Apollo 11, the Sundance Grand Prize nominated documentary that covers the story behind the first moon landing, opened wide in 405 theaters last Friday.
It kind of snuck up on me. There wasn’t much fanfare for the release and when I checked Box Office Mojo just a couple weeks ago it still didn’t have a date or a theater count.
But it’s out now.
We all know the story. The mission was watched by 20% of Earth, more than 720 million people, at a time when less than 50% of people on the planet even had electricity.
In the following 50 years, it’s probably become the most reported on, viewed and discussed single event in human history, with the possible exception that unpleasantness in 2001.
The documentary itself is getting very good reviews with a 100% (9.3) Critics Score and a 94% (8.8) Audience Score on the faithless and accursed Rotten Tomatoes.
It’s also a MetaCritic Must See with an unheard of 92% rating.
Some of the adjectives used by critics to describe viewing the movie are breathtaking, definitive, awestruck, etc. and this really comes across in the trailer:
I think we owe it to the filmmakers and the real NASA to see something of this scope and majesty on the big screen. We owe it to the people who came together, not in protest, not in war, but to explore the limits of human endeavor.
I also think that the more we see movies like They Shall Not Grow Old and Apollo 11 in movie theaters, the more movies like this will be made and released in theaters.
450 theaters are enough to easily cover your local market. In my small college town, it’s playing at two different theaters starting at 10AM. There is no excuse.
The movie might not be in theaters this coming weekend, so go this week.
Now, I Can’t Make You Do It
You got to look at your wife or girlfriend next to you. Look into her eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a girl who will go to this movie with you. You’re gonna see a woman who will sacrifice herself to watch it on that big screen with you because she knows when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same with her for The Lion King!
Or maybe just go see it while she’s at Target.
That’s the silver screen, gentleman! That’s movies. That’s all it is.
Now, what are you gonna do?
