Benghazi film flops at the box office

Michael Bay’s action movie about the Benghazi, Libya, terror attacks stumbled at the box office this weekend, opening at No. 4 in American theaters. 

{mosads}“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” opened with an estimated $19.6 million domestically, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

“American Sniper,” which opened the same weekend a year prior, pulled in a stunning $107.2 million, while “Lone Survivor” opened to $37 million in early January 2014. 

Bay’s last opening as a director — for “Transformers: Age of Extinction” — brought in more than $100 million.

“13 hours” was politicized by Republicans who slammed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the lapses in security at the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. 

The 2012 terror attacks left four dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

The film, however, does not refer to the current Democratic presidential candidate. Instead it focuses on the actions of six CIA contractors who rushed to the rescue as the compound came under attack. 

Republicans, including Clinton’s 2016 rival Donald Trump, arranged screenings of “13 Hours” last week. GOP Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) said the movie show’s Clinton’s “utter negligence” before the strike.

“The actions in the film highlight the utter negligence of Hillary Clinton’s State Department leading up to the Benghazi attacks,” Cotton said at a panel discussion in Washington.

“Hillary Clinton was negligent at a minimum in not ensuring that they were [granted extra security] … her conduct was grotesque,” he added.