Incendiary 'Fahrenheit' Is No Box Office Bomb (washingtonpost.com)

Incendiary 'Fahrenheit' Is No Box Office Bomb (washingtonpost.com): "'It became part of the national conversation this weekend,' Moore said during a morning conference call yesterday.
'This is one of the events of the summer,' said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, an independent company that tracks box office returns. He said he was particularly impressed with the per-theater average of $25,115: 'I'm amazed at those numbers. That type of per-theater average is usually reserved for a blockbuster.'

Surveys showed the audience was split evenly between male and female, and was predominantly over 25. The biggest demographic consisted of moviegoers aged 25 to 34. In exit polls conducted in about 15 cites, 91 percent of the audience rated the film "excellent," and 93 percent would "definitely recommend" it.

"It's mind-blowing how well this film has been received," said Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC, noting that exit polling for "Fahrenheit" was even better than for the 2002 surprise hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

The exit polls did not survey political affiliation, but Sehring said he knew of sellouts in Long Island's Nassau County, "long considered a Republican stronghold." He also reported that his 17-year-old son (old enough to get in, given the R rating) witnessed a standing ovation from the audience at a mall theater. "


By Bridget Byrne
Special to The Washington Post