Director Rob Reiner‘s new movie Shock and Awe, about journalists during the Iraq War, debuted this weekend… to disappointing numbers.

According to the movie’s description on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is “based on the true events of Knight Ridder journalists who were the only ones who ‘got it right’ in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War when they questioned the true nature of the Bush White House’s justification for the conflict.”

Yet, you would be forgiven for not knowing that because this weekend practically no one bought tickets to see the film, which opened in limited release on July 13th.

According to Box Office Mojo, for the weekend of July 13-15th, Shock and Awe grossed a measly $41,000.

In contrast, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which topped ticket sales earned $44,100,00.

Now granted, the latter is a big budget kids movie, but in comparison, Shock and Awe earned about the same amount on its first weekend as Show Dogs did for the same period. That film has been running for 9 weeks and ranks 17 percent on the Rotten Tomatometer.

So far, the Tomatometer has Shock and Awe at 36 percent but with less than 30 reviews.

The critics have also been far less than complimentary.

“For all that, Shock and Awe (which was made available on demand prior to its theatrical release) is a slim, at-times too-obvious portrayal of an important story, as well as the fundamental calling of journalism when it comes to holding the powerful to account,” Bryan Lowry wrote for CNN.

He added about the flick: “By that measure, it’s an earnest but not particularly awe-inspiring as a movie, and even as a treatise on reporters doggedly pursuing the truth in the face of obfuscation and denials, nor is it especially shocking.”

Watch the trailer above, via Vertical Entertainment LA.

[image via screengrab]

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