From Variety:
"We're expecting admissions of over 100,000 in both Lebanon and the U.A.E.," says Hiyam Itani of Circuit Empire, which is handling the pic for Fox in the Mideast. "People are really interested in it. They can relate to the story and the religious aspects. After all, it happened here."I know what you're thinking...Yeah! Finally, a movie from Hollywood that the terrorists will like! That's what I'm afraid of...
But the film has also been dogged in recent months by accusations that it short-shrifts real history. Jonathon Riley-Smith, one of Britain's leading authorities on the Crusades, labeled it "Osama Bin Laden's version of history" and said, "It will fuel the Islamic fundamentalists." Islamic professor Khaled Abu Fadl of the U. of California accused the film of "teaching people to hate Muslims."
