Will These Limited and Virtual Releases have Audiences in the Palm of Their Hands?
July 9, 2020
I am not hopeful about this weekend’s box office chances. Granted, there are some movies earning stellar reviews, but none of them have a hope of box office success. Palm Springs is the biggest and arguably best film on this week’s list, but it is also streaming on Hulu, so I expect it to go nowhere at the box office.
Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly (Virtual Release)
Guest of Honour (Virtual Release)
Olympia (Virtual Release)
Palm Springs
The Tobacconist (Virtual Release)
We Are Little Zombies
Archive
Highlights
The first of two documentaries to get a virtual release this week is about acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei. This is not the first time he’s been the subject of a documentary and since one of his other films did well at the box office, this film should have had a chance to do well in the art house circuit, but I don’t think it will sell many tickets virtually.
The latest film from Atom Egoyan is a critical disappointment. Furthermore, it is getting a virtual release, so its chances of finding an audience this weekend and even smaller than its poor reviews would indicate.
A documentary about award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis. There are few reviews out there, but the ones I’ve seen are mostly very positive. On the other hand, the movie is playing virtually, so I don’t have high hopes for its box office chances.
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated the next morning when they find themselves unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other. This film is earning some of the best reviews of the week and they are enthusiastically positive. This is the kind of film that could become a sleeper hit at the box office under normal circumstances. Hopefully it will at least find an audience on Hulu, because its box office chances are close to zero.
This movie is about a young man who meets Sigmund Freud, who in turn helps the young man meet the woman of his dreams. The film’s reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in virtual release.
Four orphans turn to rock ‘n’ roll as a way to cope with their tragedy. The film’s reviews are fantastic, but as we saw just last week with The Truth, films like this are just not able to survive during the pandemic.
Other Releases
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Guest Artist
Never Too Late (Virtual Release)
Parallax
The Rolling Stones Havana Moon
Widow of Silence (Virtual Release)
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Rolling Stones Havana Moon, Wî â Ritoru Zonbîzu, Guest Artist, Palm Springs, Der Trafikant, La vérité, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Guest of Honour, Never Too Late, Olympia, Parallax, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, Archive, Widow of Silence, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Olympia Dukakis, Atom Egoyan, Bruno Ganz, Andy Samberg, Ai Weiwei, Cristin Milioti, Simon Morze, Emma Drogunova