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For The Love Of Movies... Can We Talk?Incendiary Anti-Obama Doc '2016: Obama's America' Shocks Box Office Newbies
The box office news that will likely be on everyone's lips once the weekend is over, is the strength of the performance of incendiary anti-Obama documentary, 2016: Obama's America, compared to this weekend's opening titles.
2016: Obama's America, which was actually released on July 23rd, but in just 1 theater, expanded this weekend to 1091 theaters, and shocked the industry with an impressive $2.2 million Friday take, which currently places it at the number 3 slot on this weekend's box office tally thus far, behind The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy, and on about the same pace as ParaNorman.
What's even more impressive is that it's beating out 3 new studio films that opened yesterday - Premium Rush, Hit And Run and The Apparition - each lead by *name* talent, but performing weakly, especially Premium Rush, an action-thriller which stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a New York City bike courier.
2016: Obama's America also makes the film this year's highest grossing documentary, according to THR (excluding nature docs).
So if these figures hold through Sunday, 2016: Obama's America could be in the 3 or 4 slot of top-grossing movies for the weekend, with a cume gross since its opening of close to $9 million.
A description of the film from its website:
2016 Obama's America takes audiences on a gripping visual journey into the heart of the world's most powerful office to reveal the struggle of whether one man's past will redefine America over the next four years. The film examines the question, "If Obama wins a second term, where will we be in 2016?" Across the globe and in America, people in 2008 hungered for a leader who would unite and lift us from economic turmoil and war. True to America's ideals, they invested their hope in a new kind of president, Barack Obama. What they didn't know is that Obama is a man with a past, and in powerful ways that past defines him--who he is, how he thinks, and where he intends to take America and the world. Love him or hate him, you don't know him.
The film is directed by Dinesh D'Souza, a conservative political commentator, public intellectual and author. He's been affiliated with a number of top conservative organizations and publications, and served as a policy advisor to President Ronald Reagan.
The film is based on his own book, The Roots of Obama's Rage. You will remember that Sergio posted a clip from the film last month (HERE), just before the film opened, in which Dinesh tries to bait Obama's Kenyan half-brother, George Obama, into criticizing the president.
Interestingly, the film is produced by Gerald Robert Molen, a right-winger, and producer of 5 of Steven Spielberg's films, winning an Academy Award for co-producing Schindler's List.
In terms of reviews from film critics, from The Washington Post's Michael O’Sullivan:
"... slick infomercial...destined to irritate the president’s supporters while mobilizing his detractors, even as it is doomed to win precious few converts... fear-mongering of the worst kind."
From Variety's Joe Leydon:
"... for the bulk of its running time, the pic comes off as a cavalcade of conspiracy theories, psycho-politico conjectures and incendiary labeling."
But not everyone is critical of it. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 57% rating, and the film has been widely praised by conservative political commentators, as you'd expect.
Despite how well the film appears to be doing, I doubt that it's converting anyone to the *dark* side.
190 Comments
Mel | October 22, 2012 8:16 PM
Ali. You have now gotten my dander up To say that Ronald Reagan was the worst president EVER just displays your lack of knowledge or total ignorance of the facts. Either you're extremely jaded or too young to have known him and therefore should not be commenting at all on ANY forum.
As for the film in question, there was nothing in it not set down by Barack Hussein Obama, himself. There are, indeed, many conspiracy theories floating around on the net, some very plausible and some no so, but NONE of those made it into this excellent presentation of BHO's life and development. It merely explained his growth from his birth to his present, with mention of influences along the way, both cultural and personal. What is wrong with that? It left every conclusion up to the viewer to discypher, never telling them WHAT to think, just encouraging them TO think. THAT is a sign if a good teacher.
If anyone is threatened by that, then they haven't bothered to watch it for fear their paper tiger may crumple to dust. Pray he doesn't have the chance to fulfill his ultimate goals. Pray we can turn things around without him at the helm until 2016.
