LOS ANGELES — Dennis Quaid’s REAGAN crossed the $20m mark in box office receipts on Thursday, heading into its third weekend, having surpassed rival presidential biopics LBJ and Nixon, with Oliver Stone’s $25m W in its sights. The first wide release from the recently launched ShowBiz Direct will head into week three virtually unchanged in its screen count with a robust 2,450 screens showing the film.
REAGAN held on to third place throughout its second week, earning a healthy $475,000 on Thursday, heading into the weekend, after surprising industry observers by doubling its predicted $5m in its first frame.
Moviegoers gave the film an A CinemaScore and the gap between professional film critics and moviegers widened further to a staggering 80%, with fans giving the film a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter while critics fell further to 18%, making it the film with the greatest gap between critics and fans in the history of Hollywood theatrical films, surpassing the previous record of 65% held by “The Boondock Saints.”
That split was mirrored in popular culture sometimes with surprising results, with the traditionally progressive LA Weekly praising it as a “superhero origin story,” while the Wall Street Journal slammed it as “impeachable.” Unsurprisingly, the Communist Party USA’s official newspaper Worker’s World labeled it an “ahistorical conservative fairy tale.”
Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, REAGAN follows Ronald Reagan from his dusty small-town roots to the glitter of Hollywood, and then on to commanding the world stage. “REAGAN” is directed by Sean McNamara (“Soul Surfer,” “Miracle Season”) and written by Howard Klausner who penned “Space Cowboys” for Clint Eastwood.
REAGAN, starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th president, is a cinematic experience that transcends the boundaries of a traditional biopic, offering a profound exploration of the enduring impact of the power of one man who overcame the odds, sustained by the love of a woman who supported him in his journey. Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first catches the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, this film offers a perspective as unique as it is captivating.
In addition to Quaid, the REAGAN cast includes Academy Award® winner Jon Voight; Golden Globe nominee Penelope Ann Miller; BAFTA nominee Mena Suvari; Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Kevin Dillon; and Disney star David Henrie.
To watch the official trailer for REAGAN, click here. Visit Reagan.Movie for ticket information.
For updates on REAGAN, visit Reagan.Movie and follow @ReaganMovie on Facebook and Instagram.
About ShowBiz Direct:
ShowBiz Direct is a pioneering motion picture distribution company dedicated to transforming the landscape of movie distribution. ShowBiz Direct specializes in identifying and promoting commercially viable content, ranging from niche independent films to major tent-pole releases. ShowBiz Direct’s mission is to fill the void left by traditional studios’ selective distribution processes, offering a platform for diverse stories that resonate with and appeal to a broad audience, with a commitment to bridging the gap between innovative filmmakers and a global audience in a more cost-effective and transparent way. ShowBiz Direct stands as a catalyst for bringing deserving content into the limelight, ensuring that these voices have the chance to be heard and their visions have the opportunity to be seen on the big screen.
