money.cnn.com/2004/06/27/news/box_office.reut/index.htm
June 27, 2004: 3:52 PM EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Bush-bashing became the nation's favorite spectator sport over the weekend as Michael Moore's red-hot documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" earned more in its first three days of release across North America than his previous record-breaking movie did in its entire run. Top 10 Movies The weekend's highest-grossing movies in North America. Movie Gross ($m) Fahrenheit 9/11 $218 White Chicks 196 Dodgeball 185 The Terminal 139 The Notebook 130 Harry Potter 114 Shrek 2 105 Garfield: The Movie 70 Two Brothers 62 Stepford Wives 52 Source: Reuters According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, "Fahrenheit 9/11," in which Moore takes aim at US President George W Bush, and the war in Iraq, opened at No. That haul was a record for a documentary in regular movie theaters. "These are mind-blowing numbers," Moore said during a conference call, "And the fact that all the predictions that the movie would only speak to the choir and that it would only be those who don't like Bush coming to the movie, I don't think have turned out to be true." Indeed, "Fahrenheit 9/11" played strongly in big cities and small towns, in Democrat and Republican states, said Tom Ortenberg, the president of distribution at Lions Gate Films, one of the firms that backed the movie. "Fahrenheit" frenzy According to exit surveys in about 15 cities, 91 percent of respondents gave the film an "excellent" rating, while 93 percent said they would "definitely recommend" the film -- tallies that Ortenberg said were the best he had ever seen. The Weinsteins bought the movie's rights with their own money after Miramax parent Walt Disney Co. refused to let them release it under the Miramax banner. The Disney brouhaha, which broke in early May, weeks before "Fahrenheit 9/11" went on to win the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, helped give the movie a huge public profile virtually unprecedented for a $6 million documentary.
Moore and the Weinsteins, well-practiced masters of media spin, were also helped in their efforts by grassroots groups from both sides of the political fence that chimed in with their opinions. Moore thanked his detractors for helping boost awareness and ticket sales. While Moore has previously boasted that "Fahrenheit 9/11" would help Bush lose his job in November, he backed down during the teleconference, merely hoping that the film would inspire the large non-voting bloc to be "an active participant in our democracy." Similarly, Moore reversed himself on previously stated plans to release the DVD version of the film in October. The Oscar race is now definitely underway ahead of next year's Feb. "We have big plans for the award season, absolutely," Ortenberg said. Elsewhere at the box office, the comedy "White Chicks" opened at No. Last weekend's champion, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," fell to No. Steven Spielberg's "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks, fell two places to No. Director Nick Cassavetes' "The Notebook," a tear-jerker romance based on the Nicholas Sparks bestseller," opened at No. "White Chicks" was released by Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. "The Terminal" was released by DreamWorks SKG, which is privately held. "The Notebook" was released by New Line Cinema, a unit of Time Warner Inc.
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