World's Greatest Limited Releases

August 21, 2009

It's an awkward time of year for limited releases. It's too late to grab a slice of the summer box office, but too soon for Awards Season buzz. That's not to say there are not great films coming out this week, in fact, there are two films that are earning better than 80% positive reviews: Fifty Dead Man Walking and World's Greatest Dad. But quality aside, there's little hope that any of these movies will be breakout hits.

Casi Divas - Reviews
A Mexican film about four actresses vying for a coveted role in a major movie production. The film is only earning mixed reviews, but it is a satire of Mexican soap operas, movie industry, and of the culture of various Mexican regions. If you don't have knowledge of these subjects, it becomes harder to enjoy the movie. That said, it could find a more receptive audience in Latino markets like Miami or the Los Angeles area, where most of the 22 theaters it is debuting in are located.

Fifty Dead Man Walking - Reviews
An excellent Canadian movie that I talked about previously when it made its debut in its native land. The film only cost six million points to make, which is about $10 million in American, but even with its reviews, I don't think it will expand enough to make a real dent in that amount. Fifty Dead Man Walking opens tonight in several theaters in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and the surrounding areas.

Five Minutes of Heaven - Reviews
The film tells the story of a murder in 1975 and the reconciliation between the killer and the victim's younger brother, who witnessed the crime 33 years ago. The film is earning some praise for the performances, but overall not enough to suggest a lot of potential to expand in the coming weeks. Five Minutes of Heaven opens tonight in Angelika Film Center in New York City.

The Marc Pease Experience - Reviews
A film that has been pushed back by more than a year due to the need for re-shoots plus the WGA strike. It also had to deal with its distributor being absorbed by its parent company, which further complicated its release. Now the film is earning terrible reviews and it is getting a release that is being described by some as a 'contractual obligation'. Ouch. The Marc Pease Experience opens tonight in ten theaters in ten cities, but none in New York City or Los Angeles.

My One and Only - Reviews
Renee Zellweger stars as a women in the 1950s who leaves her husband and takes a trip looking for a new husband. Based in part on the real life of George Hamilton, the film is earning reviews that are good, but likely not good enough to expand wide. Also, it's star is in a bit of a cold streak at the box office with most of her recent films have missed expectations, opened in limited release, or have thus far failed to find release date entirely. My One and Only opens tonight in four theaters, half in New York City and the other half in Los Angeles.

World's Greatest Dad - Reviews
Bob Goldthwait directs this black comedy about a dad trying to bond with his unwilling son, but something happens that changes that all. Excellent reviews won't help this movie at the box office, as it has been released on VoD for about a month now, and even under the best of circumstances, it is hard for black comedies to expand into the mainstream. World's Greatest Dad makes its theatrical debut tonight in New York City and the Los Angeles area. I expect it will have to wait till DVD to find a real audience, but it could become a bit of a cult hit.


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Filed under: Limited Releases, My One and Only, World's Greatest Dad, Casi Divas, The Marc Pease Experience, Fifty Dead Men Walking