Limited and VOD Releases: What New Releases will Make a Splash?

May 6, 2016

A Bigger Splash

Out of all of the new releases this week, A Bigger Splash is the only one earning lots of buzz. Of course, Captain America: Civil War's buzz is so great that it is drowning out all limited releases, which explains why there's not a lot of films on this week's list.

Bande à part - Reviews
A re-release of the 1966 French film. While most mainstream audiences here have never seen it, it is still well known as the film that inspired the name of Quentin Tarantino's production company. Definitely worth checking out, but it is also on a Criterion Collection Blu-ray, if you can't see it in theaters.

Being Charlie - Reviews
A movie about an 18-year old trying to recover from addiction and failing. The reviews are weak, certainly too weak to assume the film will have any shot in limited release.

A Bigger Splash - reviews
Tilda Swinton plays a rock legend who goes to a Mediterranean island with her beau, Matthias Schoenaerts, to recuperate. However, her ex-flame, Ralph Fiennes, and his adult daughter, Dakota Johnson, show up and complicate things. The reviews are amazing, as is the cast, and it will likely be the biggest limited release hit of the weekend. A Bigger Splash opened on Wednesday earning just over $13,000 in four theaters, which is a good omen for its opening weekend.

Dark Horse - Reviews
A documentary about a group of people from a small English mining town who decided to breed a race horse. It is definitely a feel-good documentary, so it is not as politically charged as most such films are. However, the reviews are stellar and it could do quite well compared to most films in the genre. Dark Horse opens tonight in three theaters, split between New York City and Los Agneles. Check out the official site for more details.

Dheepan - Reviews
A soldier on the losing side of the Sri Lanka civil war pretends to be the husband of a single mother so the three of them can leave their war-torn country and become refugees in France. This film is earning amazing reviews and could find a very receptive audience on the art house circuit. However, it is a foreign-language film, so its chances of expanding significantly are very limited. Dheepan opens tonight in two theaters, both in New York City, with planned expansions over the coming weeks. Check out the official site for more details.

Elstree 1976 - reviews
Video On Demand
A documentary about some of the people behind Star Wars, but not the main creative force. The film was crowd-funded and is already on VOD, so it is aimed more at fans than the average moviegoer. That said, the reviews are really good and if you like behind-the-scene documentaries, it is worth checking out.

Rabin, in His Own Words - Reviews
A documentary about the life of Yitzhak Rabin, culled from his own words and interviews. There are only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests there's not a lot of buzz. However, all four of them are positive, so it could be a surprise.

Starting this week, we will also have a list of Video-on-Demand titles that are not earning enough reviews to be worth an individual entry.

Video-on-Demand releases:
Bite - Reviews - Amazon Videos
Code of Honor - Reviews - Amazon Video
Disorder - Reviews - Amazon Video
The Offering - Reviews - Amazon Video
Three horror movies and a Steven Segal flick. Not much worth checking out this week.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Bande à part, Captain America: Civil War, Dheepan, A Bigger Splash, Dark Horse, Maryland, Code of Honor, Bite, Being Charlie, Elstree 1976, The Offering, Rabin, in His Own Words, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Quentin Tarantino, Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts, Steven Segal, Yitzhak Rabin