Big news at the box office: The film pegged as the anti-Obama documentary has outsold all other movies opening this weekend, according to early reports. "2016: Obama's America" raked in $2.2 million on Friday, outperforming other openers "Premium Rush" and the indie comedy "Hit and Run." The earnings also make it the top-grossing documentary of the year.
UPDATED: As full figures for the weekend roll in, it appears as though "Premium Rush" has passed "2016: Obama's America" to be the biggest new film of the weekend. The Obama documentary fell to No. 8 overall but stayed close to "Rush." For more on the full box office figures, head over to our new story.
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The surprising numbers put the film in fourth place overall on an otherwise sleepy box office weekend. It follows the cast-ensemble pleaser "Expendables 2" at No. 1 at $3.7 million, and the Jeremy Renner-anchored "Bourne Legacy," which secured the No. 2 spot at $2.7 million. Animated flick "ParaNorman" snagged third place at $2.3 million on Friday.
"2016: Obama's America" is based on Indian-American conservative author Dinesh D'Souza's book, "The Roots of Obama's Rage." (D'Souza also co-directed with John Sullivan, and narrates the majority of the film). A poster for the movie shows a profile of President Obama cast against a hazy gray fog with the tag line, "Love Him, Hate Him, You Don't Know Him."
Box office buzz around the movie may be tied to the upcoming Republican National Convention, which begins Monday in Tampa, Fla. The documentary expected to bow down with a total earning of $6 million for the weekend.
