After exceeding expectations in its opening weekend, the presidential biopicReaganhad an excellent Labor Day, which helped push its domestic total past a major early milestone. Directed bySean McNamaraand starringDennis Quaidas the 40th President of the United States, the movie opened to terrible reviews, but appears to have balanced them out withexceptional audience reception.Reaganis reportedlyperforming stupendously in middle-America, and is poised to continue drawing crowds as the country prepares for the presidential elections.
With an excellent $2.6 million haul on Monday,its fourth day of release,Reaganhas now hit the $10 million mark domestically. The movie wasproduced on a reported budget of $25 million, and is being distributed nationwide by ShowBiz Direct.Reaganopened to terrible reviews, and is currently sitting at a “rotten” 22% approval rating on the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes. But thefilm’s audience score represents a dramatic difference in opinion. The movie has been deemed worthy of RT’s newly announced “verified hot” badge, on the strength of its incredible 98% “popcornmeter” rating. It also earned an excellent A CinemaScore from opening day crowds.
Reagan’s life was previously dramatized in a handful of made-for-television films, such asThe Day Reagan Was ShotandKilling Reagan. He also appeared inLee Daniels’The Butler, in which he was played by the lateAlan Rickman. Biopics of American presidents have historically been rather hit-or-miss among audiences. WhileSteven Spielberg’sLincolnwon acclaim forDaniel Day-Lewis’ central performance, and ended up grossing over $275 million worldwide, it took two movies aboutGeorge W. Bush’s presidency —ViceandW— to generate a combined total of $70 million domestically.
Is There a Chasm Between Critics and Audiences?
Interestingly,Reaganhas a strong chance of overtakingtwo films aboutRichard Nixon—Ron Howard’sFrost/Nixon, which tapped out with $18 million domestically in 2008, andOliver Stone’sNixon, which grossed $13 million in its domestic run in 1995. It must, however, be noted that both those films were far more mainstream thanReagan, which is directly targeting a very specific demographic in the run-up to the elections. Also starringPenelope Ann MillerasNancy Reagan,Robert DaviasLeonid Brezhnev,Lesley-Anne DownasMargaret Thatcher, andCreed frontmanScott StappasFrank Sinatra,Reaganis playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.
