 Obama’s America‘s theater count to drop dramatically in the next two weeks.

2016 Obama’s America vs. Fahrenheit 9/11: Third weekend

For comparison’s sake: At 2,011 locations on its third weekend out in July 2004, Michael Moore’s anti-George W. Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 grossed $11 million, averaging $5,485 per site. Adjusted for inflation, those figures soar to $14.24 million and $7,100, respectively. That’s close to five times what 2016 Obama’s America is expected to gross this weekend, and four times the 2016 movie’s estimated per-theater average.

Obama movie ‘2016’ vs. Fahrenheit 9/11: Absurd comparisons

Aug. 28 update: Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s right-wing documentary 2016 Obama’s America had a solid first-wide-weekend run in North America on the eve of the Republican National Convention currently being held in Tampa, Florida. (To be blessed by the Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan, too!) Though closer to the lower end of expectations, 2016 Obama’s America earned $6.5 million at 1,091 locations according to Box Office Mojo, averaging $5,966 per site. That was the highest average among the top 25 movies on the domestic box office chart. (A little context: This past weekend was 2012’s very worst at the domestic box office.) [Photo: Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America.]

Anyhow, though with a cume of less than $10 million, 2016 Obama’s America is now officially the most successful “conservative” documentary ever. For that reason, some have compared the “zeitgeist-appeal” of D’Souza and Sullivan’s anti-Obama movie to that of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Those people are in dire need of a reality check.

Fahrenheit 9/11: Unique documentary blockbuster

Back in 2004, Fahrenheit 9/11 opened with $23.92 million (approx. $31 million adjusted for inflation) at 898 locations, averaging $27,558 (approx. 35,600 adjusted) per site. 2016 Obama’s America‘s take this past weekend, by far its best to date, was less than 30 percent that of Michael Moore’s anti-George W. Bush / anti-Iraq War / anti-Britney Spears documentary – screening at 20 percent fewer venues. Adjusted for inflation, on its first weekend out, Fahrenheit 9/11 collected nearly five times the amount 2016 Obama’s America grossed this past weekend and more than three times the current cume of D’Souza and Sullivan’s film.

Eventually distributed by Lionsgate in North America – after Disney’s Michael Eisner decided to shelve the film – Fahrenheit 9/11 went on to score $119.19 million in North America and $103.25 million overseas. 2016 Obama’s America, for its part, will be very lucky if it reaches $35 million domestic and $30,000 internationally.

In terms of prestige and accolades, here’s a list of Fahrenheit 9/11 wins in North America alone:

Best Non-Fiction Film/Best Documentary from numerous film critics groups, among them the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association, Florida Film Critics Circle, Kansas City Film Critics Circle, Las Vegas Film Critics Society, New York Film Critics Circle, Online Film Critics Society, Phoenix Film Critics Society, San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Southeastern Film Critics Association, and Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

Fahrenheit 9/11 was also the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s runner-up for Best Documentary and one of the recipients of the National Board of Review’s Freedom of Expression Award.

Outside North America, among Fahrenheit 9/11‘s numerous accolades was the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, Michael Moore’s film was nominated by the French Academy of Film, the British Independent Film Awards, the Danish Film Critics Association, the European Film Academy, and the Irish Film and Television Academy.

Overseas, 2016 Obama’s America will in all likelihood be completely ignored. In the U.S., it has been highly praised by the far-right media elite but lambasted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Variety (“For the bulk of its running time, [2016 Obama’s America] comes off as a cavalcade of conspiracy theories, psycho-politico conjectures and incendiary labeling”), and just about everybody else. In fact, the documentary’s only chance of awards-season recognition is the creation of a Fox News Film Award or some such.

2016 Obama’s America: Kirk Cameron’s Fireproof box office trajectory

This past weekend, we posted an article explaining that 2016 Obama’s America was expected to follow a similar trajectory to that of Kirk Cameron’s Fundamentalist Christian movie Fireproof. Cameron’s Christian drama had topped Fandango’s advance sales and was no. 3 on opening-day Friday – but was down to no. 6 on Saturday and ended up in the no. 4 slot on the weekend box office chart, with $6.8 million at 839 locations.

2016 Obama’s America fared worse than Fireproof, of course, but let’s not forget that a) it’s a documentary b) it had already let out some box office steam in the previous two weekends.

Ultimately, Fireproof went on to reach $33.5 million in North America – plus $16,980 in South Korea.

And make sure to check out Dinesh D’Souza on The Colbert Report blaming liberals for the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 30

2016 Obama’s America movie passes $10 million mark

The Republican National Convention is currently being held in Tampa, Florida. Midnight Cowboy actor Jon Voight has already blamed the ’60s for the current crop of unpatriotic Hollywood Liberals (one assumes that includes both his daughter Angelina Jolie and her companion Brad Pitt, not to mention Voight’s former co-stars and/or directors such as Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, John Schlesinger, Jonathan Demme, Hal Ashby, and Martin Ritt), while the Far-Right-Wing Elite, as usual, has been calling the Liberal Elite “black.” (As in the pot calling the kettle…)

Ah, and Ann Romney (“You People”) – that’s U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s wife – has claimed that her favorite TV show is Modern Family. That Romney Remark led Modern Family co-creator and executive producer Steve Levitan to tweet the following: “Thrilled Ann Romney says ModFam is her favorite show. We’ll offer her the role of officiant at [gay couple] Mitch & Cam’s wedding. As soon as it’s legal.”

While the Republican circus continues in Tampa, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary about U.S. president Barack Obama, 2016 Obama’s America, continues its impressive run (last reported) at 1,091 North American venues. In fact, after landing at no. 7 on North America’s weekend box office chart, 2016 Obama’s America soared to no. 2 on Monday, Aug. 27, according to estimates* found at Box Office Mojo.

2016 Obama’s America box office: No.2 on Monday?

Tuesday figures aren’t available as yet, but 2016 Obama’s America took in an estimated $1.2 million on Monday. That placed D’Souza and Sullivan’s documentary right behind the Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth / Jason Statham weapons & bombs fest The Expendables 2 (which feature well-known Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis) and ahead of Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner’s thriller The Bourne Legacy. At no. 1 on the chart, The Expendables 2 added $1.4 million on Monday; at no. 3, The Bourne Legacy raked in $930,000.

As of Monday, 2016 Obama’s America has earned $10.54 million after 46 days out (four days in wide release). D’Souza and Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary is the third most successful non-fiction film released in 2012, trailing only Chimpanzee‘s $28.6 million and Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $25 million.

Additionally, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 17 on Box Office Mojo’s chart of the most successful documentaries from 1982-present – though that list is woefully incomplete when it comes to documentaries released in the 1980s and quite possibly the 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 19 on the chart.

* It’s unclear who provided Monday estimates for 2016 Obama’s America, though generally speaking those come from the distributor, in this case Rocky Mountain Pictures.

2016 Obama’s America to Surpass Capitalism: A Love Story

In all likelihood, by next Sunday Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s right-wing documentary 2016 Obama’s America will have surpassed Michael Moore’s left-wing documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, which scored $15.1 million (adjusted for inflation) in 2009. (Worldwide, Moore’s Capitalism brought in approximately $18.5 million adjusted for inflation.) Even more impressive, by the end of its run 2016 Obama’s America may possibly become 2012’s top documentary to date.

Ridiculed by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety, among other publications (“A nonsensically unsubstantiated act of character assassination,” says Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman), 2016 Obama’s America was widely praised by the right-wing / Christian Right media. The documentary, which portrays Barack Obama as an idealistic threat to the United States, is based on Dinesh D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage.

2016 Obama’s America movie vs. Fahrenheit 9/11

Despite its undeniable success (for a political documentary), 2016 Obama’s America is hardly the movie that has caught the American zeitgeist this election year as some over-excited pundits claimed last week. Nor is it the right-wing elite’s cinematic equivalent to Michael Moore’s epoch-making anti-George W. Bush / anti-Iraq War / anti-Britney Spears 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Even so, 2016 Obama’s America‘s present $10.5 million cume is quite remarkable. After all, at least officially the movie cost a mere $2.5 million.

Note: even if accurate, the aforementioned budget figure doesn’t include marketing / distribution expenses, which must have been considerable due to the film’s wide expansion and heavy-duty promotion on right-wing radio talk shows and cable stations such as Fox News. Also, remember that, as a rule of thumb, exhibitors keep about 50 percent of a movie’s domestic gross.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America poster: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 30 afternoon

2016 Obama’s America box office: No. 2 on Monday?

Throughout the Republican National Convention, wrapping up tonight in Tampa, Florida, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s right-wing documentary about U.S. president Barack Obama, 2016 Obama’s America, has continued its impressive run at 1,091 North American sites. In fact, after holding the no. 7 slot on North America’s weekend (Aug. 24-26) box office chart, 2016 Obama’s America soared to no. 2 on Monday, Aug. 27, according to estimates* found at Box Office Mojo.

2016 Obama’s America brought in an estimated $1.2 million on Monday. That placed D’Souza and Sullivan’s documentary slightly behind Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth / Jason Statham’s old-school actioner The Expendables 2 (which also features Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis) and ahead of Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner’s thriller The Bourne Legacy. At no. 1 on the chart, The Expendables 2 collected $1.36 million on Monday; at no. 3, The Bourne Legacy scored $930k.

At no. 3 on both Tuesday and Wednesday, 2016 Obama’s America added nearly $2 million. As of Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2016 Obama’s America has earned an estimated $12.5 million after 48 days out (six days in wide release). D’Souza and Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary is the third highest-grossing non-fiction film released in 2012, trailing only Chimpanzee‘s $28.6 million and Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $25 million.

Additionally, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 15 on Box Office Mojo’s chart of the most successful documentaries from 1982–present – though that list hardly includes documentaries released in the 1980s and early 1990s. Adjusted for inflation, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 19 on that particular chart, right behind Michael Moore’s Roger & Me.

2016 Obama’s America to Surpass Capitalism: A Love Story

In all likelihood, by next Sunday (or sooner) the right-wing 2016 Obama’s America will have surpassed – in number of tickets sold – Michael Moore’s left-wing Capitalism: A Love Story, which took in $15.1 million (adjusted for inflation) in 2009. (Adjusted for inflation, Capitalism: A Love Story grossed approximately $18.5 million worldwide.)

What’s even more impressive is that by the end of its run 2016 Obama’s America could become 2012’s top documentary to date. That’ll depend on how well the anti-Obama movie fares after the Republican National Convention and the media attention surrounding all things “conservative” come to a close.

Derided by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety, among other publications (“A nonsensically unsubstantiated act of character assassination,” wrote Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman), 2016 Obama’s America received enthusiastic praise from the right-wing / Christian Right media, including thumbs up from News Corp / Fox News honcho Rupert Murdoch.

Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary, which portrays Barack Obama as an anti-colonialist threat to the United States, is based on D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage. 2016 Obama’s America‘s budget, not including marketing and distribution expenses, has been pegged at $2.5 million.

* Generally speaking, box office estimates are reported by the distributor, in this case Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America poster: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 2

2016 movie box office: Sharp per-theater average drop

Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s “2016 movie,” 2016 Obama’s America, despite expanding to 1,775 North American venues (from 1,091 sites last weekend) was actually down 22 percent this weekend compared to a week ago. At no. 9 on the domestic box office chart, the 2016 movie collected an estimated $5.1 million according to Box Office Mojo.

Prior to and during the Republican National Convention, held last week in Tampa, Florida, the right-wing documentary about U.S. president Barack Obama had an impressive run. In fact, after landing in the no. 7 slot on North America’s weekend (Aug. 24-26) box office chart, 2016 Obama’s America soared to no. 2 on Monday, Aug. 27, and remained among the top 5 movies for the rest of the week.

