'Reagan' surpasses expectations with $9.2M opening weekend despite panning from critics

I'm hoping to see it.

I can't say I'm surprised. The target audience isn't really going to care if it's a good movie or not. Now I'm not making any judgments on it myself, but I'm saying that's why I think the poor critical reviews haven't stopped it from overperforming.

There are still a lot of people who believe Reagan was a good president, these might be the people attending. The way they portray him in our history in the movie might have a lot to do with them liking it.

I believe he was one of the worst presidents of our time. First, he conspired with Iran leaders to hold American hostages till after the presidential election to hurt President Jimmy Carter. He illegally sold weapons to our enemies, Iran, then gave the money to a very violent anti-Sandinista rebel group with the aim of overthrowing the socialist Nicaraguan government. He supplied aid to the death squads of El Salvador.
Reaganomics effectively destroyed the middle class by trickle-down economics, which never worked; we never recovered and are still suffering the ramifications of it today. His failure with the AIDS response, during his administration alone, 90000 people died. When his press secretary was first asked about AIDS, he laughed about it. Reagan refused to bring attention to the epidemic or use the power of his office to address it. His administration did nothing as the disease that spread through the LGBTQ community.

He stayed in office with dementia, endangering the American people. Reagan supplied Weapons for Saddam Hussein's Iraq to use against Iran. He removed the Fairness in Broadcasting Act. He was disassembling progressive taxation & safety net systems. His significant tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy, combined with reduced government spending on needed social programs at the expense of the poor and middle class, directly contributed to large budget deficits and the national debt. He politicized religion and extremists, leading to misogyny, extreme anti-abortion policies, and anti-gay sentiment to the forefront of politics. I didn't even mention his racism. If the movie treats him like corporate media, grading him on a curve, and doesn't cover these issues honestly, I have little interest in watching. Movies can be very influential, shaping opinions. I'm bothered by historical figures grossly missed portrayed in movies; some may believe it to be history.

Reagan didn't get Iran hostages freed in one day. He made a secret and illegal deal with the Iranian government to delay their release until after Carter had lost the election, in exchange for military supplies. This is the historical fact of the matter.