You can either love it or hate it Michael Moorebut the Michigan filmmaker ushered in a new era for documentaries.
Not only did Moore’s early work (“Fahrenheit 9/11,” “Bowling for Columbine”) go beyond many narrative films, but he elevated the genre in the process. And, of course, he made partisan documentaries the new normal.
Now, streaming giants like Netflix offer a plethora of documentaries for audiences to consider. Entertainment outlets cover documentaries such as “Knock Down the House“All In” and Hillary, “amplified their reach and box office potential.
However, the majority of documentaries do not reach the $1 million mark at the US box office. Most earn much less, generating income later on on cable and streaming platforms.
If they’re lucky.
Plus, documentaries rely on a few key factors to survive – critical reviews, film festivals, theatrical release, and digital distribution pipeline.
“2000 Mules” opened up another avenue, and the results were no less spectacular.
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The film, by veteran author and expert Dinesh D’Souza, is in select theaters for two nights only before its digital premiere on May 7. Audiences cannot stream through VOD platforms. standards like Google Play, iTunes or Amazon Prime. And no festival will touch a documentary that alleges voter fraud influenced the 2020 presidential election.
According to D’Souza, it’s still making a staggering $10 million to date.
Having crossed the $10 million mark, “2000 Mules” is now the most successful political documentary in a decade. I should know — it’s the most profitable and most talked about documentary since my own “2016: Obama’s America,” released 10 years ago in 2012.
– Dinesh D’Souza (@DineshDSouza) May 12, 2022
How great is that achievement?
Last year’s top-grossing documentary, “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” earned about half that amount.
The year before the pandemic hit, 2019, only a documentary that eclipses that total – “They Won’t Get Old” – $12 million.
How did “2000 Mules” do? The subject matter is of course the incendiary factor. Anything that explores the 2020 presidential results is sure to generate heat.
D’Souza brings a sizable fan base to his work, hone in on earlier hits like “2016: Obama’s America” ($33 million) and “America: Imagine a World Without Her” (14 million dollars).
D’Souza predicts his film will face the wind of censorship from brick-and-mortar stores like iTunes, Facebook, Twitter and Google. So he completely ignored them, sell movies through Locals.com and Rumble.
These newer platforms include freedom of speech and feature far less censorship than other major Tech giants.
Result? One of the biggest cinematic surprises of 2022, or any other year, for that matter.
“2000 Mules” has been Non-stop reality check by partisan media. D’Souza hit back on social media.
However, most documentaries receive little or no fact-checking.
Audiences may or may not like “2000 Mules”. A tally of the film’s finances, just a week after its digital release, shows that Hollywood’s rules have changed dramatically.
