Limited and VOD Releases: Have Faith in Limited Releases
July 3, 2015
There are a few limited releases on this week's list that are earning overwhelming positive reviews, but they are all documentaries. Documentaries rarely have breakout success, but Amy is the one with the best shot. Jimmy's Hall is the best of the rest and while I don't think it will expand wide, it should be the biggest hit on this week's list.
Amy - Reviews
Cartel Land - Reviews
Faith of Our Fathers - Reviews
Jackie and Ryan - Reviews
Jimmy's Hall - Reviews
Mala Mala - Reviews
A Poem is a Naked Person - Reviews
Robot Overlords - Reviews
Second Hand Husband - No Reviews
Stung - Reviews
A documentary biography about Amy Winehouse, a talented, but troubled singer / songwriter. The film's reviews are nearly perfect and the studio has had quite a bit of success with films in limited release. Amy opens tonight in select cities and should do very well.
A documentary about the drug war in Mexico and a group of Mexican Doctors and American paramilitary group who are trying to fight the war on either side of the border. The reviews are amazing, but documentaries rarely expand significantly and almost never earn mainstream success. Cartel Land opens tonight in three theaters, two in New York City and the other in Madison, Wisconsin. Check out the official site for more details.
A film about two strangers whose fathers met in the Vietnam War. After they meet, they travel to Washington, D.C. to go to the Vietnam Veteran Memorial. This is a faith-based film and you can tell from the reviews. "Preachy" is a good way to describe it. Faith of Our Fathers opened on Wednesday night in hundreds of theaters. Check out the official site for more details.
Video on Demand
This movie came out on VOD on Tuesday and I included it on the home market releases. It will do a lot better there than in limited release. Its reviews are just below the overall positive level, which is usually fatal for a limited release. Jackie and Ryan opened tonight in ten theaters in select cities. Check out the official site for more details.
This film is set in the 1930s in Ireland and focuses on a man who was essentially exiled to America, and then returns ten years later. This film has some of the best buzz on this week's list; however, its reviews are only good and not great. It will likely be the biggest limited release hit, but I doubt it will expand enough to be a mainstream hit. Jimmy's Hall opens tonight in three theaters, two in New York City and the other in the Los Angeles area. Check out the official site for more details.
A documentary about nine non-binary individuals living in Puerto Rico. The reviews are amazing and the subject matter is very topical at the moment with gay marriage being legalized nationwide this week. Mala Mala opened on Wednesday at the IFC Center in New York City.
This documentary was filmed from 1972 to 1974, but wasn't released for a number reasons. The original documentarian, Les Blank, died in 2013; however, his son, Harrod Blank, continued working on solving the problems delaying the release and we finally get to see the result. A Poem is a Naked Person opened on Wednesday at the Film Forum in New York City and expanded on Thursday and Friday. Check out the official site for more details.
Video on Demand
Robots from another planet attack and conquer the Earth. Three years later, a young boy defies the curfew that the invading robots have put in place in order to find his missing father. This is the wrong genre for limited release, the reviews are merely good, and it is playing on VOD. That spells real trouble for its box office chances.
A Bollywood film about a divorced man who wants to get married, but can't afford it because of the alimony he has to pay to his ex-wife. So he decides to try to get her married so he won't have to pay that anymore. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. There's not even a review on NowRunning.com, so I have no idea if the movie is good or not.
Video on Demand
I'm not sure this film is coming out in theaters today... or ever. There seems to be conflicting reports on that fact. However, it is playing on VOD, so if you like like the idea of 7-foot long wasps attacking a rich party, then you might want to give this one a rental.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Jimmy's Hall, Cartel Land, Amy, Faith of Our Fathers, Stung, Robot Overlords, Jackie & Ryan, Mala Mala, A Poem Is a Naked Person, Second Hand Husband, Amy Winehouse, Les Blank, Harrod Blank