According to Sharon Waxman of the NY Times:
"Michael Moore's anti-Bush "Fahrenheit 9/11" became the highest-grossing feature-length documentary of all time on its first weekend in release, taking in $21.8 million as it packed theaters across the country this weekend.The movie, mocking President Bush and criticizing his decision to go to war in Iraq, was No. 1 at the box office, beating out the popular comedies "White Chicks" and "DodgeBall," which were playing on almost triple the number of screens.
Mr. Moore's 2002 film, "Bowling for Columbine," had held the record for the highest-earning feature-length documentary until this weekend, taking in $21.6 million in its domestic run. Neither film set a record for all documentaries. "Everest," a 44-minute large-screen film released in 1998, has earned more than $80 million in the United States and more than $125 million worldwide.
Market research leading up to the weekend had shown that the documentary would rank second or third at the box office after the two mainstream comedies. But "White Chicks" took in $19.6 million for the weekend on 2,726 screens, while "DodgeBall" took in $18.5 million on 3,020. "Fahrenheit 9/11," rated R, was released on 868 screens.
Mr. Weinstein predicted that "Fahrenheit 9/11" would certainly take in $50 million, and possibly $100 million. He said he expected the film to expand to twice as many theaters next week, and ultimately to be on as many as 2,000 screens, a scale that would redefine the traditional reach of documentary films."
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