'Reagan' Movie Surprises at Box Office, Scores 'A' Rating With Audiences

The recently released film "Reagan" has outperformed expectations at the box office, raking in over $10 million in ticket sales through Labor Day weekend.

Although critics were generally not favorable towards the Ronald Reagan biopic, starring Dennis Quaid, audiences embraced it.

Only 18 percent of professional critics gave the movie a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but 98 percent of everyday viewers enjoyed it.

CinemaScore revealed that audiences awarded the film an "A" grade, putting it in the same category as "Deadpool and Wolverine," which dominated the weekend box office, and ahead of "Alien: Romulus," which received a "B+".

Overall, "Reagan" ranked third in weekend ticket sales, following "Deadpool" and "Alien," according to Variety.

The Associated Press noted that "Reagan" surpassed sales projections going into the Labor Day weekend, which is typically not a significant time for movie releases.

With a budget of approximately $25 million, this independent film is poised to turn a profit in the coming weeks at the box office, bolstered by a likely strong performance in the home video and on-demand markets.

"Reagan" chronicles the life of the 40th president, from his early years in Dixon, Illinois, to his legendary presidency.

The cast includes Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan and Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich, a former KGB agent, who narrates the story by illustrating Reagan’s role in the fall of the Soviet Union.

The movie draws its inspiration from the 2007 book "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism" by Paul Kengor.

The film highlights Reagan’s determination to combat communism both domestically and internationally, a drive rooted in his Christian upbringing and his early encounters with it during his career in Hollywood, particularly as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

The subject matter of "Reagan" resonates strongly today, especially with the nation in an election season and issues such as the economy, domestic unrest, and formidable adversaries like communist China and Iran taking center stage.

Quaid shared with Blaze Media host Glenn Beck that portraying Reagan "was the scariest role of my life. It’s now my favorite movie that I’ve ever done."

The actor also mentioned that Reagan was his favorite president.

Quaid first became politically aware of Reagan in 1964 when Reagan delivered his iconic speech "A Time for Choosing" in support of Republican Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign. This speech marked the beginning of Reagan’s political career, eventually leading to his governorship of California in 1966 and his presidency in 1980.

Quaid recalled hearing the speech on the radio while driving through Texas with his father.

In that speech, Reagan famously declared, "You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right. Well, I’d like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There’s only an up or down – [up] man’s old-aged dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism."

Reagan passionately urged, "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We’ll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we’ll sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness."

Quaid remarked, "It really is an incredible speech."

Now, with audiences responding positively to his latest film, Quaid added, "[Reagan] was probably my biggest hero... He won the Cold War."