Limited and VOD Releases: Get Hip to these Square Releases

October 27, 2017

God’s Own Country

We don’t have a long list of limited releases this week, but there are a few that stand out as worth checking out and might actually do well in theaters. These include Bill Nye: Science Guy, God’s Own Country, The Square. The Square has the advantage, at least for the opening weekend, but I would be surprised if any of them expanded significantly over the coming weeks.

All I See is You - Reviews
Blake Lively stars as a woman who has been blind since a childhood accident. She undergoes a surgical procedure to restore her sight, as a result she begins to realize her husband was lying about their life and their marriage isn’t as wonderful as she was led to believe. This is a good setup, but the reviews are weak and it likely has no shot at box office success.

Amityville: The Awakening - Reviews
Video on Demand
This film was stuck in development hell for a long time. It was originally supposed to be made in 2011, but several delays pushed that back to 2014. Then after it was finished, it was pushed back over and over again. It was eventually released, for free, on Google Play. It will have a short theatrical run starting on the 28th before hitting DVD and Blu-ray on the 14th of November. It likely won’t make enough money to break even, but at this point, any money it does make is better than collecting dust on a studio shelf for another two years.

Bill Nye: Science Guy - Reviews
A documentary about Bill Nye, best-known for his portrayal of the super hero Speed Walker. ... There’s a reference that no one reading this will get. There are only nine reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all nine of them are positive, so that’s a good sign. Additionally, Bill Nye is well-known enough that the film could do well at the box office, at least compared to most other documentaries.

Félicité - Reviews
A Senegalese film about a bar singer whose son is injured in an accident and what she has to do to get the money to pay the medical bills. The film’s reviews are over 90% positive, but the average review is just under 7 out of 10, so while most critics like it, most of them don’t love it.

God’s Own Country - Reviews
Out of all of the films on this week’s list, this is arguably the one earning the loudest buzz. It’s between this film and The Square. This one is earning better reviews, but its star power isn’t nearly as good, so it could have a more difficult time during its opening weekend.

Mr. Roosevelt - Reviews
This film is the directorial debut for Noël Wells. In the movie, she stars as a stand-up comic who has to go home when a loved one becomes ill. There she realizes the people who she left behind when she went to Los Angeles have moved on and grown in her absence. There are only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all four are positive, so that’s a good sign. Perhaps it can find an audience, although it will likely take until the home market to get there.

Novitiate - Reviews
A drama about a young nun in the 1950s dealing with becoming a nun during a tumultuous time for the Church. The film’s Tomatometer Score is over 90% positive, but the average review is good, bordering on great, but not award-worthy. It could do well in art house theaters, but it won’t expand beyond that.

The Square - Reviews
The latest from Ruben Östlund. It can’t live up to his previous film; then again, that’s a high bar to deal with. The reviews are still good, but I’m not sure they are good enough to thrive in limited release.

Suck It Up - Reviews
A Canadian road trip movie focuses on two women who reunite at the death of a man, who was the brother of one of them, Ronnie, and the ex-boyfriend of the other, Faye. There are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests the buzz is too quiet to thrive, but they are both positive, so it is likely worth checking out.

The Work - Reviews
A documentary about three felons in Folsom Prison undergoing a program intended to help prisoners deemed lost causes. The reviews are universally positive and its average score is potentially award-winning. On the other hand, documentaries rarely do well in theaters.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Acts of Vengeance - Reviews - Video on Demand
Crash Pad - Reviews - Video on Demand
Discovering Bigfoot - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards - Reviews - Video On Demand
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards is too big a movie to have no reviews the day it comes out. This is a terrible sign.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Amityville: The Awakening, All I See is You, Crash Pad, God’s Own Country, Novitiate, The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards, The Work, Félicité, The Square, Acts of Vengeance, Mr. Roosevelt, Suck It Up, Bill Nye: Science Guy, Discovering Bigfoot, Jason Clarke, Blake Lively, Ruben Ostlund, Bill Nye, Noël Wells, Erin Margurite Carter, Grace Glowicki