Limited and VOD Releases: No Monster Releases

August 19, 2016

Closet Monster

There are a number of interesting limited releases on this week’s list, including Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World, Morris from America, Imperium, and Closet Monster. Unfortunately, while all of them are earning good reviews, none of them are likely to be hits in theaters.

Closet Monster - Reviews
A Canadian movie about a closeted gay teenager dealing with growing up, falling in love, and a homophobic father. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but so far all seven of them are positive.

Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive - Reviews
Video on Demand
A terrible movie based on one of the most-beloved video game series of all time. Even if you love the games, this isn’t worth your time.

Imperium - Reviews
Video on Demand
Daniel Radcliffe plays a FBI agent, who goes undercover to stop a right-wing, white-supremacist group from making a dirty bomb. The reviews are excellent, but it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are really weak.

Ixcanul - Reviews
The film is set in Guatemala and follows a 17-year old girl, who is about to have an arranged marriage. The film’s reviews are 100% positive and it was Guatemala’s official entry for the Oscars last year, so it could do well in limited release.

Line Walker - No Reviews
This film is earning no reviews, which usually means it isn’t featured on this list. However, it is a Chinese film and those rarely have a lot of reviews, but there is a growing market for them here.

Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World - Reviews
Video on Demand
A documentary by Werner Herzog about the connectivity we have in the world. ... The man doesn’t own a cell phone. Whatever. Werner Herzog is a strange duck, so this is par for the course. The reviews are amazing and the director certainly has a fanbase among art house aficionados, so it could find an audience in limited release. However, it is also playing on VOD, so it will very likely do better there.

Mia madre - Reviews
We talked about this film previously, but then the release date was pushed back. There’s nothing more that needs to be said now.

Morris from America - Reviews
Video on Demand
A coming of age comedy about a 13-year old African-American boy who moves to Germany with his father and has to try and fit in. The reviews are excellent, but it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are weak. Then again, VOD is bigger than limited release, so it is wise to go for that market first.

The People vs Fritz Bauer - Reviews
A German film about a man who discovered evidence of a Nazi war criminal, but when he tries to go through the German government, he’s stonewalled. They would rather forget the past than prosecute the offenders. He then turns to the Israeli government, but that makes him a traitor. The reviews are excellent and it won a number of major awards in its native market. It could do well in limited release here, but its chances of expanding significantly are nearly zero.

A Tale of Love and Darkness - Reviews
Natalie Portman directs this movie, which is based on a screenplay she adapted from the memoirs of Amos Oz. In the movie, she plays Amos’ mother as the family lived in Palestine before the formation of Israel. This is Natalie Portman’s first feature-length film as the director, but the reviews are only mixed, so it will likely struggle in limited release.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Billionaire Ransom - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Spaceman - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are only two secondary VOD releases this week, one has no reviews, the other has no positive reviews.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, A Tale of Love and Darkness, Mia madre, Ixcanul, Closet Monster, Imperium, Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer, Morris from America, Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World, Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive, Take Down, Spaceman, Line Walker (使徒行者), Werner Herzog, Natalie Portman, Daniel Radcliffe, Amos Oz