Indian American's anti-Obama film a box office hit

An anti-Obama documentary, directed by an Indian American filmmaker, has become the most successful documentary of all time by outperforming Hollywood films like 'Sparkle' and 'The Apparition'.

The film, "2016: Obama's America", directed by Indian American Dinesh D'Souza, a former staffer of President Ronald Reagan, took in USD 6.5 million to land at No 7 at last weekend's domestic box office.

It had gathered the cumulative revenue of USD 10.3 million from 1091 locations, since its release on August 24. With its catchphrase, "Love Him. Hate Him. You Don't Know Him," the movie, which explores the roots of President Barack Obama's political views, burned past the per-screen average of the "Expendables 2".

Based on the D'Souza's book "The Roots of Obama's Rage," the an hour-and-a-half-long documentary portrays a gloomy future if Obama is re-elected. The documentary claims Obama inherited a left-wing, anti-colonialist world view from his father - whom he barely knew - and that if re-elected he would turn to socialism and bankrupt the United States.

Despite its anti-Obama tone, the filmmakers said they only received funding from private investors, not the Republican Party. They said that the movie's proceeds are not headed to Republican challenger Mitt Romney's campaign.

The film is co-directed by D'Sousa with John Sullivan and produced by Gerald Molen. Molen is a Hollywood veteran who produced "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List." D'Sousa, who moved to America in 1978, brings his words to the screen by serving as documentary's narrator.

The documentary may have done well at the box office but it has not found favours with critics. Newsday's Rafer Guzman called it an "attempt at character assassination." The Los Angeles Times' Betsy Sharkey said it was a "sluggish film" whose "outrage falls flat."

The     Variety review noted, "There's no gainsaying the value of '2016' as a sort of Cliffs Notes précis of the conservative case against the re-election of our current US president."