“The Apprentice” will hit theaters before Election Day. Was that ever in doubt?
The film, which screened to positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, is Hollywood’s latest assault on President Donald Trump. The biopic recalls the relationship between the media mogul (Sebastian Stan) and lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).
The film’s initial release plan got ensnared in curious red tape. One of the producers, Daniel Snyder, balked at the movie’s anti-Trump bias.
Did he read the script or expect anything but a hit piece?
Plus, Team Trump threatened to sue the filmmakers for scenes he called outright false. That includes a sequence where Trump reportedly rapes then-wife Ivana Trump.
Now, Briarcliff Entertainment has bought the rights to the film and plans an Oct. 11 release date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hello, October surprise! Except it’s unlikely to move the cultural needle.
Why?
The film’s audience is already baked in. Any pro-MAGA types will steer clear of it. The rest of America? They’re already satiated with wall-to-wall Trump bashing on the news, late-night TV and social media. There’s little appetite for yet another Orange Man Bad screed, at least one you have to pay to see.
Opinions on Trump are set in stone by now. Love him? Hate him? One new film won’t change many hearts or minds.
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Chances are, the film will make little impact in theaters, either. Ideological films rarely do. Recall how “Truth,” the Dan Rather biopic defending his journalistic malpractice, died in theaters. Even Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9,” another Trump hit piece, couldn’t draw a crowd.
Anti-Trump director Rob Reiner’s “God & Country,” a documentary about so-called White Nationalism, bombed earlier this year.
Hard.
In a way, the new “Reagan” biopic is getting a similar response.
Deadline reports the film earned a tepid $525K in theaters Thursday. That means the film will make well under $10 million in its opening weekend. It might generate half that amount. barring a word-of-mouth surge.
Again, those who loathe President Ronald Reagan have little interest in a film toasting his life and legacy. Conservatives, often checked out of pop culture, are either too invested in President Donald Trump and the current campaign or fear any Hollywood-style product will torment Reagan’s legacy.
Both political sides are reticent to “send a message” by supporting a particular film in theaters.
“The Apprentice” will get plenty of media attention all the same. And it appears Briarcliff will promote the film as an awards season darling.
The worst thing for “The Apprentice’s” Oscar chances? Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, and the need to smite Trump wanes.
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