Charlie StrossFeb 4
Melania makes just £33,000 at UK box office after near-empty screenings: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/melania-trump-movie-documentary-film-b2913744.html
Melania Trump movie fails to crack top 25 as documentary film flops in UK

Documentary, which cost Amazon a reported £54.6m, almost didn’t crack top 30 after sparsely attended showings

The Independent
Show threadChristian von Schack 🇳🇴
@cstross That’s rather more than I expected, to be honest
Feb 4 at 6:44pmWeb
Show threadOblomovFeb 4
@cschack @cstross apparently in the US they've been paying people 50$ plus the ticket if they attend and stay put for the whole movie. Wouldn't be surprised if they pulled similar stuff in the UK.
Show threadJeffFeb 4
@oblomov @cschack @cstross Filed under: every accusation is a confession. This time: the right wing accusing leftist protestors of being paid actors hired to show up and fill out attendance numbers...
Show threadRachel RawlingsFeb 4
@overeducatedredneck @oblomov @cschack @cstross I only read about it happening in Boston, but considering the number of times Trump went to Craigslist to fill out his crowds at campaign rallies it's no surprise.
Show threadSteve BellovinFeb 4
@oblomov @cschack @cstross I had the impression that that was a joke. The NY Times did report better-than-normal box office for a documentary (and here I use the word they used…). But their Sunday book review section uses a special footnote to denote reports of bulk purchases—I wonder if that needs to be done for movies like this, too.
Show threadCharlie StrossFeb 4
@SteveBellovin @oblomov @cschack It's a viable money-laundering tactic. Cf. political campaigns buying huge quantities of hardcover books ghost-written for their candidates and shoveling them into landfill. Gets bestseller list publicity, and a non-attributable donation.
Show threadKilla KoalaFeb 4
@oblomov I'll take their $50, as long as I can bring my favourite pillow and blanket with me.