Limited and VOD Releases: High Water Mark

August 12, 2016

Hell or High Water

This week’s list of limited releases is full of films that are earning good reviews, but not great reviews, and they will struggle to survive in limited release. Then there’s Hell or High Water. The film’s reviews are just shy of 100% positive and it is going to expand wide next week. It should have the most impressive opening out of all of the films on this week’s list. It might not even be close.

Anthropoid - Reviews
This is the biggest limited release of the week opening in more than 400 theaters. Unfortunately, its Tomatometer score is barely above 50% positive. I don’t think it will go anywhere in theaters. On the other hand, you can already preorder it on Video on Demand and it definitely feels like a VOD kind of film.

Blood Father - Reviews
Mel Gibson plays an ex-con whose daughter, Erin Moriarty, is being hunted by drug traffickers. The reviews are among the best of the week and the pre-release buzz is better than most limited releases earn. On the other hand, I can’t find an official site for this movie on either of the two production companies’ sites or the distributor. That’s a bad sign. Granted, Mel Gibson hasn’t been a box office draw for a long time, but this film feels almost abandoned.

Disorder - Reviews
Vincent is a former soldier turned bodyguard who has to protect the wife of a businessman. However, his PTSD gets in the way and he has trouble distinguishing between real threats and threats that are only in his mind. The reviews are good, but I don’t think they are good enough to thrive in limited release. On a side note, Rotten Tomatoes has the movie out on VOD right now, but they link to the wrong movie on Amazon. It doesn’t come out on Video on Demand until December.

Edge of Winter - Reviews
Video on Demand
Joel Kinnaman plays a recently divorced father of two, who takes his sons up to the woods for some bonding time. However, the stress of his divorce and recent unemployment gets to him and he has a meltdown. Now instead of protecting his sons, he becomes their biggest danger. The reviews are weak and the film is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are close to zero.

Hell or High Water - Reviews
The biggest film on this week’s list, in terms of buzz. It is scheduled to expand wide next weekend and with its cast and its nearly 100% positive Tomatometer Score, I see no reason that won’t happen. Okay, if you want to be pessimistic, limited release is never a 100% sure thing and it is opening in 32 theaters, which is a lot, so there’s a small chance it will stumble out of the gate.

Joshy - Reviews
Video on Demand
Thomas Middleditch plays the titular Joshy, a man whose engagement ended, but he and his friends decide to go ahead with the bachelor party. The film is playing on VOD, which is where it will very likely earn most of its revenue.

The Lost Arcade - Reviews
A documentary about the Chinatown Fair, the famous arcade in New York City’s Chinatown. Its reviews are good, but likely not good enough to thrive in limited release.

Mohenjo Daro - No Reviews
A Bollywood adventure movie set 4,000 years ago. That’s an interesting premise, but there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so it is hard to judge if the execution is good or not.

My Best Friend's Wedding - No Reviews
A Chinese film about a woman, Shu Qi, who races to London to stop her best-friend’s wedding, because she realizes she’s in love with him. This is not a unique premise, plus there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Chinese films are starting to build an audience here.

My King - Reviews
Video On Demand
A French film about a woman, Tony, who gets in a skiing accident and during rehabilitation, begins to question her relationship. The film’s reviews are good, but not great. Plus it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are even worse. That said, if you are a fan of French cinema, this will be worth checking out on VOD.

Secondary VOD Releases:
There were a lot of limited releases that didn’t have enough buzz to make the cut for the main list. But none of these films were also playing on VOD.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Hell or High Water, Anthropoid, Maryland, Blood Father, Mon roi, Joshy, Edge of Winter, Mohenjo Daro, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Lost Arcade, Mel Gibson, Diane Kruger, Shu Qi, Joel Kinnaman, Matthias Schoenaerts, Emmanuelle Bercot, Erin Moriarty, Thomas Middleditch