Published 2006-08-22T00:00:00Z”/>

Callie Ziemer

When Sept. 11 is mentioned, I think of the World Trade Center collapsing, thousands of people dying and the families who were affected. I don’t think of the entertainment industry profiting from two motion pictures, “United 93” and “World Trade Center.”

There are large problems with turning the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center into entertainment.

First in my mind is how recent Sept. 11, 2001, was. People are still sensitive to what happened that unforgettable morning. In some aspects, five years is a long time. But as a national tragedy, it feels like a few days ago. The entertainment industry is taking advantage of people’s sensitivity to sell tickets.

When war or disaster movies are made, the purpose is to retell the story. Unless they were children at the time, I am fairly sure everyone remembers those details that they would rather forget. We do not need someone to tell us about the horrific and heroic events that occurred. We remember exactly what happened that day.

The movies “United 93” and “World Trade Center,” as of Saturday, have generated approximately $58 million, with “World Trade Center” only having been in theaters for a week and a half, according to rottentomatoes.com. These people are making money by selling tragedy as entertainment.

According to BBC News, 10 percent of the opening weekend profits will be donated to charity.

From my calculations, that is about $1.8 million. To a college student, $1.8 million is a significant amount of money. “World Trade Center” has already grossed more than $26 million, so $1.8 million seems kind of cheap.

When the United States started its various wars after Sept. 11, many people were upset that corporations such as Halliburton were overcharging the government for military logistic services and making a significant profit off the war.

There is a definite parallel between Halliburton and the entertainment industry. Both are making money by taking advantage of unfortunate events.

According to articles in Newsweek and on CNBC.com, Paramount is spending $63 million to make “World Trade Center” and another $35 million on the marketing campaign that targets teenagers and conservatives. If this movie is a memorial, why not instead spend a fraction of the $98 million on an actual memorial where families could visit and mourn their loved ones, rather than a memorial in the form of a shiny DVD you can obtain at any neighborhood Blockbuster?

People should know what happened that day, remember that day and realize we are probably not as safe as we perceive ourselves to be. I do not believe these things can be accomplished through the new Nicolas Cage movie.

Callie Ziemer can be reached at

<a href= “mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>