Maher Mangles Zucker At the Box Office
I'll put on my Hollywood hat just for a moment so I can lead a chorus of righteous laughter at the colossal failure of the persecuted Hollywood conservatives behind An American Carol.
Here's how the movie fared over the weekend, when stacked up against Bill Maher's Religulous:
| Film | Box Office Gross | # Screens | Average |
| American Carol | $3,810,000 | 1,639 | $2,325 |
| Religulous | $3,500,000 | 502 | $6,972 |
What does this tell us?
Both films were in their first week of release, which means that it's apples to apples. Both had the benefit of their opening week marketing pushes.
Note that Religulous, however, was on less than one third of the screens that An American Carol was. Which means that An American Carol should by all rights have done three times the box office of Religulous. But it didn't -- gross box office receipts were largely the same.
The per-screen average of Religulous was three times that of An American Carol. Three times as many people showed up in each theater to see it.
As Atrios notes, there's no way that professional right-wing victims can argue that their humor-free comedy didn't get a good push from the studio.
Bottom line: Hollywood is in the business of making money. There's no conspiracy going on against conservatives. When moviegoers have to vote with their dollars, it's just that nobody wants to see their what they have to offer.
Jane Hamsher blogs regularly at firedoglake.com
Follow Jane Hamsher on Twitter: www.twitter.com/janehamsher
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I went to the first showing of RELIGILOUS at 1:55 PM on opening day. I was surprised it was even showing in my town ... but, Bill Maher, if you are reading this thread get a kick out of the name of the theater where I saw it --- "Miracle 5." Only in the south, only in the south!
Even at such an early showing, on a Friday, the theater was about 1/3 full ... really rare to see that many people out, that early for a movie. Most of us laughing out loud, often. I laughed so much my ab muscles were starting to be in pain!
Hooray for the USA having enough people who understood this film, and gave it this great opening weekend. For sure it beat the pants off American Carol ... for any statistical purposes, the number of people viewing it should be figured against the number of screens it was showing on. Percentage numbers then give RELIGILOUS a huge victory at the box office. SUPER!!
It is kind of irrelevant whether Jesus existed or did not. The movie really doesn't deal with that. It is all about DISTORTION of many religions for the purposes of greedy humans, it is about "organized" religions as the cause of all the wars in the world. Sadly, many religions (including many who are mis-using Jesus's beliefs) are actively trying to bring about the end of the world.
Or maybe right wingers just have no sense of humor?
I am Catholic but I have never felt the need to ram my beliefs in other people's throats. I would like to think that I am open-minded. My circle of friends is a rainbow coalition of different religious beliefs :) I do get offended when they make fun of my religion BUT (in a weird way) I understand why they do it especially when they do it to shed some light on a particular issue.
If someone were to complain about bias among "Hollywood" (which I assume includes theatre owners and film distributors) they'd probably want to take a close look at why An American Carol was scheduled to run on so many more screens to begin with. Isn't it these guys' jobs to try to accurately estimate audience demand? Wouldn't they have made a hell of a lot more money putting Religulous on more screens? The fact that they didn't could mean something right there.
History demonstrates that Hollywood has a long standing conservative bias. Anybody remember blacklisting? How about the way the MPAA rating system works? When you get past the opinions of the stars (who tend to reflect the politics of the young and well-educated) and look at how the sausage is made, the business of Hollywood is no less reactionary conservative - and in many cases more than - business communities anywhere.
I love Bill Maher. Need a good laugh?
See the new SARAH PALIN BARBIE DOLL:
http://www
Just because the Bible is a religious text does not disqualify its historical significance. The Gospels were written according to eye witnesses. Yet His followers continued to grow in numbers. The gospel of John, the last written according to scholars, was written around 85 A.D. not hundreds of years latter. There is overwhelming evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, both in secular and Biblical history. Perhaps the greatest evidence that Jesus did exist is the fact that literally thousands of Christians in the first century A.D., including the 12 apostles, were willing to give their lives as martyrs for Jesus Christ. People will die for what they believe to be true, but no one will die for what they know to be a lie. In comparison the evidence He did not exist is like a drop of water in an oceans of 2000 years of tradition and writings. It would require exponentially more faith to believe that Jesus never existed than to believe that Jesus was the son of God. If you believe that Jesus never existed then it would be logical to think that you believe Maher, Moore and you yourself are greater than Jesus. Therefore you answered my question.
What the hell are you talking about? He never said Jesus didn't exist neither do the Jews.
He's never said he didn't believe in Jesus.
It's harder to believe that a person never existed than it is to believe a person was the flesh and blood son of god !!! There is a reason Bill used two words for the film Religulous - religion + ridiculous = your logic.