But now that the RNC is a thing of the past – though Clint Eastwood remains a popular subject of ridicule online – 2016 Obama’s America has lost steam. Following the expansion, the 2016 movie suffered a 51 percent per-theater-average drop-off rate, from $5,966 to $2,921. Now, comparisons to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, whose per-theater average was down 66 percent on its second weekend out, are, at best, misguided.

Wrongheaded comparisons with Fahrenheit 9/11

Moore’s anti-George W. Bush / anti-the United States’ faux “Liberal” media / anti-Iraq War / anti-Britney Spears cinematic attack opened with an unheard of (for a documentary) $27,558 (approx. $35,600 today) per-theater average at 898 locations. The following weekend, Fahrenheit 9/11 nearly doubled its number of theaters, to 1,725, while competing with Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire’s megablockbuster Spider-Man 2.

Needless to say, with $88.15 million, Spider-Man 2 fully dominated the domestic box office on the July 4 weekend. This year, 2016 Obama’s America had no such competition; though it overperformed, The Possession collected only an estimated $17.75 million. Nor was the 2016 movie coming off an “unheard of” opening-weekend box office performance. Though solid for a political documentary, a $5,966 per-theater average at 1,091 venues is nothing astounding.

2016 movie to become 2012’s top documentary?

With an $18.2 million domestic cume, 2016 Obama’s America is currently the third highest-grossing non-fiction film released in 2012, trailing only Chimpanzee‘s $28.61 million and Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $25 million. A few days ago, it seemed feasible that D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie would become the year’s top-grossing documentary, but now that seems unlikely – though certainly not impossible. It all depends on how 2016 Obama’s America performs next weekend.

I should add that 2016 Obama’s America is no. 11 on Box Office Mojo’s chart of the most successful documentaries from 1982-present – though that list includes hardly any documentaries released in the ’80s and early ’90s. Adjusted for inflation, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 12 on that chart, right behind Oceans, and ahead of Winged Migration, African Cats, and Michael Moore’s left-wing documentary Capitalism: A Love Story ($15.13 million adjusted).

2016 Obama’s America dismissed by critics

Dismissed by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety, among other publications (“A nonsensically unsubstantiated act of character assassination,” affirmed Entertainment Weekly‘s Owen Gleiberman), 2016 Obama’s America received enthusiastic praise from the right-wing / Christian Right media, including kudos from News Corp / Fox News honcho Rupert Murdoch.

The 2016 movie, which portrays Barack Obama as an anti-colonialist threat to the United States, is based on D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage. 2016 Obama’s America‘s reported budget, not including marketing and distribution costs, is $2.5 million.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America poster: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Sept. 5

2016 movie box office: Labor Day weekend drop despite major expansion

The “2016 movie,” Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary 2016 Obama’s America, was down 14 percent (not 22 percent as studio estimates indicated) this past Labor Day weekend despite the addition of 656 North American venues (from 1,091 to 1,747 sites). At no. 9 on the domestic box office chart, the 2016 movie collected $5.6 million – $500,000 above reported estimates – according to weekend box office actuals found at Box Office Mojo. (Image: U.S. president Barack Obama in the 2016 movie poster.)

Right before and throughout the Republican National Convention, held last week in Tampa, Florida, the right-wing documentary based on Dinesh D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage had an impressive run in the United States. Following a successful expansion ten days ago, 2016 Obama’s America soared to the no. 2 slot on the domestic box office chart on Monday, Aug. 27, and remained among the top five movies for the rest of the week.

But now that the RNC is a thing of the past – though the Clint Eastwood anti-Obama “speech” will likely be remembered for some time – 2016 Obama’s America has lost steam. Following this weekend’s expansion, which amounted to a 60 percent increase in number of venues, the 2016 movie was down the aforementioned 14 percent, thus suffering a 46 percent per-theater-average drop-off rate (not 51 percent as reported estimates indicated), from $5,966 to $3,211.

2016 movie: Good news and bad news

The good news: the 2016 movie’s drop-off rate was lower than initially reported. The bad news: 2016 Obama’s America was still down this past weekend despite having added 60 percent more theaters and even though this past Sunday preceded a major holiday – which means softer drop-off rates.

There are no two ways of looking at this sort of data. Sturdy successful movies will either increase or maintain their theater count until per-theater averages start going down dramatically. An average in the low $3,000s does not leave room for another major expansion unless Rocky Mountain Pictures and U.S. exhibitors don’t mind screening 2016 Obama’s America at near-empty theaters.

On the Aug. 24-26 weekend, Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner’s The Bourne Legacy averaged a mediocre $2,555 at 3,654 theaters. On Labor Day weekend, The Bourne Legacy was screening at 523 fewer locations.

And bear in mind that the Gilroy / Renner thriller was initially screening at nearly 1,900 more venues than 2016 Obama’s America. All things being equal, the lower the number of theaters, the higher the per-theater average should be. My point: barring a miraculous resurgence, the 2016 movie has already reached its box office peak and is now on its way down.

Absurd comparisons with Fahrenheit 9/11

Now, to compare 2016 Obama’s America‘s second wide weekend drop-off rate to that of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, whose per-theater average was down 66 percent on its second weekend out, is, at best, an exercise in futility.

In early summer 2004, Moore’s anti-George W. Bush / anti-the United States’ faux “Liberal” media / anti-Iraq War / anti-Britney Spears documentary opened with an unheard of (for a documentary) $27,558 (approx. $35,600 today) per-theater average at 898 locations. The following weekend, Fahrenheit 9/11 nearly doubled its number of theaters, to 1,725 (vs. 2016 Obama’s America‘s 60 percent increase), while competing with Sam Raimi / Tobey Maguire / Kirsten Dunst’s megablockbuster Spider-Man 2.

