USATODAY.com - 'Fahrenheit' torches records at box office

USATODAY.com - 'Fahrenheit' torches records at box office: "Propelled by the political firestorm that surrounded his movie, Michael Moore's documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 took the top spot at theaters this weekend with an astounding $21.8 million.

"These are mind-blowing numbers," Moore said Sunday of the estimates, which were $7 million more than most analysts predicted. "All the predictions were that the movie would only speak to the choir, that it would only be for those who don't like Bush. I don't think that's turned out to be true."

Like Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, adults called in sick to work and stood in line for hours to see the documentary, which was embroiled in controversy weeks before it hit screens.

The Walt Disney Co., which financed the film through its Miramax unit, decided in May that it would not distribute the film because of its incendiary tone and content.



By Scott Bowles
USA TODAY