Limited and VOD Releases: Painful Week for Limited Releases

October 4, 2019

There are not a lot of prime limited releases on this week’s list and a couple that had the loudest pre-release buzz ended up with weak reviews. Pain & Glory is the film with the best shot at box office success, while Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl is the film I want to see the most.

Célébration - Reviews
A documentary about designer Yves Saint Laurent. The film only has seven reviews, which is normally not enough to be included here, but all seven are positive.

The Climbers - Reviews
This film did well in a special engagement in its native China and Chinese films are building an audience here. However, its reviews are among the weakest on this week’s list, so its box office chances are very limited.

Dilili in Paris - Reviews
Video on Demand
Animated films rarely do well in limited release and this one is earning mixed reviews and is playing on VOD.

Gregory’s Girl - Reviews
A re-release of a 1982 film about a high school kid who has a crush on the girl who replaced him as goalie on their high school soccer team. The reviews are great, but re-releases rarely have a lot of impact on the box office.

Low Tide - Reviews
Video On Demand
The film’s reviews are good enough for wide release, but not enough to thrive in limited release. Additionally, it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are close to zero.

Lucy in the Sky - Reviews
Busted Oscar-bait. This film had a lot of buzz before its release, but its reviews are just terrible. There’s not much else that needs to be said.

Memory: The Origins of Alien - Reviews
Video on Demand
A documentary about the creation of Alien. The reviews are good, but not great, so I don’t think it will do as well as some other documentaries have done this year.

Pain & Glory - Reviews
This is one of only a few films on this week’s list that is earning any pre-release buzz and it could be an Awards Season contender. It certainly has the reviews, while its writer / director Pedro Almodovar gives it a pedigree most limited releases can only dream of. A fast start at the box office would also help its Awards Season buzz, as you can’t vote for a film you haven’t seen, so getting seen is the first step in getting votes.

Pretenders - Reviews
The latest film from James Franco. Like most of his films, the reviews are awful and worse still, he’s had his own “Me Too” moment with credible accusations levied against him. It did have loud pre-release buzz, but that won’t translate into box office success.

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl - Reviews
An Anime film about a series supernatural events that cause the social pressures kids feel growing up in Japan to manifest as physical symptoms. A lot of these pressures are universal, but amplified in Japan. There’s a saying in the United States. “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” In Japan, their saying is, “The nail that stands out gets hammered down.” The movie is based on the acclaimed series and its reviews on My Anime List are actually better than the show’s reviews are, so that’s a very positive sign. Furthermore, these special engagements have proven to be lucrative at the box office, as the Anime audience is growing.

Wrinkles the Clown - Reviews
Video on Demand
A horror movie based on a viral video about a clown. The reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. That said, it’s worth a VOD rental.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Cuck - Reviews - Video on Demand
My Soul to Keep - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The Parts You Lose - Reviews - Video on Demand
Rogue Warfare - Reviews - Video on Demand
Semper Fi - Reviews - Video on Demand
None of the secondary VOD releases look for particularly interesting and there’s more VOD choice above to consider.

C.S.Strowbridge

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, The Parts You Lose, Lucy in the Sky, Dolor y gloria, Dilili à Paris, Rogue Warfare, Pretenders, Low Tide, Célébration, Seishun Buta Yaro wa Yumemiru Shoujo no Yume wo Minai, Semper Fi, Cuck, Memory: The Origins of Alien, Gregory’s Girl, Wrinkles the Clown, My Soul to Keep, Pan Deng Zhe, Pedro Almodovar, James Franco