Needless to say, with $88.15 million (approx. $114 million today), Spider-Man 2 fully dominated the North American box office over the July 4 weekend. Though its box office gross was down a hefty 32 percent, Fahrenheit 9/11 still managed an incredible (for a documentary in wide release) $9,438 per-theater average (approx. $12,200 today).

This year, 2016 Obama’s America had no Spider-Man-like competition. Although Ole Bornedal’s The Possession overperformed, the horror flick raked in only $17.73 million. Nor was D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie coming off an “unheard of” opening-weekend box office performance. Though remarkable for a political documentary, a $5,966 per-theater average at 1,091 venues is hardly jaw-dropping. And remember: adjusted for inflation, Fahrenheit 9/11‘s second-weekend per-theater average was nearly four times the 2016 movie’s on its second wide-release weekend.

2016 movie to become 2012’s top doc?

With a $20.61 million domestic cume, 2016 Obama’s America is currently the third highest-grossing non-fiction film released in North America in 2012, trailing only Chimpanzee‘s $28.61 million and Katy Perry: Part of Me‘s $25 million. Considering that its drop-off rate wasn’t as steep as studio estimates indicated, it’s once again feasible that Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s 2016 movie may become the year’s top-grossing documentary, with a final cume north of $30 million. The key factor here is how 2016 Obama’s America will perform next weekend. (Image: George Obama, Barack Obama’s half-brother, in 2016 Obama’s America.)

I should add that 2016 Obama’s America is no. 10 on Box Office Mojo’s chart of the most successful documentaries from 1982-present – though that list includes hardly any documentaries released in the ’80s and early ’90s. Adjusted for inflation, 2016 Obama’s America is no. 11 on that chart, having just surpassed Oceans. Additionally, the 2016 movie has also surpassed Michael Moore’s left-wing documentary Capitalism: A Love Story ($15.13 million adjusted).

2016 Obama’s America derided by North American critics

Panned by the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, the Boston Globe, The Village Voice, Variety, and Entertainment Weekly, among other publications, 2016 Obama’s America has a downright rotten 15 percent approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics. “No one doubts that the country faces major challenges in the next four years,” wrote Stephen Farber in The Hollywood Reporter, “but there is one safe bet: The future is unlikely to be affected by this simplistic documentary.”

On the other hand, D’Souza and Sullivan’s 2016 movie has received enthusiastic praise from the right-wing/Christian Right media, including News Corp/Fox News honcho Rupert Murdoch.

2016 Obama’s America cost a reported $2.5 million, not including marketing and distribution expenses.

2016: Obama’s America movie: Anti-Obama right-wing documentary.

2016 movie weekend box office: Solid but at lower end of expectations

Aug. 26 update: The Republican national convention kicks off on Monday, Aug. 27, in Tampa, Florida. Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s right-wing documentary about U.S. president Barack Obama (photo), 2016 Obama’s America, was a cinematic tie-in to the proceedings, expanding from 169 to 1,091 venues this weekend. That strategy, coupled with some savvy targeted marketing, worked. But only to a certain extent.

Although 2016 Obama’s America topped advance ticket sales on Fandango for three days in a row last week and was the no. 1 movie in North America at early Friday showings, the D’Souza-Sullivan documentary ended up in the no. 4 slot after Friday evening screenings were tallied and, at least for now, is no. 8 on the Aug. 24–26 box office chart according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.

2016 Obama’s America movie box office: Hit or disappointment?

Because of the film’s unusual per-theater-average increases following two weekend-to-weekend expansions, several box office pundits had prophesied that 2016 Obama’s America would gross more than $8 million this weekend. At least one box office soothsayer raised the possibility that the anti-Obama documentary could top the domestic box office chart, i.e., outgross The Expendables 2‘s expected $12-13 million. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. Not even close.

So, does that mean 2016 Obama’s America was a box office disappointment? Not at all. Although lambasted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety, 2016 Obama’s America was widely praised by the right-wing media. Ultimately, the film succeeded in reaching its target audience. The documentary, which portrays Barack Obama as an idealistic threat to the United States, collected an estimated $6.23 million, averaging a solid – though hardly outstanding – $5,718 per site. That’s less than the $7,365 per-theater take at 169 locations last weekend, but more than the $5,202 per-theater take at 61 venues two weekends ago. And that’s no small feat.

Whether there’s room for further expansions is debatable, as the movie, thanks to its smart wide-release timing, may have reached its box office peak. Don’t be too surprised if 2016 Obama’s America plummets next weekend. We’ll see.

Also, bear in mind that 2016 Obama’s America‘s position at the no. 8 slot could change once box office actuals are released on Monday. That’s because the gap between the Joseph Gordon-Levitt vehicle Premium Rush (no. 7) and the Meryl Streep / Tommy Lee Jones romantic comedy Hope Springs (no. 9) is only $300,000, with the Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan documentary sandwiched between those two movies. D’Souza and Sullivan’s film could easily move up or down one spot.

2016 Obama’s America movie vs. Fahrenheit 9/11

Though hardly the movie to catch the American zeitgeist this election year (as some over-excited pundits had claimed), or the right-wing elite’s cinematic equivalent to Michael Moore’s epoch-making anti-George W. Bush / anti-Iraq War / anti-Britney Spears 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, 2016 Obama’s America‘s $9.07 million cume is nothing to be sniffed at. After all, at least officially the movie cost only $2.5 million. Note: even if accurate, this figure doesn’t include marketing / distribution expenses, which must have been considerable as a result of the film’s wide expansion and heavy-duty promotion. Also, keep in mind that, as a rule of thumb, exhibitors get about 50 percent of a movie’s domestic gross.

2016 Obama’s America movie savvy targeted marketing

Yesterday, Deadline.com reported that the (relative) success of 2016 Obama’s America was due to “savvy marketing on the eve of the Republican National Convention August 27-30. Exhibitors are reporting busloads arriving at theaters around the country in pre-organized trips.”

