Two Americas of Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ

According to Sharon Waxman of the New York Times, while "'Fahrenheit' did sell out some movie houses in Republican-leaning states and military towns, including Fayetteville, N.C., and Oklahoma City," there exists "a sharp geographical divide" between the audiences of Fahrenheit 9/11 and The Passion of the Christ:

Nielsen EDI Inc., which tracks ticket sales, compiled data showing the 50 theaters around the country where each film earned the most money. . . .

The top theaters for "Fahrenheit" have been in urban, traditionally Democratic strongholds, including Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay Area, Chicago and Boston.

The highest grossing theaters for "Passion" were typically more suburban and far more widely dispersed, from Texas and New Mexico to Ohio, Florida and Orange County, Calif.

("Two Americas of 'Fahrenheit' and 'Passion,'" July 13, 2004)

The lesson for activists? Only by appealing to your base first and foremost, regardless of what the other America thinks, can you build a social force to reckon with, which alone can help you win new recruits.