John | October 21, 2012 11:52 AM
Unfortunately the movie is accurate and supported by his own autobiography, "Dreams of My Father". I understand that no one likes to be lied to. To admit we were wrong, or on the left, you were wrong. He has diminished our self concept, our own worth, the pride of America, and our safety across the globe. I for one do not want my children to grow up with a bad taste in their mouth about capitalism, the global market, free enterprise, energy independence and freedom itself. The "fair shot" is to bring everyone down to a manageable mess that the government becomes and we lose any identifying trait that America once was. His dream is not mine. He wants to dismantle all that we are and start from scratch. The problem is that the world is a predatory environment. When we become flower tossing, please love us socialists, we will no longer be able to protect ourselves, other nations and the idea of America dies. The nations of war will rain down on us, or perhaps we all lose when nuclear power lies only in the hands of lawlessness and the world is gone. We didn't know him. Now with four years of failure, Obama care that only 40% of the country supports, consistently being lied to and 16.7 trillion in the hole, . . WE KNOW HIM. Now, more lies, Libya and the mess that has become. For the record, I am not prejudice, a war monger, I care about the environment, the sick and the elderly. I want our nation to grow, do the right thing for ourselves and the globe. To find that little special something inside that began as the American dream. We need to change slowly and find the path that builds upon the past and develops a way to grow the best of who and what we are. We should not abandon our life as a country and start over. Hitler tried that. I want republicans and democrats to smell the coffee. The whole reason we are in this mess is due to Partisan B.S.. Democrats smell the coffee 3 or 4 times please. Lets get back to business, and let business minded people do it, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Without a sound economy we all lose.
Connor | October 13, 2012 1:24 PM
Actually to all your saying this was funded by right-wingers the films largest supporter was a obama support billionaire...I'll let you guess is on the show shark tank owns a basketball team...think ppl.
Tribeca Mike | October 7, 2012 9:04 PM
Here it is three months later and who remembers this flick?
Elyse | September 6, 2012 11:39 AM
Please refer to the movie..."The Mormon Candidate" and "Becoming Barack" running on Current TV...To vote for this Mormon, who is a bishop in the Mormon church and believes when he dies, he will have his very own planet!! Did you know that?
Why would anyone consider voting for a man who hides his wealth (trillions!) in the Caymen Island to avoid paying his fair share of taxes and pushes the President to answer "where are the jobs" when he himself outsourced millions of jobs lost through the Bush administration days!!
A Movie bashing our President is produced by bigger Republican money than we can even fathom and you believe it??? Scary people...get a grip and commit to giving our President the 4 more years he needs to correct the greed that brought this country to it's knees! Obama is and was a community organizer who helps people...Romney just helps himself and his wealthyness...
hope | September 3, 2012 2:09 PM
It was factual...numbers don't lie as to the debt increase, military and nuclear bombs decrease and to who was associated with. He said he picks his friends very carefully! If this would have been a Republican he would have NEVER been President! Republicans would have not voted one of their own in with this kind of background! Please Open your eyes AMERICA!
Anna King | August 31, 2012 10:23 PM
My husband & I saw the movie last Sunday. When the movie was over, the 200+ audience stood to their feet and applauded. It was that good. We thought it was factual and used Obama's own words explain Obama's actions while president. We highly recommend it to all voters.
urbanauteur | August 29, 2012 5:10 PM
BIRTH OF A NATION,redux...
BoB Brown | August 28, 2012 4:35 PM
E-mail from a former upperclassman during my High School days. Back when we did not lock our doors, left our keys in the ignition so we could find them, didn't need any form of weapon (AR?, Glock, etc.) let alone were in danger of losing them, & Politicians followed, paid attention too, practiced behafior like there was/is a constitution, "Bill of Rights" be damned.
A very good rational and non-political article! Should be labeled World View and not just German view!
German View of Islam
This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read.
His references to past history are accurate and clear.
Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read.
The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist.
A German's View on Islam
A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism.
'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care.
I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the spectre of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or commit honor killings. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 40 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And who can forget Rwanda , which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:
Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.
Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany , they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.
Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.
As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts--the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand.
So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on!
Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.
