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 DISNEY refused to distribute it. The French, or at least the jury at The Cannes Film Festival couldn’t get enough of it, awarding it the top prize, the Palme d’Or, and giving Director MICHAEL MOORE a rousing ovation. The New York Times likened it to an editorial cartoon. And despite the mixed reviews, celebrities and politicians alike have flocked to see it. Now it is the first documentary to claim the number 1 spot, and is MICHAEL MOORE’S highest grossing film, surpassing BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE’S $21 million in its first frame. Until last weekend, COLUMBINE was the highest grossing doucmentary.
FAHRENHEIT earned $23.9 million in only 850 theaters nationwide, on a weekend when several other films debuted in 3 times the locations. Since it's early opening last Wednesday, through today, the film has grossed $28.5 million, and shows little sign of slowing. It beat out WHITE CHICKS, THE NOTEBOOK and TWO BROTHERS, all in their opening weekends, and all in many more play locations. MOORE’S film averaged more than $25,000 per screening, more than 3 times the rest of the field. Perhaps most confounding, for DISNEY particularly, is the fact that FAHRENHEIT took in more in it’s first weekend than any other of it’s releases all year. The closest was THE MIRACLE, with KURT RUSSELL, which grossed about $18 million in it’s debut. MOORE called the performance "mind boggling."
The impressive public opening followed an auspicious celebrity roll out. FAHRENHEIT 9/11 premiered to the world in Cannes. On return to the states, there were two initial industry screenings in Los Angeles. There had to be an early and a late one as the film was shown on the same night as game 2 of the NBA Finals, the only game the LAKERS managed to win. The early screening on June 8, 2004 was host to a bevy of Hollywood’s top stars, including DREW BARRYMORE, DANNY DEVITO and RHEA PERLMAN, TEA LEONE and DAVID DUCHOVNY, ELLEN DEGENERES, ESTELLA WARREN, GARRY SHANDLING, JACK OSBOURNE, JODIE FOSTER, KELLY OSBOURNE, LARRY DAVID, MARISA TOMEI, NORMAN LEAR, PETER BERG, PETER HORTON, ROB REINER, SARA GILBERT, SHARON OSBOURNE, SPIKE JONZE, TROY CARITY and VIGGO MORTENSON.
The second screening had LEO DICAPRIO, BILL MAHER, BILLY CRYSTAL, CHRIS ROCK, JACK BLACK, JESSICA ALBA, MATTEH PERRY, and SHARON STONE.
A similar gaggle of glitterati showed up for the premiere in New York on June 15, 2004. There, AL FRANKEN, AL SHARPTON, BILL O’REILLY, RICHARD GERE, YOKO ONO, SEAN LENNON, AMY IRVING, CARSON DALY, CHLOE SEVIGNY, DONNA KARAN, ELLEN BURSTYN, EVA MENDES, GLENN CLOSE, JOHN McENROE, JOHN TURTURRO, LAUREN BACALL, LEE GRANT, LEO DICAPRIO again, LESLIE STAHL, LINDA EVANGILISTA, MIKE MYERS, MOBY, MOLLY SHANNON, PHIL DONAHUE, PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, RICHARD DREYFUS, ROBER KLEIN, RUSSELL SIMMONS, SALMON RUSHDIE, SANDRA BERHARD, SPIKE LEE, TIM ROBBINS, TOM BROKAW, and TONY BENNETT.
There was a premiere in TORONTO attended by local dignitaries and a beaming MICHAEL MOORE.
FAHRENHEIT 9/11 got another advance screening in Los Angeles as part of the LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL on Monday evening June 21, 2004, with ROSEANNE BARR, NEIL YOUNG, SALLY KIRKLAND, MORGAN FREEMAN, DAVID CROSBY, JEREMY RENNER, GIOVANNI RIBISI, JOHN C McGINLEY, JOHN C REILY, MARIO VAN PEEBLES and PATRICK FUGIT in attendance.
And on June 23rd, Washington’s crème de la crème got their chance to walk down the red carpet. Senators, congressman, and other government officials joined MICHAEL MOORE for the screening. Conspicuously absent from the party were the president and members of his administration. MOORE makes no bones about his allegiances and biases. But he adds, “If this movie can inspire a few of that 50 percent that did not vote in this country to get back involved, to re-engage, then the movie will have accomplished something important."
FARENHEIT 9/11 is expected to have a short run in theatrical release before its’ producers, MIRAMAX get it into stores. They vow to have it available on DVD before the end of the summer, which should heat things up for President GEORGE W. BUSH just about the time of the Republican Convention. BUSH will face similar bashing from a French documentary, THE WORD ACCORDING TO BUSH, which many are calling the journalistic equivalent to FAHRENHEIT. Director WILLIAM KAREL compiled an impressive number of original interviews with key players in the BUSH administration, and combined them with commentary from an assortment of BUSH detractors to come up with another scathing criticism of the BUSH administration. This film has aired on French television, and is in release in France, to be released in America later this summer.
  Meanwhile in Los Angeles last Thursday evening, more BUSH detractors gathered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall to hear WILLIE NELSON, NEIL DIAMOND, ANGIE STONE and BARBRA STREISAND sing for a well heeled audience who raised $5 million for JOHN KERRY. The candidate was in attendance with his wife THERESA. BILLY CRYSTAL hosted the evening, which witnessed the first live rendition of "YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS" by DIAMOND and STREISAND in 30 years.
Other celebrities lending their support for the  show were BEN AFFLECT, LIO DiCAPRIO, ROBERT DeNIRO, JAMIE FOXX, ESAI MORALES, and BEN STILLER. STREISAND wowed the crowd with a specially crafted version of "PEOPLE", poking fun at RUMSFELD, RICE, CHENEY, BUSH and a certain RICHARD "POIL", which conveniently rhymes with oil, a theme in the new lyric.
Do you get the feeling there is "a change a coming"?
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