GO EARLY AND GO OFTEN
BY Tertius
Tuesday, May 23, 2000
While it may have been the most expensive movie made in Canada, not even a rumoured campaign by the Church of Scientology could make "Battlefield Earth" into a box-office hit.
The movie, starring John Travolta and adapted from a novel by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, has not proven to be a commercial juggernaut. Critically it has been slayed. Now _The Washington Post_ has reported that an e-mail message from the Church of Scientology urged followers to support the flick.
"Battlefield Earth MUST beat Gladiator on the first weekend it comes out. Anything after that doesn't count! So please pass on this message and let's fill the theatres . . . you can go more than once, you know!"
Travolta, himself a believer in Scientology, has denied that the film has anything to do with the organization. The movie earned $11.5-million (U.S.) on its opening weekend, but wound up well behind Gladiator.
Hubbard's book faced similar accusations to the film when it was published in 1982. Some bookstores were reported to be receiving single orders for as many as 800 copies, fuelling debate that the 'Church' was putting itself on the bestseller lists.
