It may not be Harry Potter, but another film featuring a bespectacled protagonist is racking up strong pre-sales before its national roll-out this weekend.
“The Undefeated,” a glowing look at failed vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, has already sold out a show in Grapevine, Texas (population 46,000), according to the distributor Cinedigm.
Also read: Sarah Palin Banks on Bus Tour to Reclaim Her Right Wing Throne
Grapevine isn’t exactly a teeming metropolis, but the film is aimed to roll out across Tea Party country to 10 AMC theaters.
In addition to Grapevine, the documentary by conservative filmmaker Stephen K. Bannon will expand to Indianapolis, Ind.; Independence, Mo.; Kennesaw, Ga.; Houston, Texas; Orlando, Fla.; Oklahoma City, Okla.; Highlands Ranch, Colo.; Phoenix, Ariz.; and Orange, Calif.
But Palin haters take heart. A rival documentary by British filmmaker Nick Broomfield has been screening for buyers in Los Angeles recently and offers a sharply critical look at the right-wing lightening rod.
"The Undefeated," which charts Palin’s early years and rise to prominence after John McCain tapped her to be his running mate in 2008, premiered in the small town of Pella, Iowa on June 28.
Its debut in the key early primary state inspired speculation that Palin might use the premiere of “The Undefeated” to kick off a White House run. So far, however, Palin has refused to say if she will in fact challenge Barack Obama for the presidency in 2012.
Sounds like there's a whole heap of folks in Grapevine who hope she throws her hat in the ring.