In this diary, we are shown that Michael Moore's Sicko is not doing as well at the box-office as Fahrenheit 911 did in 2004.
Well, whether you like it or not, the box-office numbers are not the only stats we should be looking at. On the "internets", Sicko looks like it could be creating "underground" American history.
See why after the fold...
At one of the most popular Bit-torrent sites (over 18 million files) where "movies" are actually free, the movie that wishes that health-care was free is hot.
Very hot.
And I mean the "good" kind of hot.
If numbers are anything to go by, Sicko is more than doubling the popularity of the number one best-selling DVD on Amazon.com.
My criterion is based on "seeds". In Bit-torrent talk, that means the number of full copies of the movie on peer-to-peer computers. And this does not include the number of copies not currently online
At 1:30 pm today (Sunday, July 1)...
For "Sicko": Over 26,000
For "300" (the number one best-selling DVD at Amazon.com): 12,000+
Now, whether you believe file-sharing is good or bad, these numbers cannot be ignored. Indeed, whether Sicko does well at the "box-office" is not telling the whole story. Whether you like it or not, the internet is revolutionizing the distribution process and is growing stronger every year. I would imagine the file-sharing community has grown by leaps and bounds since 2004 (when Farhenheit 911 hit the theatres). 3 years is an eternity online, afterall.
And, frankly, I see this as a positive thing for movies such as Sicko.
Sicko has more than made up it's overhead already and is going to make a ton for everyone involved. So, the fact that this is eating at the profits is not exactly a tear-jerker for me. The movie is already a riveting success. It will win awards and more money will flow.
And the ACTUAL distribution of this film will be more phenomenal than anything the corporate media tells you -- if the numbers I cited above are anything to go by.
The important thing here is "what do Americans do once they see the film"?
I think Americans should focus on the fact that this distribution is going critical mass and you now have a national consciousness on this issue like never before.
In other words, don't fall into this corporate trap (and that goes for you too, Michael :>)) of relying on the movie's "box-office" numbers as the ultimate measure of success.
The communication revolution of the century -- namely, the internet -- will ensure that this movie is part of American history. That is, if we follow the true measure of success.
And that is something all of us on the internet can be proud of.