'Brokeback' Crossing Sexual (Preference) Divide

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From IMDB.com:

Brokeback Mountain continued to surprise analysts over the weekend as the so-called gay cowboy love story emerged once again as the highest earner on a per-theater basis among films showing on more than 50 screens. Brokeback earned $13,599 per theater, far surpassing the $9,305 for King Kong and $8,225 for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Brokeback is currently showing in only 217 theaters, roughly 7 percent the number that are showing the two box-office leaders. Although some analysts have maintained that the film is unlikely to attract an audience among straight males, Jack Foley, Focus Features' distribution chief, told the Associated Press that the movie "delivered very strong growth in what is truly a highly unforgiving, competitive, cruel market at this Christmas period. ... It showed it has breadth beyond the gay community." Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian said that the studio was wisely limiting its release to major cities and slowly expanding it. "This is a film that builds through word of mouth and critical acclaim," he said. Brokeback is leading the pack among critics groups handing out best-picture awards. Thus far, conservative religious groups have been loath to mount an attack on it, concerned that doing so would further publicize the film. But in a review the Christian Film & Television Commission, which calls itself "a ministry dedicated to redeeming the values of the mass media according to biblical principles," calls the film "twisted, laughable, frustrating and boring neo-Marxist homosexual propaganda."

Link here: http://imdb.com/news/sb/2005-12-29/#2