Michael Moore Miffed His Film Isn't Showing in Flint

Michael Moore says he was quite bothered to discover that his new film, "Where to Invade Next," that debuted on Friday in select theaters, isn't showing in his hometown of Flint.

So Moore, who has been recovering from pneumonia, says he fixed it -- sort of, arranging for now for it to be shown in a theater a few miles outside Flint, in the upscale suburb of Grand Blanc, starting next Friday.

He explains on his site, MiichaeMoore.com.

I have heard from many of you in Flint that my movie is not playing there. I am so sorry that this happened. I just found out about it Wednesday night and was beside myself to learn that the distributor did this.

My assistant went down to their office yesterday to try and see what happened and when she got there the place was empty. Turns out they had all taken off to go to some festival in Europe. So, on her own, she tracked down a cinema chain in Michigan and convinced them to book my movie to open next Friday in Flint (it’ll be at the NCG Trillium, a few miles outside of town).

I know this isn’t her job or mine, but as I explained before, the distributor is new and just starting up. I keep calling them “the distributor” instead of by their name because they don’t have a name yet – that’s how new they are. So, like with this kerfuffle, I’ve had to do a bunch of the work myself, which I’m guessing probably contributed to me being run down. That and a dozen other things, I suppose. I’m feeling better today, and am getting better with each day.

When I heard from someone at “the distributor” as to why they snubbed Flint, he told me the reason Flint wasn’t booked was that the theaters there had “low” grosses – in other words, there wasn’t much money to be made in Flint. Oh, really? What a surprise. It’s the second poorest city of its size in the country – of course they have “low grosses.”

Not to mention no clean water to drink. At the very least, don’t they deserve to go to the movies, especially to a movie made by one of their own? Jesus. The distributor, sensing I might have taken some offense to this slight, did offer to set up a booking next week, but my assistant has taken care of it. They do mean well. They just have a lot on their plate. My apologies to the people in Flint. I promise, when I am well, to get back there, secure a facility in the inner city, and have a big free screening for everyone.

Moore also writes that he's thrilled the film is doing well:

It turns out, despite me being bedridden with pneumonia, and a deep freeze east of the Mississippi that brought 100-yr record lows and kept millions of people home, tens of thousands came out to the theaters last night to see my new movie. Here’s how the Hollywood trade publication DEADLINE reported it:

“Here’s something to put a smile on Michael Moore’s face while he’s battling pneumonia in the hospital: His latest documentary ‘Where To Invade Next’ is set to pull in the biggest limited opening (box office) of his career.”