LOS ANGELES – What do Shrek, Spider-Man, (search) Michael Moore (search) and Harry Potter have in common? They all produced $100 million movie hits this summer.
Moore's condemnation of President Bush's actions regarding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" (search) had a weekend haul of $5 million to lift its total to $103.35 million since opening in late June.
The previous best domestic gross for a feature-length documentary was $21.6 million for Moore's Academy Award-winning "Bowling for Columbine." That film took nine months to hit that level, while "Fahrenheit 9/11" did more business, $23.9 million, in just its first weekend.
The polarizing effects of Sept. 11 and its aftermath, with Americans bitterly divided over Bush's invasion of Iraq, have boosted the public's appetite for political documentaries such as "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Control Room" (search) and "Outfoxed," Moore said.
"It's really cool now to talk about politics, and this is the first time I've seen this happen in decades, really," Moore said Sunday. "Being apathetic right now is very uncool."
The real effect of "Fahrenheit 9/11" will be to encourage Americans normally disinterested in politics to participate this fall, Moore said.
"I believe the film is going to bring hundreds of thousands of people to the polls who otherwise were not going to vote," Moore said. "I think it's going to have a tremendous impact in that way."
Moore said he had hoped to have "Fahrenheit 9/11" out on DVD before the November election, but that the film could continue to play in theaters through year's end and into 2005.
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