Thatcher film less divisive than the Daily Mail thinks

ONE OF Margaret Thatcher's most ardent admirers appears to be making a determined effort to ensure her divisive legacy lives on. The Daily Mail claims that The Iron Lady is playing to huge audiences in the south of England and "virtually empty" cinemas in the north - despite fairly conclusive evidence to the contrary.

The Mail believes it has spotted a pattern in the regional box office breakdowns following the film's opening weekend, which saw it take £2.15 million.

Just under half of all sales of tickets to the film were bought in London and the southeast, which is home to 25 per cent of the UK population. In the capital's West End, many screenings were sold out such was the demand. Very impressive.

But elsewhere in the UK, the Mail says, people seem less keen on the film.

"Ticket sales indicate that feelings still run deep. Regions making up 5 per cent or less of The Iron Lady's weekend's takings included Tyne Tees - where it was shown at only 11 venues netting 2.2 per cent of gross earnings - Yorkshire, the West Country, Wales and Scotland."

Sounds convincing. Clearly in those regions where Thatcher was unpopular as PM, people are still so disgusted with her legacy that they are making a principled decision not to watch a film about her career.

There's only one problem: the box office takings are pretty much in keeping with the population distribution of the UK. Tyne Tees may account for only 2.2 per cent of the total - but then the population of the region accounts for a little over two per cent of the UK.

Wales, indelibly associated with Thatcher's campaign against the coal industry, may account for less than five per cent of The Iron Lady's box office takings - but then, Wales accounts for less than five per cent of the UK population.

As for Scotland, you need only glance at The Herald, which today published an article headed: "Thatcher film a hit in Scotland."

In fairness to the Mail, it wasn't the only paper to spot the potential for an article highlighting the North-South divide in affection for Thatcher.

Last week, The Guardian seized on comments published by The Shields Gazette, including that of Iain Malcolm, leader of South Tyneside council, who said: "I'm not interested in seeing a film about that woman. Although she was the first female PM, she did little or nothing for the women's movement and did not appoint a single woman to the cabinet."

As it turns out, the views of the Labour councillor were not shared unanimously by the wider public. Jamie Thomas, 22, of Claypool Court, South Shields, a customer advisor for B&Q, thought the film would give an insight into Thatcher and British life in the 1980s.

He told The Shields Gazette: "I am not really into politics, but I thought Meryl Streep was fantastic in Mamma Mia and some of her other films, including Death Becomes Her." ·