Who Watched A24’s New War Movie Based On Politics Revealed In New Survey

Summary

• Based on a survey,
  Civil War
  ‘s audience leaned liberal and Democratic, with few Republicans.
• Despite its premise of a second civil war, the movie does not take a political stance, instead focusing on anti-war sentiments and journalist work.
• The movie’s ambiguous conflict warns about dictatorial leadership and militarized police, without clearly defining right or wrong sides.

A new survey examines who is watching A24’s Civil War based on their politics, and the results are quite surprising. Alex Garland directs the dystopian movie, which sees America in turmoil as a civil war breaks out in the country. The film plays out from the perspective of several photojournalists wading into the thick of the conflict to secure an interview with the President of the United States (Nick Offerman). Viewers are turning out to see the film, which opened at #1 at the box office. Now, one survey is examining who these audiences are.

A survey by Post-Trak (via Deadline) broke down Civil War‘s audience based on their politics. The survey found that the majority of viewers considered themselves as liberal (22%) or Democrat (19%). Meanwhile, 11% of viewers identified as moderate, while just 6% of audiences were registered Republicans. Another 6% identified as Evangelical Christians and 5% as politically conservative. The survey also found that the biggest markets were “LA, San Francisco, DC, Phoenix, Austin, including Navy hub San Diego and conservative market Denver.”

Is Civil War A Political Movie?

Civil War Does Not Define The Politics Of Either Side.

The issue at hand is that a dictatorial President serving his third term has instigated a full breakdown of political order in the country, giving way to violence.

The breakdown of the movie’s audiences by politics is indicative of how many perceive Civil War as being political. After all, it’s a movie about a second civil war breaking out on American soil at a time of division in the country. Hence, it was speculated that the movie was meant to reflect the current political polarization in the country, with even a presumed forewarning that a second civil war could spark in real life. It’s possible certain moviegoers opted out of seeing the film because they were concerned that it would choose a side or depict one side as the wrong one.

However, Civil War smartly chooses not to pick a side or focus on politics. Its main purpose isn’t to comment on or stir the polarization in America more. Instead, it largely serves as an anti-war message and highlights the work of war journalists. Meanwhile, the movie doesn’t clearly define the “sides” for viewers to take. The issue at hand is that a dictatorial President serving his third term has instigated a full breakdown of political order in the country, giving way to violence and the insinuated cause in Civil War.

The lack of side-choosing means the dispute at the movie’s center is largely ambiguous. It’s difficult for viewers to tell who is right or wrong, as the conflict is far from black-and-white. However, just because it’s not overtly political doesn’t mean there are no nods or warnings to relevant issues. The exploration of dictatorial leadership, militarized police force, and persecution of journalists are all relevant topics and warnings of what America could become in a worst-case scenario. Although politics may influence whether one sees Civil War, the movie isn’t political in the way one may think it is.

Source: Deadline