Tough times for leftie Hollywood. Nothing's gone right this week. None of this is their fault, of course. In order to understand that it might not be a good idea to rally around a child rapist, bash religion in a religious country or trash capitalism in a capitalist country you have to live in the real world…

As proof, this bristling hub of penetrating industry insight links to the boxoffice analysis of sportscaster Steve Mason.  It's one of those "kids, don't try this at home" moments:

[B]ut the biggest disappointment of the weekend is Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story (Overture). After a $57K per theatre average on 4 screens last weekend, the picture broke to a wider 962 locations with terrible results. The "documentary" only sold an estimated $1.3M in tickets to start the weekend, and it will finish at about $3.9M for a PTA of less than $4,000. That soft opening will almost certainly make Capitalism Moore's weakest-grossing movie since 2002's Bowling for Columbine ($21.5M domestic gross).

That is just hilarious, albeit in a really painful and awkward way.  I remember well what happened to even the lowliest of film students at the hands of the unmerciful Art Murphy in the wake of such a cavalcade of remedial error.

Capitalism set a 2009 record for per-theater ticket sales last weekend.  It went wide on Friday, and both the Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap indicate it did $1.5 million (not $1.3 million) for the night.  The Wrap predicts it is "on pace for a $5 million weekend," while  Nikki Finke pegs it at $5.5 million.

Sicko, released in 2007, is the fourth biggest grossing documentary of all time.  In its first weekend of wide release it did $4.5 million.  

Michael Moore is in a category all his own.  Nobody has ever made documentaries as consistently successfully as he has. There's not even a close second.  His latest film could be considered a "disappointment" only by someone who hadn't mastered the multiply button on a basic calculator.  (Here's a tip:  try pressing that thing with an "x".)

Before these nitwits try to defend capitalism from Michael Moore's unholy assault, they might want to explore how it actually works.  Because he seems to be a whole lot better at it than they are.

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Money for killing, but not for saving lives

8 soldiers killed in Afghanistan in one of the fiercest battles in the 8 year war - and for what?

In other news, over 120 American citizens lost their lives yesterday alone because they didn't have health insurance. 

Obama spent hours with Oprah pitching the olympics in Copenhagen:

He found 25 minutes to discuss the war in Afghanistan with General McChrystal while he was on the runway.  

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