Milking Limited Releases for All They are Worth
November 28, 2008
There are just three limited releases this week, and only one that has any real shot at mainstream success. However, that film, Milk, could be a major player during Awards Season and that could help it earn mainstream success, so it is a case of quality over quantity.
Milk - Reviews
Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! - No Reviews
The Secrets - Reviews
Take an Oscar winning actor, mix in an Oscar nominated director add in a timely and politically relevant story, as well as stellar reviews, and you have a film that is practically guaranteed to earn some Oscar buzz. Whether this Oscar buzz is enough to help it expand wide is not known at the moment, but it will be as soon as Wednesday's box office numbers come in. I would suspect the film will do well enough in its debut that it will expand throughout the rest of the holiday box office season. Milk opened on Wednesday in 34 theaters nationwide, which is normally too much for a limited release to thrive, but this case should be different.
The latest Bollywood film to make its debut Stateside. This Indian comedy is based on the real life story of a con man / thief who stole millions before he was caught. Its potential to expand is nearly zero, but it should do well in Indian cinemas across the nation.
A foreign language film that combines religious orthodoxy and lesbian romance and creates something special. (The film was nominated for seven Ophir's, although it was shut out on award night. (The Band's Visit and Beaufort cleaned out that year.)) While the reviews are strong, the film is still a niche market of a niche market film and it will likely have trouble finding an audience theatrically. The Secrets opened on Wednesday in seven theaters, mostly in New York State, but also in New Jersey.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Milk, Sodot Ha