The Kermit Gosnell movie managed to break into the top 10 on its opening weekend by *Sunday at the box office according to Box Office Mojo, despite a menagerie of hurdles to get the film made, released and marketed.
“Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer,” which delves into the true story of the infamous crimes committed by West Philadelphia abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, began fundraising for the film four-and-a-half years ago.
Gosnell himself, presently serving three life sentences, was convicted of first-degree murder in 2013 for killing three babies during botched abortions. He was also convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Karnamaya Mongar and of performing illegal late-term abortion procedures.
In its current limited release, Gosnell, received from movie review user-generated website Rotten Tomatoes, a score of 67 percent. Its audience score gives the film 4.9 out of a 5 rating. However, many media outlets appear as uninterested in the film as they were when the actual Gosnell trial happened five years ago.
According to Philadelphia Magazine, as of last Friday morning, the sole Gosnell movie review that turned up in a Nexis newspaper search is that of the L.A. Times.
Facebook, The Federalist reported, prohibited the filmmakers of Gosnell to promote the movie on the social media platform.
National Public Radio refused to air the movie’s promotion because NPR prohibited the use of the terms “abortionist” and “abortion doctor,” The Daily Beast reported.
The Federalist reported last year that after research for the movie was put together in the form of a book, The New York Times kept it off its best-seller nonfiction list despite its successful sales. The judge on the Gosnell case itself sued the filmmakers in an attempt to stop its release.
“We are journalists and filmmakers and this is an incredible story. I’ve spent 25 years as an investigative journalist and this is one of the biggest stories I’ve ever worked on and it went largely unreported. This is a true story that was not reported on by the mainstream media in a meaningful way,” producer Phelim McAleer said of the censorship.
*This article has been edited to clarify that this film reached the top 10 at the box office on one (Sunday) over its opening weekend.