'Unplanned' Movie Exceeds Expectations
04.04.2019
Despite an effective media blackout, and an over 18s rating, the new movie “Unplanned” opened in 5th place in US cinemas this past weekend and will expand to even more cinemas next weekend. The film doubled its projection for expected box office earnings – bringing in $6.1 million in its opening weekend despite a projection of $2-3 million. That came despite the fact that Twitter suspended the movie’s account, and major television networks rejected commercials promoting the film. Fox News reportedly was the only major network to agree to run the ads.
“We are very happy for the success of this film,” said Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott, the film’s distributor. “We hope that those on both sides of the debate will see Unplanned and begin to have their own dialogue. This film can be that spark to bring more hearts and minds to understanding the value of life. To bring the story of Abby Johnson to audiences and have them show up in such large numbers shows how the topic of abortion is so important to our nation.”
The film is the true story of Abby Johnson, a former rising star in the Planned Parenthood corporation. As one of the youngest abortion facility directors in the US, Johnson was involved in over 22,000 abortions and counselled countless women. Her passionate belief in “a woman’s right to choose” led her to become a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood, fighting to enact legislation for the cause she so deeply believed in, until the day she saw an ultrasound guided abortion that changed everything.
The film made national news last year when its lead actress Ashley Bratcher revealed that it wasn’t until she was on set and filming that she learned that when her mother was pregnant with her, she nearly aborted her. Controversy has subsequently dogged the film, first when it earned an R rating from the MPAA, then when several television and radio networks refused to air commercials for the film and most recently on Saturday when Twitter suspended the film’s page only to reverse itself an hour later after fan outcry and media inquiries.
Going into the weekend, trailer views for the film had reached a quarter of a million. By Saturday morning, after an evening of strong word-of-mouth, trailer views climbed to 1.7 million.
Life News. April 1. Unplanned Official Site.