'World Police' creators thank Sean Penn

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The team behind "Team America: World Police," say they made millions of dollars thanks to actor Sean Penn's criticism of their movie.

Penn wrote a letter to Rolling Stone, shooting back at "World Police," an R-rated film mocking Hollywood, the Iraq war and "Fahrenheit 9/11" filmmaker Michael Moore, ABC reported.

"He sends a letter to the papers and gets us on the front page everywhere. It was on the Drudge Report for two full days," filmmaker Matt Stone said.

"It easily made us an extra $10 (million) or $12 million," said Trey Parker, the other half of the creative duo.

Penn is depicted in the film by a 2-foot puppet acting as a self-appointed U.S. ambassador who keeps bragging "I went to Iraq!"

"It's all well to joke about me or whomever you choose. Not so well, to encourage irresponsibility that will ultimately lead to the disembowelment, mutilation, exploitation, and death of innocent people throughout the world," Penn wrote.

Part of "World Police's" controversy has been due to its graphic sex scenes using puppets.