That's no way to treat “The Zipper,” the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
Several theaters in New York City and much of the metropolitan area did not show “Reagan,” the new movie about the conservative icon and actor, which Republicans blamed on “liberal bias.” They claim it is an act of censorship.
The few theaters that showed the film were limited to showing it once or twice a day.
“Ronald Reagan was one of the most successful presidents in history, and they're trying to censor his success,” said John, a Republican pollster who worked for a firm that polled President Reagan in the 1980s.・Mr. McLaughlin said.
He said the limited distribution is because the movie about the popular Republican president, who won reelection in the 1984 election by a landslide, winning 49 of the 50 states. He suspected it was due to liberal concerns that it would benefit Donald Trump.
“Make no mistake, it's a liberal bias, it's a Democratic bias…It's the big tech companies and the big media that don't want to do anything to help Donald Trump,” McLaughlin argued.
The film stars Dennis Quaid as Reagan, Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Jon Voight as a KGB agent, and Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Reagan's first wife. It was first released in theaters just before Labor Day.
Mr. Quaid, a conservative, claimed there was an attempt to “cancel” him in playing Mr. Reagan.
The actor spoke at a Donald Trump rally in California on Saturday.
Gerald Cassar, chairman of the state Conservative Party, said he was surprised by how few theaters were showing the film, especially in his Brooklyn district.
“It's ironic that movies about Ronald Reagan have a hard time getting into theaters,” he said, noting the period when Reagan appeared on the big screen before entering politics. .
“This is the year of the president. That's liberal bias. That's anti-conservative bias,” Kasser said.
Reagan earned the nickname “The Zipper” for his first major role as an actor, playing seriously ill football player George Gipp in the 1940 classic film Knute Rockne – All American.
Bedridden Gipp, known as the Gipper, appealed to his college teammates to win a football game in his honor.
In the film, President Reagan says, “If you win one, you get a zipper.”
Sean McNamara's “Reagan'' has been the subject of controversy even before it hit theaters.
When the film was about to be released, producers were concerned about whether Facebook and Instagram would allow promotion and advertising for the film, given its political subject matter.
Craig Shirley, a Reagan biographer and film history consultant, said the biopic did well in suburbs and rural areas, but may have hit a wall in liberal-leaning enclaves like New York City. .
“I think there was some resistance. There was some awakened resistance,” Shirley said.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Sicily/Brooklyn) believes politics limited the distribution of “Reagan” in the Big Apple.
“Reagan was one of the greatest presidents this country has ever had, and his loss to Jimmy Carter was no different than an election campaign today. security, a prosperous economy, and affordability,” Malliotakis said.
“I'm sure a lot of theaters in liberal New York didn't show this movie because history repeats itself. Democrats created the mess, and it takes Republicans like Trump to clean it up.” I hope no one realizes that I need it.”
Mark Joseph, founder and CEO of MJM Entertainment Group, which produced President Reagan, declined to comment.
Distribution company ShowBiz Direct also declined to comment.
