Limited and VOD Releases: Grade A Limited Releases

July 13, 2018

Eighth Grade

There are several films based on real life events on this week’s list, three of which look like they were precision engineered to win Oscars. Of these, only Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot is earning good reviews. It’s not even earning the best reviews of the week, as Eighth Grade takes that title. Those two films could be in a battle for top spot on the theater average chart over the weekend.

Dark Money - Reviews
A political documentary about the influx of Dark Money into the American political landscape after the Citizens United court ruling and the negative impact this has had on the political system. The reviews are over 90% positive and political awareness is very high right now, so the film could benefit from that. On the other hand, documentaries rarely have breakout success. Even this year, where we’ve hand a handful of multimillion-dollar hits, those are still the exception and not the rule.

The Devil’s Doorway - Reviews
Video on Demand
A found footage horror movie about a possessed girl. There’s nothing about that that sounds fresh, but the reviews are 67% positive. That’s not good enough to thrive in limited release, but it is better than a lot of other VOD titles earn.

Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot - Reviews
This biopic stars Joaquin Phoenix as John Callahan, a hard-drinking man who became paralyzed as the result of a drunk driving accident. He didn’t give up drinking, but he became a cartoonist in the aftermath. This film had the best pre-release buzz of any film on this week’s list and its star power should help it at the box office. However, its reviews are not as strong as I would have liked. I think it can survive in limited release, but I’m not sure it will truly thrive.

Eighth Grade - Reviews
15-year old Elsie Fisher is getting awards season buzz for her performance in this movie. It’s earning 98% positive reviews and it is released by A24, whose track record during awards season is amazing, especially for such a young distributor. I suspect this film will top the theater average chart this weekend and could be in theaters through the end of summer.

Gauguin - Reviews
A biopic of French artist Gauguin, who abandoned his life in France to travel to Tahiti and escape civilization in the jungle. This kind of film tends to draw the attention of art house aficionados, but this film’s reviews are too weak to think it will survive in limited release.

Shock and Awe - Reviews
Video on Demand
This sounds like Oscar bait. It’s a drama about investigative journalists during the lead up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. They are investigating the claims made by the Bush administration that Iraq had WMD. This is a subject that awards voters tend to love, but the reviews are weak—not just compared to other awards hopefuls, but compared to the average popcorn flick.

Soorma - Reviews
An inspirational sports movie about Sandeep Singh, a field hockey player who was almost paralyzed as the result of an accidental shooting, but managed an incredible comeback. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but that’s common for Indian movies, so that’s not a knock against its box office chances.

What Will People Say - Reviews
Maria Mozhdah plays a 16-year old Pakistani living with her family in Norway. She has two lives, one with her family and the other with her Norwegian friends. When her father learns of her Norwegian life, he sends her back to Pakistan. It’s based on the real life story of writer / director Iram Haq and its reviews are good enough that it could find an audience in limited release.

Secondary VOD Releases:
7 Splinters in Time - Reviews - Video on Demand
How to Make Love to a Woman - No Reviews - Video on Demand
Siberia - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are not many secondary VOD releases this week and none of them are earning good reviews.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, How to Make Love to a Woman, Siberia, Shock and Awe, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti, Eighth Grade, Dark Money, The Devil’s Doorway, Hva vil folk si, 7 Splinters in Time, Soorma, Joaquin Phoenix, Elsie Fisher, Iram Haq, Maria Mozhdah