"Fahrenheit 9/11," a left-sided documentary that bashes the Bush administration's war on terrorism, wouldn't find much of an audience in a military town.
Or so they thought. 'Fahrenheit 9/11' sets record By Matt Leclercq 2004-06-29 http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=local&Story=6429101 "This has broken all of our past records," said Nasim Kuenzel, an owner of the Cameo Art House Theatre. "The movie that I thought would make us hardly any money - I never thought it would break all the records." Both showings sold out Friday at the Cameo, the only theater in Fayetteville to carry the Michael Moore film. A midnight showing added at the last minute Friday brought in 60 more people. Saturday and Sunday were just as busy, Kuenzel said, with nearly 1,000 tickets sold over the weekend. As many as 75 percent of moviegoers were soldiers or military families, Kuenzel said. Many were like Natalie Sorton. She is 25 and married to an infantryman who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. "I want to see what my husband is fighting for," Sorton said Monday before going into the theater with a friend, Kathy Norris. Another military spouse had recommended the movie. While Sorton described herself as a moderate Republican, she said she gained respect for Moore after seeing his last documentary, "Bowling for Columbine." In that film, Moore pestered corporations and celebrities to take responsibility for gun violence. Sorton said she wanted to see Moore be equally pestering to politicians who make decisions about war. "I'm going because from what I heard about ('Fahrenheit 9/11'), it fills in a lot of blanks, a lot of questions we've had about the Bush administration," Sorton said. The documentary assails President Bush's decisions surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Moore attempts to link the Bush family with Saudi Arabia and blame business interests as the reason for invading Iraq. "Fahrenheit 9/11" includes frank comments from soldiers in Iraq and emotional interviews with families who lost children in the fighting. Almost all the crowds at the Cameo have applauded the film at the end, with some people giving standing ovations, Kuenzel said. Many have tears in their eyes as they leave the theater. "I think it's going to open my eyes a little, and that worries me," Sorton said before taking her seat. Lea Barnes, a Republican, seemed giddy as she and a friend bought tickets Monday. "I'm not pleased at all about the way things are going" with the war, Barnes said. "I trust Michael Moore. He can be out there a bit, but he's for the common man." Negative reactions have been few, Kuenzel said. The theater received three calls and two letters in opposition of carrying the film, she said. No one has protested, though some people handed out anti-war fliers on the street Friday evening. Nationwide ticket sales totaling $23.9 million launched the film to the No. 1 spot over the weekend, a record for a documentary. Twelve other theaters in North Carolina are carrying "Fahrenheit 9/11," according to the film's Web site. Other theaters The Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill also sold out over the weekend, with some patrons from the Fayetteville area, said owner Mary Jo Stone. The publicity surrounding Disney's refusal to distribute the film because of its political content helped ignite sales. "I think people are interested in perhaps getting a different perspective than what they see in the news all the time," Stone said. Since the Cameo opened in 2000, the only other movies that approached the sales figures for "Fahrenheit 9/11" were "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Other theaters across the country are expected to start showing the film in the next few weeks. After Monday's showing, Sorton emerged with a grim face. She said she plans to buy the film on DVD and give it to everyone she knows. "I'm disgusted," she said. "Disgusted." The film changed her opinions on the war in Iraq by convincing her that oil and corporate interests were behind decision-making, she said. Worries over whether Moore would vilify soldiers were unfounded. "I don't think they portrayed them as bad," she said. "I don't think it portrayed them as not doing their jobs. It showed them doing what they're told. "All this movie did was open my eyes a little more to what's really going on," she said. "I think this is definitely going to have an impact on the election. I'm glad I'm a voter." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. 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