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#1 Documentary of All Time!

Skeptic

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Or so Michael Moore claims about "Farenheit 9/11".

But, according to USA today at least, of the top ten grossing documentaries of all time in the US (their "Life" section, 6/28), the only ones to earn more than $10 million are:

a). Fahrenheit 9/11
b). Moore's own "bowling for Columbine"
c). That IMAX smash hit, "Winged Migration", a favorite of ornithologists everywhere ($11 million and change).

I dunno. Apparently becoming the "top grossing documentary of all time" isn't all it's cracked up to be. What it really means is "grossed more than $11 mil, the take for a bottom-level Hollywood flop".

Once more, Moore is telling us significantly less than the whole truth in his rants.
 
I dunno. Apparently becoming the "top grossing documentary of all time" isn't all it's cracked up to be. What it really means is "grossed more than $11 mil, the take for a bottom-level Hollywood flop".

Once more, Moore is telling us significantly less than the whole truth in his rants.
Click to expand...

Huh? What's your point? It's taken in over $60 million already.
 
Documentary?

I doubt that Moore has let the chips fall where they may.

I have yet to see f911, but I have read a couple of his books and seen a couple of his films.
 
Skeptic said:
Or so Michael Moore claims about "Farenheit 9/11".

But, according to USA today at least, of the top ten grossing documentaries of all time in the US (their "Life" section, 6/28), the only ones to earn more than $10 million are:

a). Fahrenheit 9/11
b). Moore's own "bowling for Columbine"
c). That IMAX smash hit, "Winged Migration", a favorite of ornithologists everywhere ($11 million and change).

I dunno. Apparently becoming the "top grossing documentary of all time" isn't all it's cracked up to be. What it really means is "grossed more than $11 mil, the take for a bottom-level Hollywood flop".

Once more, Moore is telling us significantly less than the whole truth in his rants.
Click to expand...

It's pretty pathetic if you're down to attacking Moore with this rubbish. It is the #1 documentary of all time and now you're going to try and compare it to big budget Hollywood films to put it down? And as Nasarius has pointed out, it has already made a lot more than $11 million and is well in the realm of a relatively successful Hollywood film despite being a documentary. It hasn't just broken all records for documentary, it has smashed them to dust.
Why do you care how much money it makes anyway?
 
I don't really get your point here either. At least not the negative and misleading part of it.

The ENTIRE point of saying that it is the #1 Documentary of all time is that... it.... is.... a... documentary. And they traditionally don't bring in big numbers. I think we all know that. I'm pretty sure Michael and all the other people in the world who've noticed that this is the biggest documentary in human history are all on the same page... that it's a documentary and it isn't behaving like people expect documentaries to behave.

What's to be mislead?

Do you think that the average person thinks to themself, "oo boy! I've seen so many documentaries and love seeing them so much more than movies!"





Moore important, is that if you want to mention impressive numbers you should focus on the fact that this documentary has done better in it's first week of release than Star Wars episode 'who keeps track anymore'. And it did better than Rocky 3, which use to hold the record for a major release in less than 1000 theaters... now F911 has that record. And it has the second highest paying gross per house of any major release anywhere in time... making it the second most profitable release of any kind that theater owners have ever had the opportunity to lay their hands on. Which all goes to say that this film is one of the big dogs.


This is going to influence the future of how documentaries are seen and probably how they are made. Remember Ken Burns and his PBS epics about the Civil War? He made a huge impact and this appears to be a much bigger event in history.

All you've pointed out, is that F911 isn't even in the same class as all of it's predecessors... which makes it history. And I'm not sure how you find that misleading. What direction do you think people are being led in and how isn't that the correct direction?
 
Sloe_Bohemian said:

What's to be mislead?

...


What direction do you think people are being led in and how isn't that the correct direction?
Click to expand...

With a "documentary", I would hope that the highest level of "verite" was employed and that the goal was the truth.

This is not Moore's goal. Which is fine in its own right and I can appreciate the work he does.

But, to paraphrase a bumper sticker I recently saw, I am an NPR mind stuck in a FOX News world. Why do I need yet another agenda driven-opinion paraded as "truth" when I should seek the truth itself?

Edited for clarity
 
Re: Re: #1 Documentary of All Time!

wjousts said:


It's pretty pathetic if you're down to attacking Moore with this rubbish. It is the #1 documentary of all time and now you're going to try and compare it to big budget Hollywood films to put it down? And as Nasarius has pointed out, it has already made a lot more than $11 million and is well in the realm of a relatively successful Hollywood film despite being a documentary. It hasn't just broken all records for documentary, it has smashed them to dust.
Why do you care how much money it makes anyway?
Click to expand...

