“The Undefeated” – Sarah Palin Documentary – Expands to Additional Markets This Weekend – Defies Critics.

Stephen K. Bannon - beats the odds (critics)- image: Liberty Speaks Blog

The apparent downplay of Steve Bannon’s, “The Undefeated”, a documentary released last weekend, has defied the “spin” of general media bias, and will now open in additional markets, with more outlets added in markets where the film is currently playing. The highest grossing markets were in California and Arizona, where Orange County and Phoenix saw $11,000 plus per screening gross , prompting a wider distribution. The film, which has been entirely promoted through social media, will now be showing in the following theaters: (Politico:)

Ahwatukee 24 4915 East Ray Road Phoenix, AZ 85044 - DMA: 16

Arizona Center 24 565 N. 3rd Street Phoenix, AZ 85004 – DMA: 16

Barrett Commons 24 Theatres 2600 Cobb Place Lane NW Kennesaw, GA 30144 (Atlanta) DMA: 9

Block 30 @ Orange 20 City Boulevard West Orange, CA 92868 (Los Angeles) DMA: 2

Colonial 18 Theatres 825 Lawrenceville – Suwanee Road Lawrenceville, GA 30245 (Atlanta) DMA: 9

Concord Mills 8421 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027 (Charlotte) DMA: 28

Foothills 15 7401 La Cholla Blvd. Suite 144 Tucson, AZ 85741 –DMA: 75

Grapevine Mills 30 Theatres 3150 Grapevine Mills Parkway Grapevine, TX 76051 (Dallas)

DMA: 7

Highlands Ranch 24 103 Centennial Road Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 (Denver) DMA: 19

Indian River 24 6200 20th Street #600 Vero Beach, FL 32966 (West Palm Beach DMA: 48

Mayfair Mall 18 2500 North Mayfair Road Box M-146 Wauwatosa, WI 53226 (Milwaukee) DMA: 32

Ontario Mills 30 4549 Mills Circle Ontario, CA 91764 (Los Angeles) DMA: 2

West Oaks 14 9415 West Colonial Drive Ocoee, FL 34761 (Orlando) DMA: 21

Willowbrook 24 Theatres 17145 Tomball Parkway Houston, TX 77064 – DMA 10

DMA Sourcing: Top 100 Film Markets.

Putting things into perspective for the critics and those who may nay-say:
As to how well this film did at the box office opening weekend: (According to Box Office Mojo.com):
“The Undefeated”, compared to Box Office Top Grossing Films such as the Latest Harry Potter release and “Winnie The Pooh”, placed 6th out of 10 films opening that week. Putting things into perspective however, the film also opened in 10 cities compared to the aforementioned which opened in 4,375 and 2,405 theaters nationwide. In comparing apples to pseudo apples, Michel Moore’s Film (darling of the critics), “Capitalism, a Love Story”, opened in 962 theaters with an average gross of $4,623. Bannon’s film, which was not fueled by glowing reviews by the NYTimes (al la Moore’s films), has comparatively bested the Left’s Beloved Pseudo Documentarian – it’s a question of doing the math – the Bannon Film opens in 10 theaters with an average gross per showing of $6,500, to the Moore Film of $4,623 in 962 theaters.

Move along, nothing to see here.

Most Ridiculous Review Title: From Entertainment Weekly Online: ”Sarah Palin's 'The Undefeated': We saw it so you don't have to!” Although being critical of the technical aspects of the film, the review didn’t dissolve into partisan baiting until the first paragraph, that said, it defied the Times Magazine report regarding the film having zero attendance on opening night in Orange County, CA, simply because the EW reviewer was at one of the screenings, and gives a somewhat different take on what actually occurred (standing ovations).

From Real Clear Politics: (Title: “Pro-Palin Film Expands Release”)

Bannon said that he intends eventually to bring the film to every market in the country by using an increasingly aggressive distribution strategy that will include streaming video, on-demand access, and a DVD release.

"We have been inundated with requests from around the country to have the film play in their market," ARC Entertainment CEO Trevor Drinkwater said in a press release. "Our expansion plan is being methodically analyzed and managed to allow the film to be viewed by the widest audience in the most effective manner."

While the average American considers any type of documentary to be akin to watching paint dry on the wall, the fact that Bannon’s film did so well in a limited number of cities (compared to other “documentary films of a political nature”), is, in itself a story, specifically when one considers the marketing strategy employed compared to similar genres’.

Newt Gingrich and Michael Moore - Grasping at Media Relevancy

Michael Moore,image videosearch and Newt Gingrich image Letsgetrealblog




Granted, one might wonder why one would choose Newt Gingrich and Michael Moore to highlight a growing problem in the public arena – two men with entirely different political ideologies – it is not the differences, per se, rather the similarities certain personalities display in order to remain on that national stage that forces the comparison.

