Limited and VOD Releases: First in Line

May 18, 2018

First Reformed

It’s a slow week for limited releases, with only nine films here. That includes the main list and the secondary VOD releases. Of these, First Reformed is the one most likely to do well in theaters. Meanwhile, The Hollow Child and That Summer could find audiences on VOD.

2001: A Space Odyssey - Reviews
One of the best Sci-fi movies of all time. It is getting a limited re-release this weekend for its 50th anniversary and if you haven’t seen it, definitely try and see it in theaters. It has been a while since I’ve seen the film and I really hope there’s a gorgeous special edition Blu-ray in the works.

Dark Crimes - Reviews
Video on Demand
This film has 19 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. All of them are negative. Most of them are aggressively negative. Maybe morbid curiosity would be enough to get someone to rent this, but for most, it is worth avoiding.

First Reformed - Reviews
Ethan Hawke stars as the priest in a historical, but failing church. He councils a parishioner, Amanda Seyfried, whose husband is an environmental activist who recently committed suicide. This is the best-reviewed film on this week's list and could do well at the box office.

On Chesil Beach - Reviews
Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle star as a newly married couple who have serious problems in the bedroom. The reviews are merely good, but not good enough for limited release. There is some serious star power here, so maybe it will do well during its opening weekend.

Pope Francis—A Man of His Word - Reviews
A documentary about Pope Francis. It is earning good reviews, but the average score is only 7 out of 10, so it likely won’t thrive in limited release. One of the main complaints is the lack of probing questions given to the Pope, which is both a valid complaint and not a surprising one. Asking challenging questions would likely result in the loss of any access to the Pope.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Carter & June - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Hollow Child - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Manor - No Reviews - Video On Demand
That Summer - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Hollow Child only has two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but both of them are positive. That’s a good sign for a VOD release.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, 2001: A Space Odyssey, On Chesil Beach, Dark Crimes, Carter & June, Pope Francis—A Man of His Word, First Reformed, The Manor, That Summer, The Hollow Child, Ethan Hawke, Saoirse Ronan, Amanda Seyfried, Billy Howle