GORE WATCH: Inconvenient Truth Opens in 100 More Cities Over Weekend; Ranks As 7th Top Grossing Documentary of All Time

The real test as to whether Gore’s Inconvenient Truth can capture a mass audience takes place over the next two weeks. The film opened in a 100 new theaters this past weekend, bringing its total to 514 theaters across 40 cities. (By comparison, the comedy Nacho Libre played in over 3,000 theaters.)

With the greater number of venues, Truth averaged $3,700 per screen, down from $4,700 the weekend before, and down from the stunning $70,000 average when it opened in just four theaters on May 24. According to BoxOffice Mojo, Truth earned $1.9 milion over the weekend, ranking it 14th among movies in release.

And since its May 24 opening, Truth has earned in total $9.5 million, ranking it 7th among documentaries historically, just behind Super Size Me at $11 million, but well behind the $119 million earned by Fahrenheit 9/11.

Remember, as I have pointed out previously, the audience for Truth is likely to be small and to be highly self-selective, drawing audiences already concerned about climate change. The real impact of Truth will come from its ability to shape media attention and framing.