Looking for Authentic Limited Releases
July 13, 2012
It is not a super busy week for limited releases, but there are a few that have a shot at success. The Imposter is earning nearly perfect reviews, but it is a documentary, and that hurts its box office chances. Easy Money and Farewell, My Queen are also earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, but they are both foreign language films, and that usually limits box office numbers as well. Trishna doesn't quite have the same reviews, but I think it will still top the per theater chart.
Deconstructing Dad: The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott - Reviews
Easy Money - Reviews
Farewell, My Queen - Reviews
The Imposter - Reviews
The Obama Effect - No Reviews
Red Lights - Reviews
Trishna - Reviews
Union Square - Reviews
A documentary made by Stanley Warnow about his father, Raymond Scott, who was a pioneer in music. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but almost all of them are positive, which is a good sign. On the other hand, I'm not sure how large a target audience this film has. Deconstructing Dad opens tonight at the Quad Cinema in New York City.
A cross-class romance mixed with an organized crime thriller. The film's reviews are excellent and this movie's buzz is so strong that there's already talk that Hollywood will be remaking it. Fans of Swedish cinema will want to watch the original first. Easy Money opens tonight at the Film Forum in New York City and the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles.
A costume drama about the final days of Marie Antoinette, as told from the point of view of one of her ladies in waiting. The film's reviews are excellent and the director, Benoît Jacquot, should help bring in fans of French cinema. On the other hand, this genre rarely escapes the art house circuit. Farewell, My Queen opens tonight in three theaters, two in New York City and the other in the Los Angeles area.
A 13-year old boy disappears from his San Antonio, Texas home. More than three years later he is found, in Spain. The reunion with his family is a happy one, except there's something different about him, something really different about him. This is a documentary about this case, which was previously turned into The Chameleon. This film's reviews are nearly universally positive, and it has earned better buzz than most documentaries earn. That said, it is hard for the genre to earn any measure of mainstream success. The Imposter opens tonight at the Sunshine Cinema in New York City.
Charles S. Dutton writes, stars, and directs this film. In it, he plays a 50-year old man who has a health scare but instead on focusing on that, he puts all of his effort into working for Obama's 2008 election campaign. There no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a really bad sign. The Obama Effect opens tonight in 25 theaters.
This film has an amazing cast, but unfortunately its reviews are not up to the same level. Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy star as paranormal investigators looking to prove a blind psychic, played by Robert De Niro, is a fraud. Earning only 35% positive reviews would be bad for a wide release, it will likely prove fatal for a limited release. Red Lights opens tonight in two theaters, the AMC Theatres Empire 25 in New York City and the Chinese 6 Theatre in Los Angeles.
Michael Winterbottom directs this adaptation of Tess of the D'Ubervilles, which stars Freida Pinto. The film is earning arguably the best buzz out of any film on this week's list, but the reviews are only good and not great. I still think it will be the biggest hit on this week's list, but I don't know if it will do well enough to expand significantly. Trishna opens tonight in three theaters, two in the Los Angeles area and the other in New York City.
Mira Sorvino and Tammy Blanchard play sisters who reunite after being estranged. The film's reviews are good, but not great, and while I like Mira Sorvino, I will admit her box office record is spotty. Union Square opens tonight at the Angelika Film Center in New York City and the Laemmles Music Hall in Los Angeles.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Red Lights, Trishna, Les adieux à la reine, Union Square, The Imposter, The Obama Effect, Deconstructing Dad: The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott