Limited and VOD Releases: Limited Releases have Dozens of Uses

June 17, 2016

Swiss Army Man

There's not a lot of limited releases coming out this week, but there is one that I'm really interested in seeing: Swiss Army Man. Its reviews are not the best, but its premise is certainly intriguing. On the other hand, Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is a better movie for fans of movies. It is certainly worth at least a VOD rental.

Clown - Reviews
Video on Demand
A Canadian-American co-production. It is a horror film about a father who puts on an old clown costume he found in order to perform at his son's birthday party. However, he can't take the costume off. He learns it is not a costume, but the skin of a demon, one that is slowly taking him over. This is the wrong genre for limited release, its reviews are mixed, and it is playing on VOD. Its box office chances are nearly zero.

Cosmos - Reviews
The latest film from director Andrzej Zulawski. He's a director who appeals to critics a lot more than he appeals to moviegoers, so the film won't escape the art house scene.

My Love, Don't Cross That River - Reviews
A documentary about a couple in South Korea who have been together for 76 years. Obviously this is not a probing look at this couple's life, but merely a sentimental feel good documentary. Most critics accept it for what it is and like it. Most. It might do okay for a documentary at the box office, but I think it will have to wait till August when it comes out on VOD.

Parched - Reviews
An Indian film about a group of women living in a male-dominated small village. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's is common for films from India. That said, the reviews that are there are 80% positive.

Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made - Reviews
Video On Demand
A documentary about a group of fans who recreated Raiders of the Lost Ark nearly scene-for-scene. The film has some of the best reviews on this week's list, but as a documentary, it will likely fail to find a substantial audience in theaters.

Seoul Searching - Reviews
This film is set in the mid-1980s and is about a group of Koreans from around the world who go to Seoul to reconnect with their heritage. To be more accurate, a group of Korean teenagers. It is basically a 1980s teenage ensemble comedy, but set in Korea. The reviews are very good, but there are not a lot of them, which suggests the buzz is too quiet to thrive in limited release.

Swiss Army Man - Reviews
Oh boy. ... This is a tough film to describe. Paul Dano plays a man marooned on a desert island. He has given up hope of ever seeing another person, but one day Daniel Radcliffe washes up on his island. Or to be more accurate, Daniel Radcliffe's corpse washes up on the beach. Even though he's dead, Paul Dano still thinks he's his new best friend and his way back to civilization. The reviews for this film are not great, but it is a black comedy of sorts, so 68% positive reviews is better than average for the genre. As for its box office chances, it is being released by A24 and their hit to miss ratio is really good. Swiss Army Man opens tonight in New York City and Los Angeles and expands nationwide on the 1st of July. Check out the official site to play with Daniel Radcliffe's corpse.

Tickled - Reviews
When journalist David Farrier learns about "competitive endurance tickling" videos, he decides to investigate. However, when he does, he begins to receive threats. This doesn't stop him from getting to the bottom of tickling videos. This is a documentary. This really happened. The reviews are great, but as a documentary it's chances of expanding wide is very limited. It could do well on the home market.

Secondary Video-on-Demand Releases:
The Last Heist - Reviews - Video on Demand
No Stranger Than Love - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are only two VOD releases this week and neither one is earning a single positive review.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Clown, Seoul Searching, Swiss Army Man, Parched, My Love, Don't Cross That River, No Stranger Than Love, Tickled, The Last Heist, Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made, Cosmos, Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, David Farrier, Andrzej Żuławski