Not Tired of Limited Releases
September 12, 2008
There are only four limited releases this week, none of which will have an easy road ahead of them. Towelhead has the best buzz, but its reviews could hold it back. Additionally, FLOW is returning to theaters this week, while Walking on Dead Fish appears to have been pushed back. (The official site has it opening on the 19th, which would be the second week-long delay for the film in the past month.)
Greetings from the Shore - Reviews
Moving Midway - Reviews
Tired of Kissing Frogs - Reviews
Towelhead - Reviews
This film has been travelling the film festival circuit for just over a year now, and it has been a busy year winning more than two-dozen awards in that time. However, while it has won a lot of awards, and the only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, I'm not convinced that is has much box office potential for a couple reasons. Firstly, it only has two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which does not seem to indicate a lot of re-release buzz. Secondly, the reviews are positive, but not enthusiastically positive as both critics call the film predictable. Thirdly, it is opening in more than 30 theaters, which is too many for a limited release. Greetings from the Shore opens tonight in more than 30 theaters, mostly in New Jersey, which is where the movie was filmed, but I don't know if the hometown connection will be enough to keep it afloat in limited release.
A documentary about director Godfrey Cheshire's family plantation and the effort to move it in order to escape urban sprawl. This is the only limited release earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, and it is still only going five for six, and the lack of interested among critics is not a good sign. Moving Midway opens tonight in two theaters, Lincoln Plaza and IFC Center, both in New York City.
A Mexican film about a women who catches her boyfriend cheating on her, so she decides to play the field as well. The film opened in its native market a couple years ago and made close to $7 million in total. If it can earn half of that here it would be impressive, especially since there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and no official site for its releases north of the border. Tired of Kissing Frogs opens tonight in more than a dozen theaters, which might be a few too many.
A coming of age story about a 13-year old Muslim girl who moves in with her strict father. Set during the Gulf War and she has to deal with prejudices, first love, and more. The film generated a lot of buzz during its premiere at Toronto Film Festival last year and also played at Sundance and other film festivals, however, the reviews are only mixed and not up to the level one would expect for a film like this to expand wide. Additionally, it is opening just a little too early to be a player during award season, which further reduces its box office potential. Towelhead opens tonight in four theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, and Texas, where it is set.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Towelhead, Greetings from the Shore, Moving Midway