Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Movies: French flock to anti-Bush 'Fahrenheit'

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: AP - Movies: French flock to anti-Bush 'Fahrenheit': "PARIS -- France's passion for cinema and the collective antipathy for President Bush made Wednesday's opening here of 'Fahrenheit 9/11' a headline event that quickly proved a boon at the box office. But, alas, even Michael Moore could not escape that critical Gallic eye.
The movie that won its cinematic stripes at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May, taking the Golden Palm, the highest award, wracked up 'extraordinary' ticket sales for its first afternoon showings in Paris, according to an official at the MK2 movie chain.
It stole the headlines in several French papers. Elevating the movie to an event, the left-leaning Liberation left the praiseful commentary to its nationally known executive editor.
'Michael Moore is a television show unto himself,' Serge July wrote, praising the director as the 'American Falstaff of documentaries.'

The cover of the Communist daily L'Humanite's portrayed Moore dressed up like the Statue of Liberty, wearing a smile and a baseball cap.

Figures compiled by Mars, the distributor, for movie theaters around Paris showed 4,372 entries for the first afternoon show - compared to entries ranging from 10 to 1,110 for other movies in town.

"It's really extraordinary. We consider a good debut for a French film to be around 2,500 seats sold," said an official at the MK2 chain."


By ELAINE GANLEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER