Progressive Ruminations

"We sold out in Fayetteville, home of Fort Bragg," in North Carolina, Mr. Moore said on Sunday. "We sold out in Army-base towns. We set house records in some of these places. We set single-day records in a number of theaters. We got standing ovations in Greensboro, N.C.

"The biggest news to me this morning is this is a red-state movie," he said, referring to the state whose residents voted for George W. Bush in the 2000 election. "Republican states are embracing the movie, and it's sold out in Republican strongholds all over the country.

Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate, joined Moore on the conference call. "The film played brilliantly this weekend in the 'red states' and the 'blue states,' and the big towns and the small towns," he said. "We played in Peoria. We literally sold out Peoria, Illinois."

Surveys showed the audience was split evenly between male and female, and was predominantly over 25. The biggest demographic consisted of moviegoers aged 25 to 34. In exit polls conducted in about 15 cites, 91 percent of the audience rated the film "excellent," and 93 percent would "definitely recommend" it.

"It's mind-blowing how well this film has been received," said Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC, noting that exit polling for "Fahrenheit" was even better than for the 2002 surprise hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

But once "F9/11" gets to audiences beyond screenings, it won't be dependent on celebrities for approbation. It turns out to be a really brilliant piece of work, and a film that members of all political parties should see without fail.

Michael Freed said people should see the film, regardless of their political leanings. "You have no right to have an opinion unless you see the movie," said Freed, 51, of Plainview, who caught the movie in Farmingdale yesterday. "It's the same way people want to have an opinion about this country, but they don't vote."