Deadline added that the 2016 Obama’s America movie marketing team employed similar techniques to those used to plug Christian movies, “understandable since the audience is overlapping.” Additionally, 2016 Obama’s America was pushed nationally on talk radio and cable channels such as Fox News, MSNBC, A&E, and The History Channel.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 25 evening

2016 Obama’s America box office: Weekend’s no. 8 movie in North America?

2016 Obama’s America was the no. 4 movie at the North American box office on Friday, August 24. Screening at 1,091 venues, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s right-wing documentary about U.S. president Barack Obama (photo) raked in $2.25 million according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo. Early estimates had pointed to $2.4 million (no. 3 on the domestic box office chart) on Friday and $6 million by Sunday evening. Considering 2016 Obama’s America‘s more modest Friday take, weekend figures have been lowered as well. (More on that in the next segment.)

Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth / Jason Statham’s weapon-and-explosion love fest The Expendables 2 easily held Friday’s top spot, grossing an estimated $3.85 million. But that’s hardly reason to set off fireworks.

August 24-26 is expected to be the weakest box office weekend so far this summer – and one of the weakest in 2012. In fact, The Expendables 2 should be topping the domestic chart with a mere $12-13 million, down 55-60 percent compared to last weekend. You can’t go much lower than that. There’s no way the sequel will match the domestic box office take of the original The Expendables.

Friday’s no. 2 movie was the Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner thriller The Bourne Legacy, with $2.7 million, followed by ParaNorman with $2.4 million. Rounding out the top five was the Will Ferrell / Zach Galifianakis comedy The Campaign, with $2.21 million.

2016 Obama’s America box office: At lower end of expectations?

Earlier this past week, some box office pundits were predicting grosses north of $8 million for 2016 Obama’s America. At least one such expert raised the possibility that the anti-Obama documentary might end up topping the box office chart, i.e., gross more than $12-13 million. Barring divine intervention, that’s not going to happen.

D’Souza and Sullivan’s documentary – lambasted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety – is expected to gross around $5.5-6 million, and land anywhere between no. 8-10 on the box office chart. Though hardly the right-wing elite’s cinematic equivalent to Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 or the movie to catch the American zeitgeist this election year, that’s not bad at all for a movie that – at least officially – cost $2.5 million. (Remember, that figure doesn’t include marketing / distribution expenses and that, generally speaking, exhibitors keep about 50 percent of a movie’s domestic gross.)

Deadline.com reports that the (relative) popularity of 2016 Obama’s America is a result of “savvy marketing on the eve of the Republican National Convention August 27-30 [in Tampa, Florida]. Exhibitors are reporting busloads arriving at theaters around the country in pre-organized trips.”

Deadline adds that the film’s marketing team employed similar techniques to those used to plug Christian movies, “understandable since the audience is overlapping.” Additionally, 2016 Obama’s America was promoted nationally on talk radio and cable channels such as Fox News, MSNBC, A&E, and The History Channel.

Premium Rush, The Apparition have modest debuts

As expected, the weekend’s two new entries, Premium Rush and The Apparition, performed quite modestly. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the former earned $1.97 million on Friday (est. $5.5-6 million weekend), while the latter, starring Twilight‘s Ashley Greene, brought in $1.17 million on Friday (est. $3-3.5 million weekend).

Official weekend box office estimates come out Sunday morning. Box-office actuals will be announced on Monday.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 25 early morning

2016 Obama’s America Box Office: Friday’s no. 3 movie in North America?

2016 Obama’s America, Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary screening at 1,090 (some sources state 1,096) locations, was the no. 3 movie at the North American box office on Friday, August 24, having collected $2.4 million according to early, rough estimates found at Deadline.com. Friday’s top slot easily went to the Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth / Jason Statham actioner The Expendables 2, which grossed an estimated $3.6 million, while the no. 2 slot has apparently gone to the Tony Gilroy / Jeremy Renner thriller The Bourne Legacy, with $2.5 million. (Image: Dinesh D’Souza 2016 Obama’s America.)

Now, bear in mind that those are unofficial figures. Official studio estimates come out Saturday morning. Only then will we have a better idea as to whether or not 2016 Obama’s America was indeed the no. 3 movie – or no. 2 or the no. 4: the gap between the anti-Obama documentary and The Bourne Legacy / ParaNorman (with $2.3m) is only $100,000.

2016 Obama’s America weekend figures: both above and below expectations?

As expected, 2016 Obama’s America‘s weekend figures will be solid, though, as per Deadline’s “sources,” less rosy than Friday’s. The D’Souza and Sullivan right-wing documentary is expected to gross around $6 million (no. 9 on the chart) by Sunday evening – at the lower end of most pundit’s expectations, though above Deadline’s own early Friday estimates ($3.7-5m). Earlier this week, some had raised the possibility that 2016 Obama’s America might end up topping the – extremely weak – weekend’s box office chart.

Premium Rush, The Apparition have modest debuts

Rounding out the top five on Friday were ParaNorman and the Will Ferrell / Zach Galifianakis comedy The Campaign. As expected, the weekend’s two new entries, Premium Rush and The Apparition, performed quite modestly. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the former earned $2 million on Friday (est. $6.1 million weekend), while the latter, starring Twilight‘s Ashley Greene, raked in $975k on Friday (est. $2.6 million weekend).

Remember: Those are early, rough, unofficial estimates. Considering how close most figures are, expect some switching around on Saturday morning; some more switching around on Sunday morning (when weekend estimates are released); and some more on Monday, after the weekend’s box office actuals are announced.

