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| "White House Down" slammed by Conservatives. |
"White House Down" earned a
disappointing $24.8 million during its opening weekend (less, as it
turns out, than "Battleship" did after its debut), and now conservative pundits are cheering the
film's failure as a victory.
"In the eyes of Hollywood, the
military is an all-white, all-male organization so dedicated to unfocused
imperialism that it is willing to commit mass murder of fellow Americans for
the chance to die in some Middle East hellhole," wrote Townhall.com columnist Kurt
Schlichter about the plot of "White House Down," which
finds the president (played by Jamie Foxx) under literal siege after a group of
old, white conservative politicians become unhappy with his decision to
withdraw troops from the Middle East. "Who needs to risk getting a
mouthful of fist by spitting on our soldiers in-person when you can do it
safely from on-screen? If you spend one damn cent on this crap, you’re spitting
on our troops too." Schlichter, it should be noted, wrote that he didn't
actually see "White House Down."
One conservative reviewer who did,
however, was Christian Toto. Writing for Brietbart, Toto noted that "White House
Down" furthers director Roland Emmerich's "ideological
sludge" while also slamming "conservatives, the 'military industrial
complex,' defense contractors and any politician who thinks it might not be
wise to withdraw all troops from the Middle East." The headline on Toto's
review calls "White House Down" "unrelenting liberal propaganda."
For his part, Emmerich -- who
previously directed "The Day After Tomorrow," a global warming
cautionary tale masquerading as a summer blockbuster -- was prepared for
attacks from the right.
Emmerich told HuffPost Live that he
was "excited" about the prospect of bad reviews from Fox News,
and that he would even go on the network to discuss "White House
Down" if someone called. "To promote the movie, I will talk to
everybody," he joked. Not that he was waiting by the phone: Emmerich said
he was banned from the network after "Day After Tomorrow" was
released.
Perhaps in response to the slings
and arrows from conservative pundits, Sony announced Tuesday that all active
military personnel and veterans will be able to see "White House
Down" for free on July 4 -- at least while ticket supplies last.
“We think 'White House Down' is the
summer’s best action movie," Rory Bruer, president of worldwide
distribution for Sony Pictures, told THR in a statement.
"[Seeing 'White House Down'] is a great way to celebrate the holiday and
to honor and thank the troops for their service to our country."
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Channing Tatum Jamie Foxx
FILE
- In this undated publicity photo provided by Sony Pictures
Entertainment, Channing Tatum, left, and Jamie Foxx, center, star in
Columbia Pictures' "White House Down," directed by Roland Emmerich. (AP
Photo/Sony Pictures Entertainment, Reiner Bajo)
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows, from left, Nic Wright, Joey King and Channing Tatum in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows Maggie Gyllenhaal in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows Channing Tatum in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows Jamie Foxx, left, and Channing Tatum in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows Channing Tatum in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| This film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures shows Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum, left, in a scene from "White House Down." (AP Photo/Sony Columbia Pictures, Reiner Bajo) |
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| White House Down" Washington DC Premiere
WASHINGTON,
DC - JUNE 21: Jamie Foxx attends 'White House Down' Washington DC
Premiere at AMC Georgetown on June 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo
by Larry French/Getty Images)
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"White House Down" Washington DC Premiere
WASHINGTON,
DC - JUNE 21: Channing Tatum, (L), Jamie Foxx, (C) and Roland
Emmerich, (R) attend 'White House Down' Washington DC Premiere at AMC
Georgetown on June 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Larry
French/Getty Images)
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