It will be interesting to see how many theaters and screens this movie opens in. Traditionally, documentaries do not open on lots of screens. But traditionally, documentaries don't win Cannes' highest prize, the Palme d'Or. Nor do their Directors get 20-minute standing ovations, as Mr. Moore received in Cannes.
This is the first major film to explore the bizarre reality of 9/11, yet Americans are flocking to see cartoons. Today, Shrek2 set the record for opening in the most theaters (4,163), surpassing Spiderman's 2002 record (3,876). By contrast, the documentary "Super Size Me," in which filmmaker Morgan Spurlock risks his life to eat exclusively at McDonald's restaurants for 30 days, is in just 148 theaters. Do Americans prefer escapist fantasy over reality? Or is it that we have no choice at the cinema?
In the Matrix, the hero must choose between the red pill - willful ignorance and a life in fantasyland - or the blue pill, symbolizing awareness and the struggle for human freedom. At least Neo had a choice! Do Americans prefer the red pill, or is it shoved down our throats because of the one-two punch of ownership consolidation in content creation (the ten largest movie studios account for 99% of industry revenues) and theatrical distribution (the 12 largest theater chains control 70% of screens)?
LETS KEEP OUR EYES ON THE NUMBER OF THEATERS AND SCREENS ON OPENING DAY FOR THIS MOVIE, SHALL WE?
From front page of today's NY Times:
"Fahrenheit 9/11," a scathing indictment of White House actions after the Sept. 11 attacks created by the American filmmaker Michael Moore, won the top prize on Saturday at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first documentary to win Cannes' highest prize, the Palme d'Or, since "The Silent World" by Jacques Cousteau in 1956."
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