Dinesh D’Souza 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 24

2016 Obama’s America Box Office: early Friday’s no. 1 movie in North America

According to a New York Times movie chart, its readers are mostly interested in David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, a bizarre comedy-drama starring Robert Pattinson as a Manhattan billionaire on his way to getting a fateful haircut. Elsewhere, right-wing radio talk-show listeners, Fox News watchers, and Fandango ticket buyers are focusing on another bizarre comedy-drama, this one starring U.S. president Barack Obama on his way to a fateful election. (Image: Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America.)

In case you didn’t know, there are a lot of Americans out there who believe that Barack Obama is The Other in extremis: a black anti-Christian foreign-born Muslim-colored gay-loving baby-killing anti-military Marxist (or radical Socialist) bent on destroying the United States. Instead of heading to their nearest lunatic asylum, those people are headed to the movies, and Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary 2016 Obama’s America, screening at 1,090 locations, is their weekend movie of choice.

Could 2016 Obama’s America beat The Expendables 2?

Depending on the box office prognosticator, 2016 Obama’s America, which is based on D’Souza’s 2010 book The Roots of Obama’s Rage and, surely, is also attracting the curious, is expected to gross anywhere between $5.5-8.5 million (or whereabouts) this weekend. One pundit says she wouldn’t be surprised if the movie outgrossed all others, which means a weekend take north of $12-$13 million.

At 169 locations last weekend, D’Souza and Sullivan’s documentary – lambasted by the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Variety – took in $1.24 million, averaging a solid $7,365 per site. And it has continued to perform quite well during the week.

True, whereas most movies on the North American box office chart were up on Tuesday, 2016 Obama’s America was slightly down. On the other hand, whereas most movies were down on Wednesday and Thursday, the documentary was up on both days. In fact, Deadline.com reports that 2016 Obama’s America is so far the no. 1 movie in North America on Friday, though The Expendables 2 is expected to overtake the right-wing documentary this evening. As per Deadline’s, based on very early, very rough predictions, the documentary should end the weekend with $3.7-5 million – if so, that’ll be quite a bit below expectations. We’ll see.

Note: Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t have a top critics’ rating for 2016 Obama’s America as yet; their “fresh” tomato next to the highly critical review by Variety‘s Joe Leydon is simply inane.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

2016 Obama’s America vs. Fahrenheit 9/11: Absurd comparisons

At this stage, it seems highly probable that Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s 2016 Obama’s America will be a solid first-wide-weekend grosser. How solid, remains to be seen. But those who expect it to be no. 1 on the box office chart are in all probability being much too optimistic (or pessimistic, depending on their political views), while those comparing 2016 Obama’s America‘s popularity and “zeitgeist-appeal” to that of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 are in dire need of a reality check. (Image: Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America.)

Back in 2004, Fahrenheit 9/11 opened with $23.92 million (approx. $31 million adjusted for inflation) at 898 locations, averaging $27,558 (approx. 35,600 adjusted) per site. Even if 2016 Obama’s America miraculously ends up raking in $12 million this weekend, that’s only 50 percent of the (non-adjusted) box office take of Moore’s anti-George W. Bush documentary and about 45 percent of its (non-adjusted) per-theater average.

Fahrenheit 9/11: Unheard-of documentary blockbuster

Fahrenheit 9/11 went on to gross $119.19 million in North America and $103.25 million overseas. 2016 Obama’s America will be very lucky if it reaches $35 million domestic and $30,000 internationally. In terms of prestige and accolades, let’s not even go there.

As per Deadline, “Hollywood distribution experts” expect 2016 Obama’s America to follow a similar trajectory to that of Kirk Cameron’s Fundamentalist Christian movie Fireproof. The Christian drama topped Fandango’s advance sales and was no. 3 on opening-day Friday – but was down to no. 6 on Saturday and ended up in the no. 4 slot on the weekend box office chart, with $6.8 million at 839 locations. Ultimately, Fireproof went on to cume at $33.45 million in North America – plus $16,980 in South Korea.

The Expendables 2 to top box office chart

The Sylvester Stallone-Jason Statham-Liam Hemsworth actioner The Expendables 2 should remain on top of the dead-on-arrival domestic box office, grossing around $12 million, followed by Tony Gilroy-Jeremy Renner’s The Bourne Legacy with approximately $8-$9 million, and Chris Butler-Sam Fell’s ParaNorman with $8.5 million.

Things get iffier after that: aside from the expansion of 2016 Obama’s America, there are new entries Premium Rush, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and The Apparition, with Twilight‘s Ashley Greene. Both movies are expected to be modest performers, but how modest is unclear. Premium Rush projections range from $5-8m; The Apparition from $2-5 million.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Aug. 23

2016 Obama’s America Movie: A right-wing blockbuster in the making?

2016 Obama’s America has to date earned $2.41 million in North America. Released by Rocky Mountain Pictures, the same company that distributed last year’s box office disaster Atlas Shrugged: Part I, the Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan-directed documentary expands from 169 to 1,090 venues this coming weekend, right before the Republican National Convention, which runs Aug. 27-30, in Tampa, Florida.

Based on D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage, 2016 Obama’s America claims to reveal “the real” Barack Obama, while offering dire warnings about what will happen to the United States and the world if Obama is allowed to remain four more years at the White House.

Praised by far-right commentators, D’Souza and Sullivan’s film has been lambasted by both the New York Times (“Not interviewed by the filmmakers are Obama’s political supporters, but this isn’t that kind of documentary”) and Variety (“For the bulk of its running time, [2016 Obama’s America] comes off as a cavalcade of conspiracy theories, psycho-politico conjectures and incendiary labeling”). Elsewhere, 2016 Obama’s America has been all but ignored.

2016 Obama’s America movie box office

Reports about 2016 Obama’s America success at the domestic box office have been grossly exaggerated – and downright misleading.

True, though screening at only 169 locations, this past weekend 2016 Obama’s America was no. 13 on the domestic box office chart. That’s quite remarkable. The top twelve movies, for instance, were all screening at 1,000+ locations.