In a spate of recent articles, former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, on the one hand takes the opportunity to criticize Sarah Palin for her “controversial” use of language, and lectures Governor Palin on thinking prior to speaking (Rawstory.com) Gingrich was referring to the video responses Sarah Palin made to those, including prominent Democrats and the media in general, over her use of the phrase “blood libel”, which has been parsed ad naseum. Palin, Gingrich concludes is controversial but continues to be a “phenomenon”. Palin, for all her perceived faults, chief amongst them is the beltway’s insistence that her lack of ivy league rhetoric, and her plain speaking, straight forward, “what you see is what you get” approach, is, when compared to Gingrich, far more relevant in the current political arena. The remarks make sense in the grander scheme of what plays in Washington, pretty much stays in Washington, not unlike the former Speaker and his constant aspirations to the Oval Office, which have yet to materialize. Stepping outside the Beltway, and away from the rank and file of the (this is becoming a tiresome moniker) “mainstream media”, one finds that Palin’s remarks were viewed in a different light by the general populace, or those who would put Newt in the White House. (Despite the poll commissioned by the Washington Post and ABC News that compares Obama’s, the News Media and Sara Palin’s response to the Tucson Shooting – which in and of itself, put’s Palin on a par with both, regardless of the results, leaving Gingrich left with nothing but comments.)

In the poll, one finds the general public grading the response as follows: President Obama: 78%, the News Media: 53% and Sarah Palin 30% approval. The poll and marginal’s are available here: at langerresearch.com. Gingrich goes a step further, in praising Obama’s speech in Tucson (which one can agree was an astounding speech, (including Sarah Palin: note to Newt) regardless of detractors who felt the atmosphere, audience etc., were not in keeping with a memorial service), Gingrich, again refers to the poll, noting he was amongst the majority of Republicans’ who felt the President did well with his speech. What this brought to Gingrich were several articles and blog posts which highlighted Gingrich casting aspersions on Palin in his lecture and his magnanimous gesture of giving praise to the President. In other words, Gingrich was on playing to the choir in both instances and received the reward of “national press”.

Over in cableland, Michael Moore (remember him?), appearing on MSNBC’s, Rachael Maddow, decided it was high time he weigh in on gun ownership (Goes to Martin Luther King Day.) – According to Mr. Moore, anyone who owns a gun is a racist. He draws this conclusion by noting that when someone is a crime victim, it is not “freckle faced Jimmy” committing the crime. Now, such a broad and ridiculous statement from Moore is nothing new, however, it is the fact that he uses such a truly unbelievable statement in order to gain “attention” while everyone else is “in the limelight” so to speak, even Newt Gingrich, that he had to say something, anything. A reasonable person, even one who is not familiar with a gun, will know that Hispanics own guns, African-American’s own guns, Asians own guns, and yes average white men and women own guns (and Bibles!), making Moore’s remark about as relevant as – Newt Gingrich’s remarks on Palin, her use of a term that has been “beaten to death” by the media. Moore’s statement, in itself is racist, suggesting that only those who are not “freckled faced Jimmy” may be committing crimes. Additionally, the Tucson shooter was one deranged “Freckled Faced Jimmy” – go figure.

It is time for the political discourse to move forward and for those in the quasi-public eye, to try another tactic. Perhaps NBC or ABC or any one of the networks that runs reality television shows, could produce a series similar to Survivor (but placed within the safe confines of Washington, New York or Los Angeles), pitting left against right in a series that would pit a Moore against a Gingrich in a race for airtime; along with a slew of other “quasi notable and or relevant blowhards” that have become part and parcel of America’s airwaves.

Michael Moore with Rachel Maddow


A note: Although more than a few posts have been made on the subject regarding Palin and the “beating”(for lack of another word) she has taken over a situation that she clearly had no part in whatsoever, the fact that two weeks later, those who so heavily vested in themselves (from the right) and ideologically challenged (from the left), feel the need to continue the drumbeat, only servers to highlight how relevant Ms. Palin has truly become in general, in this opinion, one is compelled, to write on last treatment on this particular subject, due to the inability of those who seek the limelight to, in plain words, “zip it”. Of note, those who have not been so ridiculous: (GOP 2012 assumed potential candidates) Huckabee defended Palin even though she is considered as a serious rival for the 2012 GOP nomination (CNN), while a statement from Mitt Romney on Palin, is, (in a granted, brief search), nowhere to be found . Both Huckabee and Romney stand with Palin as the “frontrunners” and are viewed as those most likely to run and gain the GOP 2012 Presidential nomination.