Chapter 251: Reaganism I

$54,509,462 in the box office was pretty phenomenal… in about 17 days no less. That's got to be a record in itself!

It had to be known that Creed Pictures' initial budget for things was just a whole 50 million dollars… for the entire trilogy. How absurd was it to already be topping that with just one film?

Granted, the cost and expenditures for the entire back-to-back-to-back production had shot up due to varying factors… but everything was already going extremely well!

Back-to-back-to-back filming may just be the smart way to go.

Anyways, as much as that is something to be celebrated though… the thing that Alexander and Old Sullivan and even other interested parties were fixating on… was Reagan's involvement.

That entire expose about his reactions to Back to the Future wouldn't have gotten out as long as the powerful president wills it to not be publicized. This meant that the release was intentional and could probably be Reagan's intention.

With that said… conspiracies and a lot of second-guessing had to be done as to why Reagan had done such a thing.

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"The president is a pretty chill guy, isn't he?" Alexander could only comment with that as he was in his usual boss-level discourse with his grandfather… and their point of interest this time around would be what Reagan had done for them.

"Chill?" Old Sullivan was confused. He saw no indication that Reagan was a rather cold man like this grandson of his. "Reagan may be an actor whose actions can be perceived as duplicitous due to his previous occupations but he is sure to be relatively normal and not as chill as you had been, Alex."

"…" Alexander was quite confused by that response as well. Still, it can be noted that the old Creed was still quite irked by that gloomy cold countenance that the young Creed had exhibited.

Of course, it was just a matter of time before Alexander remembered that his word usage seems to be quite displaced in time.

'Chill out' was the one that's somewhat used in this era. The 'chill' slang still hasn't been prevalent yet and it would be especially confusing when used against the established elderly like his grandfather. Granted, he wouldn't be the first elderly to be taken aback by the advancement of time.

"Don't mind that… just take it as me referring to his cool and breezy decision to help us out." He saved his slang blunder with that…

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Old Sullivan digressed. "It may seem like he's helping out but it may just be about helping himself."

"Did you have something to do about this baffling support on the film, then?" Alexander was quite curious about this. "Could it be that old actor Reagan owes you a favor or you have some dirt on him? Then, you balanced it all out with this Back to the Future backing."

Old Sullivan didn't know how to react to that. "I know you are quite a creative genius but my regretful time in the Hollywood industry isn't as colorful as that. I met stars and all that… but I'm not too chummy with them."

Alexander could only relent at that. "I really thought you were the one that pulled some strings to make this happen?"

Given the old Creed's track record so far… Alexander wouldn't discount the absurd possibility of this old British man sitting down with Reagan and all that. "I even assumed that if it isn't you… then it may be some of your friends that made it happen."

"As interesting as that may be… don't overestimate me much, Alex." Old Sullivan corrected. "I may have connections… but not at that level."

"Then what makes you so sure of Reagan's motive for helping us out is to help himself?" Alexander asked clearly as this was the crux that a lot of people wanted to find out.

Old Sullivan smirked at that. "The answer is simple really… and it's Reaganism!"

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Alexander wasn't really on board with that but he also knew where his grandfather got that idea though.

Conspiracy theorists and notable people had also come to that conclusion too. It became prevalent in newspapers these past few days that Old Sullivan may have really taken those assumptions to heart.

As for why Reaganism became tied to what Reagan had done… a lot of articles and much-articulate people had blasted news sections with their reasonings, of course with Back to the Future becoming a medium in all of it.

Critics, Justin Chang and Mark Olsen, suggest the film can be seen as promoting Reaganism—the political position of president Ronald Reagan—which endorses older values of the American dream, initiative, and technological advancement.

The Hill Valley of 1985 is depicted as run down and in decay, while in 1955 it is presented as a more simplistic and seemingly safer time, seen through a nostalgic lens.

Marty's future is bettered because he goes back to 1955 and teaches George to be more assertive and self-reliant; his initiative leads to a more prosperous future for Marty with materialistic rewards.

These critics didn't fail to add in their usual film "criticism" as well… as they pointed out that the film uses many brand names of the time, ostensibly to make the setting more realistic—such as Mountain Dew, Pepsi, and Texaco—but the filmmakers received financial compensation from the brand owners, making their inclusion promotional and commercialistic instead of artistic.

This last point was about artistic integrity and doesn't really point much to Reagan and Reaganism at all… it's just critics that had their way of creatively educating the masses on what they think is right.

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Then there's film studies lecturer Sorcha Ní Fhlainn that argues that many 1980s films resulted from the American public's desire for escapism from cultural anxieties and fears, including nuclear proliferation, unemployment, crime, growing inequality, and the AIDS crisis.

In her view, films like those of the Star Wars series and Back to the Future offered a childlike reassurance of safety and comfort, emphasizing idealized American values and the positive effects of instilling power in a patriarchal figure like George McFly or Darth Vader. Something that can be tied in with Reagan's former profession and current political view.

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An English professor, Susan Jeffords, then considered Doc Brown to be an analog for Reagan, a man who embraces technological advancement, who is in conflict with Libyan terrorists and provides the means for a failing family to better themselves.

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Then there's the point about the African-American character Goldie Wilson who is seemingly inspired to work towards becoming mayor by Marty's intervention, inspiring a Reagan-style initiative and self-reliance.

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Even though it really isn't apparent at Back to the Future's face value… a lot of things do point to Reaganism and Reagan must have read on that as well. It may have ultimately been what had led him to do what he'd done for the film.

Maybe the American president had just appreciated the film for its plot… but with what all these "experts" had drawn out… his simple gesture may have already ballooned to full support!

Alexander did know that all this Reagan drama would happen but he didn't expect that it would be as dramatic and effective as this.

Back to the Future benefited quite well from it… but it has also become a cesspool of something a bit too political for his tastes!