13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers , Michael Bay’s film about the 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya, is enjoying a huge spike in home video sales thanks, apparently, to Donald Trump and his criticism of Hillary Clinton’s role in the tragedy.
13 Hours did OK at the US box office when it was released last January, earning $52.9 million. But its distributor Paramount has been taken aback by the fact that since it was released digitally in May, and on Blu-ray/DVD in June, the film has grossed almost $40 million, a colossal return for its home video release (digital purchases are around $7.1 million, digital and physical rentals are at $20.2 million, and $13.5 million is from Blu-ray and DVD sales.)
Although 13 Hours does not mention Hillary Clinton or President Obama and director Bay has been at pains to stress it doesn’t endorse a partisan political viewpoint, the film’s release coincides with a renewal of scrutiny over Clinton’s culpability for the attack in Benghazi.
The 2012 Islamic militant attack at the American diplomatic compound killed four Americans including Chris Stevens, US Ambassador to Libya. Mark Geist and John Tiegen, two security contractors depicted in 13 Hours, recently criticized Clinton at the Republican National Convention. Bob Buchi, Paramount’s president of worldwide home media distribution, told The Hollywood Reporter: “The movie is showing broad appeal because it’s based on a true story of American heroes.”
I feel Michael Bay is a Trump supporter.
— Kindrick❣ (@walllflowerlily) August 2, 2016
Michael Bay has never publicly endorsed the Republican Party. He told Mother Jones in 2013: “Yes, I am a political person, and I have my views about America. I’m very proud of my country; obviously it’s going through a lot of turmoil, and we have a very ineffectual government… it doesn’t matter at all [whether I’m liberal or conservative]—it’s not a part of what I do. I don’t feel the need to go out and tell people what to believe politically.”
But this hasn’t stopped from Bay’s films being interpreted by critics as being Republican in style and tone with some of them detecting conservative messages in Bay’s previous blockbusters such as Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Armageddon and Bad Boys 2.
Last June Trump’s son Eric Trump told Fox News about 13 Hours: “I think in order to vote in this next election, you should have to watch that movie”. Prior to the choice of Mike Pence as VP, the New Yorker published a satire piece joking that Donald Trump was choosing Bay as his running mate.
— MP3X08 (@Kanixtant) July 26, 2016
