While liberal strongholds on the coasts seemed to yawn at the film’s release, the heartland of America, as well as international audiences from London to Tokyo, rallied behind the biopic, making Reagan a smash hit that no one—except maybe Ronald Reagan himself—could have seen coming.

For those who may not have tuned into the Labor Day weekend release, Reagan tells the inspiring story of the former president’s rise from humble beginnings to the Oval Office, a journey that—depending on who you ask—either redefined the conservative movement or is the reason for all that is wrong with the world today. Directed by Sean McNamara, the film stars Dennis Quaid as the iconic Gipper, Penelope Ann Miller as his devoted wife Nancy, and features a soundtrack by none other than country music legend Clint Black. It’s all wrapped up in a heartwarming narrative set against the backdrop of the Cold War—a time when politics, while still nasty, seemed somehow less… well, Twitter-like.

But here’s the kicker: Reagan has been lambasted by Hollywood’s glitterati since its inception. The film’s release was met with a digital cold shoulder from major studios, with whispers that it didn’t fit the “progressive” tone Hollywood aims to project in 2024. According to insiders, film execs cringed at the idea of a Reagan biopic, fearing it might reignite the nostalgia for a conservative era that they’d rather forget.