It made approximately the same amount in its opening weekend as Jacka**, another low-budget documentary. (F/911~$6million, Jacka**~$5million)

It will almost certainly pull ahead in the overall domestic box office, but it's not likely to smash Jacka**'s record to dust.
 
While you've brought up Winged Migration, that brings up a point. Can't a lot of the criticisms that have been laid on M-Moore's doorstep, also be said of the film "Winged Migration"?

We didn't see an equal and fair opposing point of view to those birds who flew. That's biased. Where's the fish and why didn't they get to speak? Those birds must hate America.
 
A high grossing op-ed piece, no doubt. Documentary? I don't think so.
 
c0rbin said:


With a "documentary", I would hope that the highest level of "verite" was employed and that the goal was the truth.

This is not Moore's goal. Which is fine in its own right and I can appreciate the work he does.

But, to paraphrase a bumper sticker I recently saw, I am an NPR mind stuck in a FOX News world. Why do I need yet another agenda driven-opinion paraded as "truth" when I should seek the truth itself?

Edited for clarity
Click to expand...


Just my point. Was "Winged Migration" really up to the highest level of "verite"... and doesn't it bother you that the goal of Winged Migration wasn't the TRUTH either? It may have been about a true experience; edited for the greatest emotional and visual appeal. Just like F911. So why not get mad at Winged Migration, unless the real concern is less about rational evaluations of documentaries and more about keeping opposing points of view away from the public.
 
Re: Re: Re: #1 Documentary of All Time!

aerocontrols said:


It made approximately the same amount in its opening weekend as Jacka**, another low-budget documentary. (F/911~$6million, Jacka**~$5million)

It will almost certainly pull ahead in the overall domestic box office, but it's not likely to smash Jacka**'s record to dust.
Click to expand...

So you're going to call Jacka** a documentary now? That's laughably pathetic. Also, Jacka** opened in 2509 theaters compared to F9/11's 868. I wouldn't expect you to point that out though since you are determinded to compare apples with oranges.
 
Sloe_Bohemian said:





Yeah... highest level of "verite"... yeah, that's it.
Click to expand...

I apologize, but I do not understand your point. Maybe I am slow.

What are you trying to say?
 
Re: Re: Re: #1 Documentary of All Time!

aerocontrols said:


It made approximately the same amount in its opening weekend as Jacka**, another low-budget documentary. (F/911~$6million, Jacka**~$5million)

It will almost certainly pull ahead in the overall domestic box office, but it's not likely to smash Jacka**'s record to dust.
Click to expand...

Opening weekend was more like $28 million. You missed a decimal point and a couple more numbers.

It may have opened on the first day (Thursday) with $6 million. But it did a lot more than that on the first weekend. And last I heard, it's at more than $66million after two weekends.

But you keep watching Jacka**.


* [Edit for my mistake]My Bad, I need to edit my mistake.

My apologies Aero.

You were speaking of film budget, not the opening take. I misunderstood what you were trying to say.
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: #1 Documentary of All Time!

Sloe_Bohemian said:



Opening weekend was more like $28 million. You missed a decimal point and a couple more numbers.

It may have opened on the first day (Thursday) with $6 million. But it did a lot more than that on the first weekend. And last I heard, it's at more than $66million after two weekends.



But you keep watching Jacka**.
Click to expand...

I think you may have misunderstood Aero. I think he was comparing budgets ($5 million vs. $6 million) not opening day box office.
 
wjousts said:


So you're going to call Jacka** a documentary now? That's laughably pathetic. Also, Jacka** opened in 2509 theaters compared to F9/11's 868. I wouldn't expect you to point that out though since you are determinded to compare apples with oranges.
Click to expand...

I'm not an authority on what is or isn't a documentary. If you'll go back to my original link, however, you'll see that IMDB calls it a documentary. As does everyone else I can find.

What kind of movie do you think it is?

Point taken on the number of theatres.
 
c0rbin said:


I apologize, but I do not understand your point. Maybe I am slow.

What are you trying to say?
Click to expand...


You're extremely clever ad hom with suggesting that I am "slow" is in obvious contrast to the suggestion that documentaries should be held to a high standard of truth. Expecially in light of your ability to ignore the lack of those standards in documentaries with which you don't seem to have a grudge.
 
Sloe_Bohemian said:
But you keep watching Jacka**.
Click to expand...


wjousts is correct. I was comparing production budgets.

I'm not much of a fan of Michael Moore or Johny Knoxville. Neither of them are going to get my money for a movie ticket.
 
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