Limited Releases: Shining Like Sapphires
March 22, 2013
Do sapphires shine? Regardless of the accuracy of the headline, The Sapphires is leading the limited releases in terms of box office potential. Nearly perfect reviews and good buzz is certainly helping out. However, Gimme the Loot has actually perfect reviews and it might also find a receptive audience in limited release. Starbuck's reviews are not as good, but the Canadian film has already been remade in Hollywood, so clearly someone thinks the story has potential with mainstream audiences.
Gimme the Loot - Reviews
InAPPropiate Comedy - No Reviews
Love and Honor - Reviews
On the Road - Reviews
The Sapphires - Reviews
Starbuck - Reviews
Two graffiti artists, Sofia and Malcolm, have their latest masterpiece vandalized by a rival gang so they decide they need to go big to prove something. They decide to tag the Mets' Home Run Apple, but before they do that, they will need $500 for the paint and supplies. This film's Tomatometer Score is 100% positive, and since it already has 21 reviews, it is unlikely to plummet over the weekend. Gimme the Loot opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City.
Sketch comedy doesn't work in theaters. I can't remember the last one of these that was a hit. The Meaning of Life might be the last one, and that film came out 30 years ago. InAPPropiate Comedy opened tonight in nearly 300 theaters, but even getting to the Mendoza Line might be asking too much.
One of two Vietnam films opening this week. Strange. In this film, Liam Hemsworth stars as a Vietnam soldier who goes AWOL and returns home when his girlfriend, Aimee Teegarden, dumps him. The reviews are terrible and it has been on Video on Demand for a month, so its box office chances are nearly zero.
This film had an Oscar qualifying run in December and there's not much more that needs to be said now. On the Road opens tonight in select cities nationwide.
The directorial debut for Wayne Blair. If this film is any indication, he will have a long career ahead of him. The film's biggest name is Chris O'Dowd, but the stars are Deborah Mailman, Jessica Mauboy, Shari Sebbens, and Miranda Tapsell, four Aboriginal actresses who star as four sisters in 1968 who form a R&B / Soul group and tour Vietnam entertaining the troops. The reviews are simply amazing and this film has better buzz than most limited releases can hope for, so it has a good shot at expanding significantly. The Sapphires opens tonight in select cities.
A Canadian movie starring Patrick Huard as David Wozniak, a middle-aged man who hasn't quite grown up yet. He's trying to get his life on track when his past comes back to haunt him. When he was younger, he used to donate sperm, a lot, and now he learns he has fathered more than 500 kids, more than 100 of which are trying to find the real identity behind his alias, Starbuck. The reviews are good, but not great, and usually limited releases need great reviews to thrive. It has already been remade as The Delivery Man, starring Vince Vaughn. I think this version will be better. Starbuck opens tonight in Los Angeles and New York and if it does half as well as it did in Quebec, it could expand enough to reach a major milestone.
Filed under: Limited Releases, On the Road, Starbuck, InAPPropriate Comedy, Gimme the Loot, Love and Honor, The Sapphires, Patrick Huard, Chris O'Dowd, Vince Vaughn, Liam Hemsworth, Aimee Teegarden, Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson