Limited and VOD Releases: No Limited Releases are Alone this Week
September 14, 2018
Every week, I have to decide which limited releases to talk about in the main list of this column. Usually I limit myself to those with double-digit reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Last week, there were so few limited releases to talk about, I included some that I wouldn’t normally include. This week, there are about 30 films coming out in limited release, so I have to be extra judicious and cut some films just to keep the list manageable. Unfortunately, it feels like a case of quantity over quality. There are some movies that are getting excellent reviews, but a lot of movies that had strong pre-release buzz are disappointing critically. There are some I’m interested in, like I Think We’re Alone Now, but that’s more for the cast than the reviews. Mandy is one of the best films, but it is playing on Video on Demand, so I don’t expect it will do well at the box office. There are also several documentaries, with Science Fair being the one I want to see the most.
American Chaos - Reviews
Bel Canto - Reviews
A Boy. A Girl. A Dream - Reviews
The Children Act - Reviews
The Dawn Wall - Reviews
Don’t Leave Home - Reviews
Final Score - Reviews
Hale County This Morning, This Evening - Reviews
I Think We’re Alone Now - Reviews
Lizzie - Reviews
Mandy - Reviews
MDMA - Reviews
Museum - Reviews
Science Fair - Reviews
Where Hands Touch - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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A documentary about the 2016 election. Its reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. Additionally, there’s way too much competition from fellow documentaries on this week’s list.
This film has a better cast than most limited releases can hope for, but its reviews are exactly 50% positive, so it has almost no chance of doing well at the box office.
A drama set on election night, 2016. It is about a man from Los Angeles and a woman from the Midwest, who meet and help each other reach their dreams. The film’s reviews are, like so many on this week’s list, right on the border between good and good enough to thrive in limited release.
Video On Demand
A drama based on a real life court case. It feels like Oscar bait, but it’s reviews are only 69% positive and it is playing on VOD. I heard some positive pre-release buzz and its reviews are certainly good enough for a rental, but it has no chance at the box office.
A documentary about mountain climber Tommy Caldwell, who overcame adversity to climb the Dawn Wall in Yellowstone National Park. The film is earning 100% positive reviews, which is great. There have been several documentary hits this year, which is also great. Unfortunately, there are a lot of documentaries on this week’s list, so the competition is fierce.
This is a horror film playing in limited release. That almost never goes well. The reviews are good, but not good enough to expect this to become a hit in theaters. It is worth checking out when it reaches the home market.
Video on Demand
An action film playing on VOD. This film has no chance at becoming a box office hit, but its reviews are surprisingly good, so it is worth checking out on VOD. This is especially true if you like Dave Bautista, Pierce Brosnan, or the rest of the cast.
This is one of the best-reviewed films on this week’s list. It is a documentary about two young African-American men growing up and trying to figure out their lives. This has been a good year for documentaries, so it could do well at the box office. I don’t think it will be a $1 million hit, but it could do well for a documentary.
Peter Dinklage stars as man living alone in a post-apocalypse world. He’s made a world for himself that he’s comfortable with and then Grace shows up. The film has more star power than most limited releases have, but its reviews are only good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release.
This movie posits that Lizzie Borden fell in love with the family housemaid and their revulsion to her lesbian relationship is why she killed her parents. (This is not a new theory, to be fair.) There was some early Awards Season buzz, but the reviews are merely good. The star power could help it opening weekend, but I think it will have to wait till the home market to find an audience.
Video on Demand
It has been a long time since Nicolas Cage has starred in a live action hit movie. This film’s reviews are 95% positive, but it is playing on VOD as well, so its box office chances are next to zero. Maybe it will do well on the home market and help rehabilitate Nicolas Cage’s reputation.
This film is written, directed, and produced by Angie Wang and based on her life as a 1980s ecstasy dealer. The reviews are mixed, but the average score is better than its Tomatometer Score, so perhaps it’s worth checking out when it hits the home market.
Two men living in the suburbs of Mexico City don’t know what to do with their lives, so they decide to steal rare artifacts from the National Museum of Anthropology. The reviews are on the border between merely good and good enough to thrive in limited release. It does have good star power for a limited release and that could help it attract an audience.
A documentary about the The International Science and Engineering Fair. The film’s reviews are 100% positive and the average score is 8.3 out of 10, so not only does every critic like the movie, most of them love it. It’s been a good year for documentaries at the box office and hopefully this will be another success story.
Set in Germany during World War II, this film stars Amandla Stenberg as a mixed-race German citizen who falls in love with a member of the Hitler Youth. ... What? The film is earning mixed reviews with a lot of critics saying the overall story is too predictable and the thing that sets it apart makes the film so much worse.
Another Time - Reviews - Video on Demand
Armed - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Basement - Reviews - Video on Demand
Danger One - Reviews - Video on Demand
He’s Out There - Reviews - Video on Demand
Patient Zero - Reviews - Video on Demand
Slice - Reviews - Video on Demand
A Wizard’s Tale - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are so many secondary VOD releases that even ones with good reviews are going to get lost in the crowd.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, He’s Out There, Slice, Bel Canto, MDMA, The Children Act, Armed, Lizzie, Mandy, Final Score, Patient Zero, Here Comes the Grump, A Boy. A Girl. A Dream, American Chaos, The Dawn Wall, I Think We’re Alone Now, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Science Fair, Don’t Leave Home, The Basement, Danger One, Where Hands Touch, Museo, Another Time, Nicolas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Dinklage, Elle Fanning, Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Amandla Stenberg, Dave Bautista, Angie Wang, Tommy Caldwell