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Every accusation is a confession. As a former theater operator, I can tell you from experience that the current right-wing conspiracy theory about The Odyssey’s ticket sales has currency because this is, in fact, how small ideologue studios juice their own numbers to make their sales seem strong.

Back in 2011 there was a small production of Atlas Shrugged. The studio bought out full auditoriums for weeks by buying blocks of tickets to give away to church and school groups. 10 am matinees on Wednesdays appeared sold out and not a single person would show up.

A small clarifying note: I say “the studio” buys tickets above because the studio and producers often coordinate these sort of bulk sales, but that doesn’t mean they alone do this. Often outside actors—deep pocketed individuals and institutions—step in and purchase ticket blocks as well.

What a tremendous waste

Money spent on the culture war is money well invested for them 🙃

it certainly creates the appearance of success for the financial backers, which is the real audience — the only ROI they're primed to expect is in influence, and you have a much easier time cooking the numbers to make a production seem more influential than it is than you do inventing profit

So well said and much plainer than I did. This is the point exactly. And because so much of this ideological worldview is about an imaginary outsized cultural influence—a silent majority—this is ultimately what really matters to them.