J64 | August 27, 2012 10:48 PM
Having seen 2016 Obama's America in Columbus, Ohio yesterday to a packed audience, it was informative and thought provoking. Obama supporters should, also, see this documentary since it will lead them to a better understanding of the person whom they supported for President in 2008 and will support in 2012. Given Obama's actions as President for the past 3 1/2 years, 2016 has a legitimate thesis explaining Obama's policy decisions as well as his policies probably for a second term as President. The underlying facts and policy decisions of Obama as President of the documentary are undisputed, but the conclusions from those facts can be questioned. At the end of the documentary, I heard some people discussing changing their votes from supporting Obama being re-elected to voting for Romney.
Jim | August 27, 2012 7:58 PM
First of all, there is nothing "incendiary" about this movie. It's not a bash Obama movie. It simply shows how he was raised and how his opinions were formed. It doesn't really even draw conclusions, it leaves that to the viewer. If you see it as being incendiary, it's probably because you don't like the conclusion that you are drawing from it.
Bryan | August 27, 2012 1:41 PM
All this is, is a crazy tea partier right-winger funded racist film to help Romney in November. This movie was funded by the elite.
Molly pitcher | August 27, 2012 11:50 AM
Poor, poor Obama exalters, must be tough to worship a morally devoid 3 rd world, Marxist
who condones partial birth abortion, where infants born alive in botched abortions are left
untreated, & left to die. Nice position for the 3 rd world president to promulgate.
But then again 3 rd world behaviors often have little regard for human life.
Prevent them from being born, if they are conceived, abort them, if the abortion is botched leave them over there on the stainless steel table till they die. Voting for that is a sin, pure & simple.
Jesus Christ | August 27, 2012 9:16 AM
D'Souza is not American like all little fascists Molly etc worship treasonous people like him, take orders from slime like Murdoch etc. Nothing new there.
Steve | August 27, 2012 7:27 AM
How unfortunate it is that the dialogue has become so inflammatory. What started as a discussion about a movie has now become nothing more than childish name calling. This will accomplish nothing. The traffic to this site was drawn by the review/synopsis provided by Courtney. I don't care if you are on the right or the left, if you don't treat people with respect and if you are unable to discuss differences in viewpoints, you will never be really heard. Shouting at people, calling them nasty names and making this issue personal will have no benefit. What I have done is try to get people to see the movie and then discuss the warrants and misgivings of the film rather than just berate or glorify the film based on political ideology and emotion. Whether you are on the left or right (or somewhere else completely), closing your mind to the opposing viewpoint only makes you a robot of the particular ideology. A puppet of the establishments. Liberals and Conservatives are guilty of this in general. To many people let other people do the thinking for them. I assume that those who visit this site regularly probably lean left. There are some who have posted how terrible of a movie this is based solely on their preconceived ideas about what they think the movie is about or reiterating the thoughts of others who have similar ideologies. There are others who think it is the greatest movie ever made. Instead of name calling and throwing out generalizations, how about some real discussion about this work. What is right about the film and what is wrong about it? Just go see the movie with an open mind. There are points in the movie that flatter the President and there are points raised that would concern the average American. But do something original, see for yourself and think for yourself and don't be a puppet of the liberal or conservative establishments.
Traveler | August 27, 2012 2:42 AM
Saddam Hussein brought a war upon his own head because of HIS claims (whether true or false) that he had weapons of mass destruction and was about to use them. There was no reason NOT to believe his claims and he paid the consequence.
Barrack Hussein Obama published a false book about himself and had the audacity to call that fiction an "autobiography." Obama's own lies that he published in that book plus the lies he tells almost every time he opens his mouth are about to pull political destruction down upon his head as the American voters become better educated about who Obama really is, 2016 being just one instrument of learning. Maybe Obama doesn't know who he is either and just has to invent the "person of the day" as the sun comes up each morning. We just got tired trying to follow his lies and just want him gone.
Whatever, Obama can take his communistic and socialistic entourage and just slink off into the swamp from whence they came.
Carl | August 27, 2012 1:17 AM
Frustrated right wing cocksuckers who have nothing better to do but troll sites that have OBAMA in them. Please shoot yourself in the head and decrease the stupid population. Your daddies should have pulled out. Thanks!
