It is a huge disappointment for studio Sony and director Roland Emmerich, whose films are usually shoo-ins at the box office. But one particular group is grinning ear to ear at the failure of White House Down to pull in audiences: US conservative bloggers.

A torrent of gleeful comment has found its way on the web in the wake of the action movie's poor $24m opening at the US box office at the weekend, despite a high-profile cast that includes Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and current Hollywood high-flyer Channing Tatum. The source of conservative delight has been compiled by the Hollywood Reporter, and it appears to be the film's perceived liberal bias.

Emmerich's plot centres on an assault on the White House by a paramilitary group angry at US withdrawal from Iraq, a storyline that has gone down like a lead balloon with those on the right. "If you spend one damn cent on this crap, you're spitting on our troops," wrote US military veteran Kurt Schlichter at Townhall.com on Monday. "Repeat after me, conservatives: not one damn cent." He complained: "In the eyes of Hollywood, the military is an all-white, all-male organisation so dedicated to unfocused imperialism that it is willing to commit mass murder of fellow Americans for the chance to die in some Middle East hellhole."

Meanwhile, David Stein at Countercontempt.com described White House Down as "pure, 100% Obama porn", and Conservativetimes.org sneered "fortunately, the movie tanked", warning Hollywood: "You might want to consider not shoving your Blue sensibilities down their throats if you actually want them to see your movie."

White House Down may have suffered in the US due to its liberal leanings – surveys suggest conservatives are less likely to view movies that do not mirror their political sensibilities – but Emmerich's film has also received lukewarm reviews. At time of writing, it maintains a rating of 47% "rotten" on the reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the Toronto Star's David Edelstein opining: "White House Down has exactly what you'd expect from [Emmerich] and from the genre, only louder and dumber."

If White House Down has upset any members of the US military, Sony's decision to offer veterans and current armed forces servicemen free entry to see the movie on 4 July (US independence day) might help to turn the tide. The studio made the announcement yesterday to anyone showing a verifiable military identification badge at any Regal Entertainment Group, AMC, Cinemark or Carmike cinemas showing the film. Servicemen and veterans also get one guest.

White House Down hits UK cinemas on 6 September, and arrives in Australia one day earlier.