“2016: Obama’s America,” the hit documentary critical of President Obama’s record, is getting a last-minute digital push in Spanish in a bid to boost Mitt Romney’s chances ahead of the Nov. 6 election, the producers of the movie told TheWrap on Friday.
The producers, who already have digital distribution in English with Lionsgate, have struck a new deal with digital company Yekra to release it in Spanish on Friday.
"We’re just finalizing the link — it’s ready to go," said another individual working on the film. The streamed version in Spanish will cost $2.99 and will be aimed at independent voters in Spanish-speaking communities.
Saturday update: The deal for the Spanish streaming was delayed, and the initiative was not yet in place, producers told TheWrap.
Lionsgate released the movie on DVD, video-on-demand and streaming platforms like iTunes and Amazon in mid-October.
Also read: '2016: Obama's America': What the Surprise Right-Wing Hit Says About the Election
The producers hope to swing any remaining independent voters in a race that is neck-and-neck for the two candidates.
A Lionsgate spokesman told TheWrap: “This is commerce for us, not taking sides politically. We’re proud to have released the two highest-grossing political docs of all time, ‘Fahrenheit 911’ and ‘Obama 2016.’”
“2016: Obama’s America,” based on Dinesh D’Souza’s “The Roots of Obama’s Rage,” challenges the president’s record and foretells what the nation will be like if he is reelected. Both the Associated Press and the president’s website questioned its many assertions, prompting D’Souza (pictured above) to fire back in an op-ed with TheWrap.
Also read: '2016' Co-Director Dinesh D'Souza: 'How I Earned Obama's Rage'
The film has been an unexpected success story, grossing more than $33 million at the domestic box office with a reported budget of $2.1 million. With its catchphrase, "Love Him. Hate Him. You Don't Know Him," it long ago surpassed "Bully" as the year's top-earning documentary.