Controversial 9/11 pic "United 93" has proved an unexpected hit in the Mideast. Pic opened to stellar business in the United Arab Emirates where it grossed close to $200,000 opening week, a particularly impressive figure given its challenging subject matter and competition for auds from soccer's World Cup.
Furthermore, the pic has cleared censors across the region, including the rest of the Gulf and notably Lebanon, which earlier this year failed to approve "Syriana" on account of its politically sensitive subject matter. In fact, Lebanese censors cleared pic to pass uncut even though "United 93" depicts lead terrorist on board the ill-fated flight,
Ziad Jarrah, who was of Lebanese origin.
"The film shows what happened. It's not controversial the way 'Munich' was," commented
Salim Ramia, head of Gulf Film, which is repping pic in the Mideast. "It's a true story."
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