‘Midway’ Wins Veteran’s Day Weekend Box Office

Lionsgate’s epic American wartime drama “Midway” was released in theaters Veteran’s Day weekend, becoming the number one film in the country. The movie highlights the 1942 air and sea battle that occurred six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and marked an early victory for the allied forces. The film’s all-star cast includes Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson, Nick Jonas and Mandy Moore. Roland Emmerich, best known for “Independence Day,” directed.

In an article titled, “5 Reasons You Need to See ‘Midway,’ Military.com wrote: “Midway” offers something for everyone: historical heroes, American families holding down the home front, and well-choreographed action scenes and explosions that will have you guessing what’s real and what is VFX.” The film earned an “A” CinemaScore from audiences.

As a German, whose family were not members of the Nazi party, Emmerich was able to bring a unique perspective to this WWII film. “Midway” effectively humanizes both sides of the conflict, highlighting the fact wars between countries are fought by people that might not support the objectives of those making the decisions. The film also focuses on the courage required to die for a country whose leaders will likely never make the same sacrifice.

Additionally, the film is unique for the WWII genre because it focuses on the Pacific campaign. “The Pacific campaign is long and complicated, and gets overshadowed, in our attention, by what was happening in with the Nazis in Europe,” says screenwriter Wes Tooke. “But it’s an amazing comeback story. I hope that the movie relaunches an interest in learning about Midway.”

You can see “Midway” in theaters now and available from Swank soon.