Limited and VOD Releases: Will You Be Here for Limited Releases.

April 6, 2018

You Were Never Really Here

There are only seven limited releases on this week’s list, but all of them are earning reviews that are at least good. Several of them are earning reviews that are amazing. This includes You Were Never Really Here, which is also the biggest film with the loudest buzz. Perhaps this will give it an edge over the competition.

Big Fish & Begonia - Reviews
 An animated film from China. Animated films rarely do well in limited release, even ones earning as good reviews as this one is. That said, Chinese films are starting to find box office success here, so maybe this one will be one of the few exceptions.

The Endless - Reviews
 Two brothers return to the site of the cult that they fled a decade ago hoping to get some closure. However, what they find makes them question their views on the cult. Perhaps the cult was based on reality after all. This film is earning 100% positive reviews, but the two directors’ previous movie, Spring, opened below the Mendoza Line, so this one will have to get a bit lucky to thrive in limited release.

Lean on Pete - Reviews
 Charlie Plummer plays Charley, a 16-year old boy who moves to Portland, Oregon with his father. Once there, he gets a job taking care of a failing race horse. When he learns the race horse is to be sold to a slaughterhouse, he steals the horse and goes on the run. The reviews are good, good enough to do well in limited release. However, there’s a high number of films on this week’s list that can make the same claim.

Lowlife - Reviews
 Trying to sum up the plot for this movie is impossible, because there are so many elements in play. Its reviews are amazing, but it is just the wrong genre for a limited release.

Sweet Country - Reviews
 Hamilton Morris plays Sam Kelly, an Aboriginal man in Australia sent to help a newcomer, Harry, to their small community. Their relationship goes sour rather quickly, resulting in Sam killing Harry in self-defense. However, this is 1920s Australia, so he has to go on the run. This is one of the best-reviewed films on this week’s list, so hopefully it will find an audience in theaters.

Where is Kyra? - Reviews
 Michelle Pfeiffer plays the titular Kyra, a woman who has spent the past while looking after her aging mother. When her mother dies, she’s left with no job, little money, and not enough time to find a new job to turn things around. The reviews are good, but perhaps not good enough to thrive in limited release. Its star power might help it during its opening weekend, on the other hand.

You Were Never Really Here - Reviews
 Joaquin Phoenix plays a former soldier dealing with PTSD who works as a detective rescuing girls who are victims of human trafficking. His latest job is to quietly track down the daughter of a politician, but things quickly go south. The reviews suggest the film could thrive in limited release, but you can already pre-order it on VOD, so I’m not sure if the studio, Amazon Studios, cares about its box office numbers.

Secondary VOD Releases:
The Humanity Bureau - Reviews - Video on Demand
Spinning Man - Reviews - Video on Demand
Neither of the VOD secondary releases are earning reviews that are good enough to be worth checking out.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Dà Yú Hǎi Táng, The Humanity Bureau, The Endless, You Were Never Really Here, Lean on Pete, Sweet Country, Lowlife, Spinning Man, Where is Kyra?, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlie Plummer, Ekaterina Samsonov, Hamilton Morris