"If you believe that Jesus never existed then it would be logical to think that you believe Maher, Moore and you yourself are greater than Jesus. Therefore you answered my question."
This line of thinking lets us know you would be more at home in Iran than USA. There are more options than you allow, it not black and white.
donndublin
You say the Gospels were written by 'eye witnesses', yet they were only incorporated into the New Testament some 325 years after the supposed the events of the supposed Christ. Jesus was a guy who has no record of existing by any of the contemporary historians who were around at that time. Indeed, the story of Jesus and the resurrection is one that has been played out over several millenia, starting in Egypt with the story of Horus.
If you chose to base your life on your FAITH that these events are true, despite there being no actual evidence, it's a free country...
Like Bill I feel that such faith should not be used to foist opinions on others. Without the historical proof required to claim such events happpened, you are basing your beilf on faith, and nothing else - a point I think Maher was trying to make with this movie...
For the sake of argument let's say there is historical veracity to the gospels. Mark and Luke weren't eyewitnesses. They were not of the twelve. But of course there's plenty of evidence of Jesus in biblical history, the whole New Testament propagates the story! The only contemporary historian who acknowledged the existence of Jesus was Josephus who spent all of two sentences. The gospels weren't written down until the second century, as with much of the Old Testament until the 5th century BC, it was passed on as oral tradition. And when they were written, there were more than four gospels. The "truth" of the gospels was formed between the third and sixth centuries beginning with Iraneaus and ending with the Council of Chalcedon. I would suggest reading the book of Elaine Pagels for some insight of biblical history, "The Gnostic Gospels" and especially "Beyond Belief."
My family and I went to see Religulous on Friday night. It was only playing in 1 theater in Tucson, Arizona, and the only evening showings were at 7:45 and 10:00. The theatre is about 35 miles from where we live. The 7:45 showing was completely sold out, and the 10:00 showing as mostly full.
It would seem to me that Religulous is not getting a very wide showing, compared to American Carol, which was playing at several theaters here in Tucson. Yet people are still going out of their way to see Religulous, that tells you something Bill Maher's popularity!
Most of the actors in An American Carol you've never heard of before and most likely never will again.
But, here is a list of right wing hollywood elites that are on my box office poison list. They are also on the list of worst actors ever. Dennis Hopper WTF happened to you?!?!?
Kelsey Grammer
James Woods
Dennis Hopper
Cocoa Brown
Leslie Nielsen
Gary Coleman
Kevin P. Farley
Paris Hilton
Jon Voight
Hopper's downward slide probably started when he started doing ads for investment firms... Say it ain't so, Dennis!
Sleazy Rider.
So much for the "liberal" ideal of letting others have their own opinions. If you had your way, then there would be a new blacklist for conservative thinking in this country.
My wife and I saw An American Carol last weekend. We didn't know anything about the film when we went to the theater. We both left saying this was most certainly the LEAST entertaining film we ever saw. There were a few funny parts - very few. That kind of misses the point of going to see a comedy - you actually expect to laugh and it's disapointing when you don't. I don't care if the filmaker is conservative or progressive; I do care about the product I pay for. I feel cheated by this product. Oh well, it's a leason learned - never go to a movie without first reading a few reviews. Reading a few afterwards pointed out the "it's not funny" flaw in this "comedy."
[That kind of misses the point of going to see a comedy - you actually expect to laugh and it's disapointing when you don't.Sorr
Sorry American Carol was a bust. I saw Religulous last night. The movie was very funny, and also humerous were the crazy belly laughs of others in the theater. It's really that good. It ends, however, most sober with the very real consequences of religions power to provoke all manner of human and earthly destruction. But hey, it's still a really funny movie.
http://jus
i AM AFRAID THAT YOU ARE VERY WRONG TO THINK THAT NONBELIEVERS IN NYOUE cHRISTIAN FAITH ARE DISHONEST. aCTUALLY, THEY ARE NOT. THEYN JUST DON'T DELUDE THEMSELVES WITH A STORY TO MAKE THEMSELVES FEEL GOOD.i ADVISE YOU TO READ AND EDUCATE YOURSELF.
I advise you to take your caps lock off.
lol!
This tells me what I have known since I was a teen-ager, that right-wing, conservatives are boring, dull, mean, and nasty. I'll take going to a liberal party or movie anytime, anyplace. We just like having a roaring good time. Pure and simple.
That's right. And we conservatives will continue to produce and give you our tax dollars while at the same time giving you a convenient target when your pathetic life hits a bump in the road and you call on Uncle Sam for help. Pure and simple.
