Weigel

That was better than a lot of people expected for a critically panned, done-in-a-hurry adaptation of Ayn Rand's novel. The film, made for around $10 million of donations and John Agliaoro's own money, made $1.7 million across 300 theaters, and over the weekend its producers stepped up a campaign to get in booked in more theaters. (It made around $5,600 per screening, indicating a bunch of sell-outs.)

If the film makes enough money, the producers planned to carve the rest of the novel into two sequels. We'll get a better sense soon of whether they're on target. Key to the plan: the "strikers," fans of the film cultivated over an e-mail list, encouraged to tell friends to see the movie and talk about it online. For now, take a look at where the film was playing. Look at all the screenings in "red" America, including multiple shows in Tulsa.