Harry Potter and the Order of the Palin

Sarah Palin’s documentary was defeated this weekend — by a kid wizard in glasses.

In fairness to Palin and the hagiographical film titled “The Undefeated,” it was an uphill climb for any movie this weekend, as the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga smashed all comers on its way to a weekend box office record. (Winnie the Pooh had the honey-glazed stuffing beaten out of him, for example.)

The Palin film, which chronicles her political rise in Alaska, opened in 10 markets this weekend (including a screening in Orange County that was attended by empty seats) and took in estimates say between $65,000 and $70,000.

By contrast, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” raked in $168.6 million, almost enough to cover the proposed increase in the federal debt ceiling.

That’s not a fair comparison, of course. Potter opened in 4,375 theaters, and according to Box Office Mojo, that amounted to more than $38,000 per theater. “The Undefeated” averaged $6,700 per cinema.

The Times’ “24 Frames” blog calls that a “small number for a limited-release movie.” The Hollywood Reporter termed the showing “so-so.”

The Atlantic, which brought in its own box office expert, labeled the film “a bust” and compared it unfavorably to other politically charged movies such as “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “The Passion of the Christ.”

The film’s per-theater tally tracks very closely to that of “Atlas Shrugged,” an adaptation of the Ayn Rand novel that was marketed in similar conservative circles earlier this year. Does that mean that, like Palin herself, “The Undefeated” may hold strong appeal to the base, but little beyond it?

The film’s director, Stephen Bannon, called the opening a success and said the movie is relying on social media and word-of-mouth to generate buzz. He also said the movie played in small and large theaters, skewing its numbers downward.

“This is a documentary opening against ‘Harry Potter’ on the toughest weekend of the year. We had small numbers but only in small theaters. In bigger markets, like Orange County, we’ll do $12,000 per screen,” Bannon told the Hollywood Reporter.

“We are extremely pleased with the audience reaction, which has been over-the-top enthusiastic and very passionate, including standing ovations at most screenings,” said Trevor Drinkwater, the chief executive officer of ARC Entertainment, the film’s distributor, in a statement. “We expect word-of-mouth to keep ticket sales strong and we will definitely expand the film to a wider national audience. With merely three weeks of preparation and a virtually non-existent traditional advertising spend, the film did exceptionally well.”

ARC said details of a wider release would be announced soon. The initial run included cities located in states with large swaths of conservative residents such as Indianapolis, Houston, Oklahoma City, Orlando and Phoenix. But the film is likely to run up against the mystical Potter steamroller every step of the way.

Of course the real test of any movie is not its gross, but how much money its producers make. Those figures aren’t likely to be available. To that end, the movie’s backers suggest that “The Undefeated” is already a hit because of its low production cost and small marketing budget. A social media campaign saved the film’s promoters “millions” in promotion and advertising, Bannon said.

“This film will find its audience because of its appeal and our savvy distribution partners,” he said.

That could be the real box office magic.