Quaid was baffled. “Ronald Reagan hasn’t been on the ballot for 40 years,” he remarked, likely while shaking his head and muttering something about how social media is ruining society. But the damage was done. Facebook wouldn’t allow the film to promote itself with its inspirational message: “Don’t let anyone tell you that America’s best days are behind her — that the American spirit has been vanquished.” To Meta, that was a bit too close to election interference.
Of course, the irony of blocking a movie about a president from the 80s while allowing 24/7 political ads from every modern-day candidate seemed to be lost on Meta. But Reagan didn’t need Zuckerberg’s platform. It turns out that when you ban something, people just want to see it more.
Here’s where the story takes a triumphant turn. Despite being effectively ghosted by Hollywood elites and blocked by social media giants, Reagan found its audience—and what an audience it was. In Middle America, from the Bible Belt to the Rust Belt, theaters were packed with viewers eager to relive the story of the man who famously told Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” Even international markets embraced the film, with surprising box office success in countries like Japan and South Korea, where Reagan’s role in ending the Cold War still resonates.
By the end of its opening week, Reagan had topped the global box office charts, surpassing the latest superhero flicks and summer blockbusters. It was the ultimate underdog story: a biopic about a conservative icon becoming a worldwide sensation despite being shunned by the very industry that’s supposed to make such movies successful.
Meanwhile, Hollywood insiders were left stunned. How did this happen? How did a film that they’d written off as “niche” and “outdated” suddenly become the #1 movie in the world? Surely it was a fluke, they thought, or the result of some shadowy cabal of Reagan enthusiasts buying up tickets to rig the numbers.
But the truth was far simpler: Reagan resonated with people. Love him or hate him, Ronald Reagan remains a larger-than-life figure who still captivates audiences—and in a world that’s becoming increasingly divided, his story of resilience, optimism, and belief in the American Dream was a welcome reprieve.
Of course, Hollywood will probably continue to ignore the film’s success. They’ll chalk it up to “nostalgia” or dismiss it as a “right-wing phenomenon,” but the numbers don’t lie. In a landscape where movies are often more about pushing messages than telling stories, Reagan stood out by doing the one thing audiences still crave: it entertained.