Invisible Hand of the Free Market Crushes "Atlas Shrugged," Owners Blame Critics with Straight Faces

Funny stuff:

Twelve days after opening "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1," the producer of the Ayn Rand adaptation said Tuesday that he is reconsidering his plans to make Parts 2 and 3 because of scathing reviews and flagging box office returns for the film.

"Critics, you won," said John Aglialoro, the businessman who spent 18 years and more than $20 million of his own money to make, distribute and market "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1," which covers the first third of Rand's dystopian novel. "I’m having deep second thoughts on why I should do Part 2."

I how love movie-makers -- not just these movie-makers, but all of them -- blame critics when people don't like their entertainments. Just one of these days I'd love to see a producer lash out and say, "Frankly, the lead was too coked up to read his lines half the time, I only hired the hot chick because she blew me in my office during her audition and the director was an investor's nephew who never filmed anything more elaborate than cock shots with his iPhone. Why did I drop $20 million on this project? Because I'm a fucking idiot."

On a brighter note, the movie did provide someone with "deep thoughts" of some kind, so it has that going for it.

MORE: HotAir blames the poor box office on marketing problems:

The obvious Plan B here would be to reach out to prominent libertarians, starting with the Paul family, natch, and do whatever the producers are legally able to do to get them to help promote it. Rand Paul’s already regaling Senate committee hearings with paeans to his favorite Rand books; maybe it’s as simple as sending him a copy of the film (assuming he hasn’t seen it yet) and asking him to put out the word among the Paul army if he likes it. Say what you will about them, but devoted libertarians aren’t stingy when it comes to donating to causes they believe in. Or, if the Pauls are unavailable, the producers could wait a few months and then try to hire Gary Johnson to promote it. He should have plenty of free time by then.

Seriously? His idea is to hire a niche politician to sell the damn movie? Here's a much better idea: hire people who know how to make a fucking movie.

Shrugged apparently cost $20 million to make. This year's best picture Oscar winner, The King's Speech, cost $15 million. It's possible.