AccidentalVisitor | August 27, 2012 12:44 AM
Some of you asked where did all ofn these people come from? They are trolls. Even worse...political trolls. This is what they do and their latest cause to die for is this documentary. Just look around the net. Websites that typically have writeups that on average lead to single-digit responses all of a sudden are getting hundreds if not thousands of responses from a vast majority of wacko Obama haters. I'm talking about sites like Hollywood Reporter and Deadline that rarely ever have such a flood of voices, almost all spouting the same view. But that is what has been going on on virtually every site that both reports on this documentary and have a response option. And most of these response options don't require the responder to do any signing up first (like this site) which mkaes them ideal. What you get as a result is a bunch of people coming out of nowhere to drown out all other voices while spreading their political agrenda. I can spend time countering much of the nonsense that is reportedly tossed to the audience by this doc as truth, but what would be the point? Each side will keep believing their views anyway. I will however say that I am cynical enough to think that the attacks in defense of this film are a bit coordinated; simply like-minded rightwing nutjobs who pass the word around to go "invade" any site they can to spread their gospel regarding this documentary. I won't even criticize them for it. I don't expect much from those folks in the first place. However I am surprised that some on S & A were unaware regarding what is going on around them. Many here knew that this doc made an impressive amount of money last weekend when it expanded to just dozens of theaters. But I suppose maybe they didn't know that the doc was going to expand more to than a 1000 theaters this weekend and that reports had indicated that it had sold more tickets via Fandango than any other film playing this weekend. You even had busloads of losers planning trips to the movie theaters to see the film. So 2016 was going to jump into the top ten of the box office. That was inevitable. Why was S & A surprised by that? Frankly by doing a stand-alone writeup all you did was invite the unhinged masses into your livingroom. There is a reason for that saying "don't feed the trolls", ya know.
molly Pitcher | August 27, 2012 12:22 AM
Go see the movie, find out the real truth about your hero. Find out what ABC, CBS, NBC. CNN
never told you about Obama & his mentors. And they have the nerve these days to *try* & smear Romney being a Mormon !!!! LOL, LOL ABC, as IF someones religion is an issue in this day & age. How convenient that the sycophants totally buried Rev Wright the US hater but people are supposed to worry & carry on about a Mormon. Better a US mormon than an Indonesian Muslim or atheist, take your pick. I guess Obama has to be an atheist, supporting partial birth abortion the way he does, he voted for it 3 times as i recall.
His half bro George is cool though, worth seeing the movie just for that.
Steve | August 26, 2012 11:24 PM
Here is another indie for someone to review: http://www.obamasrealfather.com
LeonRaymond | August 26, 2012 11:12 PM
Damn how did all these undercover Klan members get on this site ?
Steve | August 26, 2012 10:42 PM
Courtney, I've read your review several times now. Have you actually seen the film? It seems that you just cited other folk's reviews. Perhaps I am wrong, but it appears that you have written a piece on a movie that you have not seen. Please forgive me if I am wrong. By the way, I am not trying to sway anybody in any direction. It is just that I took exception to the way that Courtney described the movie when she labeled in incendiary. Quite interesting that she would describe a movie that she has not seen as incendiary. It is interesting that an inconvenient truth would be incendiary. Now in response to Molly. I wouldn't go as far as to say those things about Obama. We really don't know his true political slant. But the facts regarding his associates throughout the years are indisputable. I wonder if those who have bashed me all day have read Dreams From My Father. In essence, they should be dubbing the President's book as propaganda as well. Afterall, his words are heard throughout the movie.
Nicole | August 26, 2012 10:41 PM
OMG at these comments
Molly Pitcher | August 26, 2012 10:24 PM
I saw Obama 12016 today with my husband, there were 100 people there (in NH) 4:15 showing.
Well done, Obama is a Marxist ample evidence given, his mom, grandparents, mentor Frank marshall davis & later associates in Chicago. Rev Wright (he hates & loathes US too, esp white citizens) he s a Communist. All the 3rd world where Obama comes from is Commie espousing.
