Limited and VOD Releases: Love Limited Releases for More Than Just a Day
January 12, 2018
Awards Season is in full swing, so the moviegoers most likely to head out to see a limited release are preoccupied with the latest surprise / snub. This has resulted in a terrible week for limited releases. It’s so bad that if we stuck with our usual rule of needing 10 reviews to be listed here, there would only be a few movies. Even being more generous, there’s not a lot to talk about this week. The best movie is Lover For a Day, while Saturday Church is its only real competition.
Abe and Phil’s The Last Poker Game - Reviews
Acts of Violence - Reviews
Condorito: The Movie - Reviews
Freak Show - Reviews
Humor Me - Reviews
Lover For a Day - Reviews
My Art - Reviews
Saturday Church - Reviews
The Surge - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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I was really hoping this movie would be really good, because it is Martin Landau’s last film. It’s not terrible, but it is certainly not good enough to thrive in limited release.
I saw Bruce Willis and I was surprised it wasn’t playing on VOD. That’s not a good sign for his career.
Animated films almost never do well in limited release. This one is aimed at Hispanics, which is still an underserved market, so perhaps that will help. On the other hand, it is playing in just over 150 theaters, so I’m worried it will open below the Mendoza Line.
A flamboyant teen boy going to a conservative high school decides to run for prom queen. There is an interesting idea here, but the reviews are way below the overall positive level. That said, those who like it are more enthusiastic than those who don’t, so maybe if you are in the target audience, it is worth checking out.
Jemaine Clement plays a writer who’s suffering from writer’s block when his marriage breaks up. With nowhere to go, he moves in with his dad, played by Elliott Gould. The film’s reviews are good, but not great. The cast could help it do well during its opening weekend, but I don’t think it will last long in theaters.
Jeanne is dealing with a bad breakup, so she decides to go back home for a bit. However, when she gets there, she finds her father has a new girlfriend, a girlfriend that’s her age. This film is earning the best reviews of the week and French films do have a built-in audience on the art house circuit. I don’t expect it to be a mainstream hit, but it could do well in limited release.
An artist becomes romantically involved with three men helping her on her latest project. The reviews are good, but not great, and as I’ve said many times in the past, limited releases need great reviews to survive.
Video on Demand
A coming of age story about a 14-year African-American dealing with the death of his father. He is also coming to terms with his gender identity, but has to keep his association with the LGBT community secret from his conservative family. This film has some of the best reviews of the week, but it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are negligible.
A young woman living in Brazil in the early 1800s is forced into a marriage with a slave trader. When her husband leaves on another trade expedition, she is left alone on his estate with the slaves. The film’s reviews are good and the subject matter is deep enough to please art house aficionados; however, it is a terrible time of year to release a film.
The Beyond - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Dark Harvest - Reviews - Video on Demand
Neither of the two secondary VOD releases look enticing.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Vazante, Abe & Phil's Last Poker Game, The Beyond, Saturday Church, Condorito: La Pelicula, Acts of Violence, My Art, Dark Harvest, Freak Show, Humor Me, L’amant d’un jour, Bruce Willis, Jemaine Clement, Elliott Gould, Martin Landau, Laurie Simmons, Eric Caravaca, Esther Garrel, Louise Chevillotte