But if we’re going to claim that Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s anti-Obama documentary is some sort of “limited-release blockbuster,” then we should be even more impressed by the performance of a Hindi-language actioner, Ek Tha Tiger: no. 14 on the chart, though screening at only 120 venues – and without the assistance of free publicity on right-wing radio talk shows and Fox News. Starring Salman Khan, Ek Tha Tiger‘s per-theater average was more than $2,000 above that of 2016 Obama’s America: $9,495 vs. $7,365.

2016 Obama’s America: The Fandango data dance

Oh, but 2016 Obama’s America is the top ticket seller at Fandango! Isn’t that a testament to its popularity?

First of all, according to Fandango’s own website, “the Fandango 5 is a list determined by the top five selling movies on Fandango from Wednesday to Friday each week.” If the current list reflects this week’s ticket sales (i.e., Wednesday so far) and one blindly accepts that as a “box office indicator,” then that means 2016 Obama’s America will be North America’s biggest movie next weekend, followed by Tony Gilroy & Jeremy Renner’s The Bourne Legacy (which plummeted 55 percent last weekend), Peter Hedges & Jennifer Garner’s The Odd Life of Timothy Green (no. 7 last weekend), Sylvester Stallone & Jason Statham’s The Expendables 2 (the top movie in the last five days), and Will Ferrell & Zach Galifianakis’ The Campaign (no. 4 last weekend). (On Thursday, the top movies were 2016 Obama’s America, The Bourne Legacy, The Expendables 2, The Campaign, The Dark Knight Rises.)

Now, how many people believe this coming weekend’s North American box office chart will look just like Fandango’s Wednesday (or Thursday) chart? I should note that opening on Wednesday was Dax Shepard / Bradley Cooper’s Hit & Run, and opening on Friday are Todd Lincoln / Ashley Greene’s The Apparition and David Koepp / Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Premium Rush. None of the three films is on Fandango’s top-five chart.

Also, how does one explain the fact that 2016 Obama’s America was one of only two movies – out of about 40 – on the Box Office Mojo chart to have gone down, however slightly (-1.5 percent), on Tuesday, Aug. 21? (The other one was To the Arctic.) Every other movie was up; among the top ten, increases ranged from 8 percent (Whitney Houston’s Sparkle) to 34 percent (Meryl Streep / Tommy Lee Jones’ Hope Springs).

2016 Obama’s America box office performance: Too early to tell

Am I thus saying that 2016 Obama’s America will bomb? Hardly. Instead, I’m merely conveying the facts. And before anyone starts calling the D’Souza / Sullivan documentary a sleeper hit, let’s see how the movie fares in the next two weekends. Only then we’ll be able to truly gauge its box office popularity.

2016 Obama’s America Movie: No. 2 documentary in 2012?

Claims that 2016 Obama’s America is the no. 2 documentary in 2012 are at best misleading. It all depends on what the commentator in question wants to label a “documentary.” To date, five non-fiction films released in North America in 2012 remain ahead of 2016 Obama’s America: Chimpanzee ($28.97 million), Katy Perry: Part of Me ($25.22 million), To the Arctic ($7.73 million), Bully ($3.49 million), and Jiro Dreams of Sushi ($2.55m). By Friday, 2016 Obama’s America should be no. 4. (Image: Barack Obama’s brother George Obama / Dinesh D’Souza 2016 Obama’s America.)

Something else: claims that 2016 Obama’s America is the all-time no. 12 “political documentary” are at best ignorant. The source for this bit of misinformation is clearly Box Office Mojo – which just as clearly states that its chart covers 1982–present. “Time” didn’t begin in 1982. Really, it didn’t. Just ask the filmmakers of classic political documentaries such as The Spanish Earth, Hearts and Minds, Harlan County U.S.A., The Sorrow and the Pity, and To Die in Madrid.

And finally, a quick glance at the Box Office Mojo chart will tell you that their figures for the ’80s are incomplete. In fact, the only ’80s “political documentary” found on the chart is Michael Moore’s 1989 release Roger & Me.

So, are we supposed to believe that Oscar-winning / -nominated documentaries such as Down and Out in America, Witness to Apartheid, The Times of Harvey Milk, Seeing Red, and Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie each earned less than $1,088* at the domestic box office? That would be ludicrous even if we blithely choose to ignore inflation.

2016 Obama’s America movie budget

2016 Obama’s America cost a reported $2.5 million (some sources claim $2.1 million). Generally speaking, exhibitors keep 50 percent of a movie’s box office gross. If we apply that to Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary (assuming that the reported budget is accurate), 2016 Obama’s America will have to gross anywhere between $4.2-$5 million to match its production costs at the domestic box office. (That should happen this coming weekend.) Note that the film’s budget doesn’t include marketing and distribution expenses, which should be considerable for a movie that will shortly be presented at more than 1,000 locations.

One doesn’t have to be clairvoyant to foresee insignificant – if any – international sales for 2016 Obama’s America, as the anti-Obama obsession is a characteristic of the American Right. Elsewhere, right-wingers and other nationalists have their own (perceived or factual) “liberal” leaders to hate.

And make sure to check out Ryan Chittum’s 2010 Columbia Journalism Review piece, which called Dinesh D’Souza’s Forbes cover story “How Obama Thinks” a “fact-twisting, error-laden piece of paranoia” and “a singularly disgusting work.”

* That’s the box office cume of the no. 108 political documentary on Box Office Mojo’s chart, The Empire in Africa.

2016 Obama’s America Movie: Box-Office Bomb or ‘Arthouse’ Hit?

Aug. 20: Distributed by Rocky Mountain Pictures, the same company that last year handled the distribution of the box office disaster Atlas Shrugged: Part I – so disastrous, in fact, that parts II and III were initially scrapped – 2016 Obama’s America has to date taken in an estimated $2.06 million in North America.

Co-directed and co-written by author and commentator Dinesh D’Souza and producer John Sullivan (Ducks, The Hitchhiker), and based on D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage, 2016 Obama’s America is just that: the United States under four more years of Barack Obama in the White House as seen through a right-wing prism. (I should add that one of the film’s producers is Gerald R. Molen, who was also one of the producers of Steven Spielberg’s Best Picture Oscar winner Schindler’s List.)

Inevitably praised by far-right pundits, 2016 Obama’s America has been mostly ignored elsewhere. The film, however, has the honor of having been noticed by the New York Times. Needless to say, that bastion of radical far-left thought (or so right-wingers claim) gave D’Souza and Sullivan’s documentary a scathing review.

Referring to 2016 Obama’s America as “strident,” the Times’ critic Andy Webster explained: “Eventually, we see blunt imagery like Benjamin Franklin’s face on a burning $100 bill and a shot of the Statue of Liberty. Not interviewed by the filmmakers are Obama’s political supporters, but this isn’t that kind of documentary. At a show on Saturday night, the film’s conclusion was met with claps and cries of ‘Romney!,’ ‘Ron Paul!,’ ‘Reagan!’ and ‘Another Reagan!'”

Variety‘s Joe Leydon was equally unimpressed. “For the bulk of its running time,” writes Leydon, 2016 Obama’s America “comes off as a cavalcade of conspiracy theories, psycho-politico conjectures and incendiary labeling – ‘breathtakingly anti-America’ is only one of the epithets tossed about like so much confetti – as D’Souza and assorted interviewees question Obama’s patriotism, deny his support of Israel, decry his Big Government programs, and generally recycle claims, charges and dire warnings D’Souza (and others) have previously promulgated in books, lectures, op-ed screeds and various Fox News guest appearances.”

(In case you’re wondering how Joe Leydon’s negative take on 2016 Obama’s America could be considered a “fresh tomato” on Rotten Tomatoes, that’s further evidence of the inanity of that site’s movie-review-labeling practices.)

2016 Obama’s America movie box office

At one location in Texas, 2016 Obama’s America collected $31,610 on its debut weekend, July 13-15. The addition of a handful of theaters in the next three weekends didn’t necessarily lead to higher revenues, but an expansion to 61 locations on weekend no. 5 (Aug. 10-12) led to a surge in ticket sales, followed by another surge this past weekend (Aug. 17-19): $1.24 million at 169 sites, for a not inconsiderable $7,365 per-theater average.

2016 Obama’s America was no. 13 on the domestic box office chart, right behind Seth MacFarlane / Mark Wahlberg’s Ted – it should be noted that the top 12 movies were all screening at more than 1,000 theaters. Among the weekend’s top 20 movies, 2016 Obama’s America per-theater average trailed only those of Salman Khan’s Hindi-language actioner Ek Tha Tiger ($9,495 at 120 locations) and Sylvester Stallone / Liam Hemsworth’s The Expendables 2 ($8,622 at 3,316 locations).

So, is 2016 Obama’s America an “arthouse” hit? Well, not exactly. Though not a downright bomb, after six weekends 2016 Obama’s America has yet to reach its reported $2.5 million budget. (That should easily happen next weekend.) And bear in mind that the film has grossed less than half of Atlas Shrugged: Part I‘s $4.26 million.

2016 America’s Obama Movie vs. Atlas Shrugged

So, why was Atlas Shrugged: Part I a box office bomb? Because it cost a reported $20 million. Directed by Paul Johansson, the critically massacred adaptation of the first third or so of Ayn Rand’s mammoth novel featured Taylor Schilling as Dagny Taggart (Schilling is now much better known as Zac Efron’s romantic interest in The Lucky One), Grant Bowler, and Michael O’Keefe. [Photo: Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama in 2016 Obama’s America.]

Now, if accurate, 2016 Obama’s America‘s tiny budget makes it a much safer commercial bet than something as ambitious as Atlas Shrugged. But then again, keep in mind that at least 50 percent of a film’s box office gross goes to the exhibitors, and that 2016 Obama’s America‘s $2.5 million production budget doesn’t include distribution and marketing costs.

For comparison’s sake: Atlas Shrugged‘s best weekend was its first, when the Ayn Rand adaptation raked in $1.68 million at 299 venues, averaging $5,640 per site. From then on, it was a steep downhill ride. Now, remember that all things being equal, the fewer the number of theaters, the higher the per-theater average should be – hence, 2016 Obama’s America‘s $7,365 average at 169 venues doesn’t necessarily mean “a bigger success” than Atlas Shrugged.

Thus, at this stage it’s unclear whether 2016 Obama’s America will have enough stamina to allow for further expansions, or if the far-right fan base of Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan’s documentary has already been exhausted. Next weekend will tell us.

2016 Obama’s America vs. Fahrenheit 9/11

Wrapping this up: comparisons have been made between 2016 Obama’s America and Michael Moore’s global blockbuster Fahrenheit 9/11. But only a far-right lunatic could believe that 2016 Obama’s America will achieve anything even remotely close to the success and prestige of Moore’s effort, which earned $222.4 million worldwide in addition to dozens of awards.

In fact, chances of 2016 Obama’s America finding any distribution – let alone finding success – outside the United States (and perhaps Canada?) are slim, as each country’s right-wing crowd (and their fellow nationalists of whichever political persuasion) have their own local demons and heroes. They couldn’t care less about those of their American counterparts.

Dinesh D’Souza and George Obama 2016 Obama’s America photo: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Barack Obama’s brother George Obama / Dinesh D’Souza 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America movie image: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

2016 movie image: George Obama, Barack Obama’s half-brother, in 2016 Obama’s America via Rocky Mountain Pictures.

Barack Obama 2016 Obama’s America (“2016 movie”) poster: Rocky Mountain Pictures.

“2016 movie Box Office: More Theaters, Less Revenues” Dinesh D’Souza 2016 Obama’s America: Rocky Mountain Pictures.