Silly me, I forgot. Only conservatives work. The rest of us are all a bunch of leeching welfare queens. Or are we all rich, elitist limousine liberals? You guys can't even keep your stereotypes straight so I'm not sure why I should be expected to.
Oh, right. But explain to me again why it's the reddest states in this country that suck up a majority of federal handouts while paying half the federal taxes of the bluest states? Face it, you redneck, jesus freak conservatives are the only welfare queens I've ever seen. So keep up your whining, you hateful coward.
I am a fair-minded conservative and a doctor. The rest of my family are all quite voracious liberal democrats. They all work as hard as I do and none has ever relied on the government for a handout with the exception of one who injured himself at work and collected the disability that he paid in to the system for four months while he recovered.
This conservative argument is trite, antiquated and painfully generalized. As much as I love your namesake and her ideals, she lived in a bit of a dreamworld. Get a new argument.
Your comment doesn't make any sense. At present, the bulk of our Fed. Reserve is going to the bailout...
Corporate welfare going to a group of selfish, greedy, liars and cheats. A whole different scenario than an individual who is done on his or her luck due to a loss of a job, or an illness...
Because of your stupid conservative politicians we have a war that is killing our economy and their deregulations put the nail in the coffin... We will be paying, yes you and I will be paying a lot more in taxes ..... yes taxes, ... wake up ... China is not going to absolve our debt.... and you are worried about a movie.
the only one im paying to see is michael moore's, which will be FREE over the 'net.
being agnostic, i'd like to see maher's "religulous" but any extra money i have goes to the obama campaign and louboutins.
I feel the same way, my extra money goes to my church.
I guess we just have different messiahs..
"Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward." (Matthew 6:1-6 RSV)
If there was ever a time this country needed a messiah, he looks like the best bet.
Haha, one type of person donating to a cause that will actually change this country, and the other donating to some idiot in a robe spouting a fairy tale. Nice.
. . . let me guess: "Snake Handler?", "Speaking in Tongues?" Come on, give it up! (***LOL***)
christians should stop using that word (messiah) to describe obama. it's against the 10 commandments, in case you don't know :)
"The per-screen average of Religulous was three times that of An American Carol. Three times as many people showed up in each theater to see it."
You're right, it seems that distributors of An American Carol might have overestimated it's potential. But to assume that if it were shown on fewer screens, that the box office would have dropped by a similar percentage is fallacious.
Also the demo for Religulous is more urban. Which means that fewer screens are necessary due to the population density. People are a lot more spread out in the red states.
The real truth, that you are trying to hide with your calculations, and mis leading headline: is that An American Carol actually BEAT Religulous by a 10% margin.
You keep tellin' yourself that and by the way how's that koolaid tasting? You betcha doggonit!
Totally off topic, but damn that Sarah Palin for taking my Okie way of talking and making it sound so bad that I have to put g's on everything now. I can't say "ya" for YOU, betcha for bet YOU, doin for doinG.... what was once music to my ears is fingernails on chalkboard even coming out of my own mouth. I'm an Okie. I shouldn't have to say words correctly. What else are Republicans going to ruin for all of us before we get a democrat in office? Enquiring minds are afraid to find out, at least this one is.
From what I can tell, the main joke in American Carol seems to be "Boy that Michael Moore sure is fat!"
i get ur point.
what a bust! i have no interest in seeing that anyway.
No, Stein and the Republican leadership doesn't honor God. There is nothing more important to me than my Christian faith, but I'll take an honest atheist over a corrupt Christian anyday. That's not to say that some things Maher does isn't repulsive to me.
I suppose Pelosi and Biden's lie about Catholicism's stance on when life begins would repulse you then?
Everyone would take an honest person over a corrupt person any day. There is no shortage of dishonest leaders in washington, on both sides of the eisle.
And we would, i think, agree, that God is truth, and those that use deception in the name of God may call themselves Christian, but are not.
yea - if life begins at conception then accidental miscarriages should result in funerals/burials rather than medically necessary abortions that are performed to remove the remains from the womb, which are then disposed of like a chosen abortions/unwanted pregnancies.
sry to be so blunt, but im making a point here.
i believe in EVERY woman's right to choose -- but also in less abortions and more protected sex between consenting "adults."
Just so you know, Maher is not an atheist. He's agnostic, and that's the point. No matter what fairy tales you kooks believe in, you have absolutely no way of knowing that the myths you spout are true. And it's your certainty that's the problem for all us sane and rational people. In my opinion, I wish the Rapture would happen, then maybe we could live a normal, peaceful life after all you morons are swept up into the sky. And I'd get my pick of a nice new car that's "left behind."
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