Obama wants to transfer individual wealth to other Americans via Government doling it out plus he wants to transfer US wealth to the world,hence the high gas prices. No Canadian pipeline, no US jobs, no cheaper gas. Plus he gives US tax monies to Brazil & mexico to get oil in their area & SELL IT BACK TO US, after WE financed getting it ! Commie gall if you ask me.
Hey US oil industry employees US people, supports ancillary US jobs, causes US entrepenuership, all good stuff to me, but not a Commie, you know, Van Jones, Valerie Jarrett, Oprah Winfrey, Vlad Putin, Barack Obama send them all to the gulag, that place seems why better than Kenya or nairobi or India. Baracks half bro George he was cool though !
David | August 26, 2012 10:12 PM
Yeah Joy Leydon, Michael O'Sullivan, and of course Courtney, since the film is doing so well, I doubt it will convert anyone to Obama's side either :) Thanks for your agreement he's toast...
Greg | August 26, 2012 10:09 PM
Just came out of of the cinema in spokane wa. I will say if this doen't open the eyes of the Americans that were douped in 08 and shut the lap dogs up nothing will. They can say all they want but can't defend against the undefendable. Follow the dots and close your pie hole! Great job! Must see! Retired navy senior chief.
David | August 26, 2012 10:08 PM
Yeah Joy Leydon, since the film is doing so well, I doubt it will convert anyone to Obama's side either :) Thanks for your agreement he's toast...
Caleb Boone | August 26, 2012 7:18 PM
Gentlemen:
The movie was not a documentary.
It was a political opinion piece or cinematic editorial.
I felt sorry for Kings' College President Dinesh D'Souza, who apparently wrote and narrated the movie.
He doesn't seem very intelligent.
That is, he was not aware that he caused his movie to appear as a cinematic editorial, advocating a political position.
He lacks the acute sensitivity and circumspection to successfully assist in persuading undecided citizens to vote for Governor Romney.
Have a Dovely.
Sincerely yours,
Caleb.
SueMcMann | August 26, 2012 7:13 PM
There's a sucker born every minute. Hence the audience attending this 'movie.' Heh!
Fair enough, though? Bush got broiled for his Saudi connections and rigging up a war in a film too. And suckers paid to see THAT conspiracy theory. Since that's all THIS conspiracy theory film IS.
Mike | August 26, 2012 7:04 PM
He is not my president..If I wanted a president like that, I would move to Russia..I wanted him to succeed, but he lied to us..We didn't get hope and change, we got socialism..He will not get my vote, now or ever..If you like food stamps, unemployment benifits, housing for the low income, free medical for life, and more and more people working for the government..and who do you think pays for those benifits..., he is your guy..but 49% don't pay taxes now,, and in the next 4 years it will be 65%..Debt will be over 20 Trillion...Then there will no way out. It is the biggest ponzi scheme you have every seen..and he is backed by big money..the money that is betting on the American dream being turned upside down..
Phil Tuzzloio | August 26, 2012 5:04 PM
Labeling, so now the right is the DARK SIDE?
Steve | August 26, 2012 2:23 PM
It will be interesting to see what the final box office take for the weekend will be. It has already grossed over 9 million. Not bad for an indie with low budget produced by a master producer.
Justsaying | August 26, 2012 1:05 PM
SILENCE.
My2Cents | August 26, 2012 11:54 AM
As someone who lives and works in a highly Republican area, I wouldn't necessarily "trust" those numbers as real moviegoers. You have to remember, Republicans have money and it's easy to buy blocks of tickets for groups, organizations and churches. I see that all the time with them.
Steve | August 26, 2012 11:21 AM
Nadine: Peace Be with You!
Nadine | August 26, 2012 11:15 AM
I apologize for derailing, guys. Just ignore me.
priss | August 26, 2012 10:37 AM
Nadine, girl. You are giving this nut job "Steve" waaay too much energy. Save your pearls.
Nadine | August 26, 2012 10:29 AM
I never said people should not watch this movie? People should know always know what the propaganda is, but it is financially problematic as one would have to pay to see the movie yet not know where their dollars are going. That is a real problem.