Limited and VOD Releases: End of the Road for Limited Releases

April 26, 2019

JT LeRoy

It is a rough week for limited releases, as Avengers: Endgame is scaring away all of the competition. The biggest release of the week is JT LeRoy, but its reviews strongly suggest it will do better on VOD than in theaters. There are some films on this week’s list that earned stellar reviews, like Okko’s Inn, Carmine Street Guitars, etc., but none of them have the buzz to be major hits.

Body at Brighton Rock - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Wendy is a summer employee at a national park. When she finds a body in the backwoods, she has to stay there until the authorities arrive, which means staying overnight. The reviews are merely good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. On the other hand, it is worth a VOD rental.

Carmine Street Guitars - Reviews
 A documentary about Carmine Street Guitars, a guitar shop in Greenwich Village that has some how managed to avoid gentrification. The reviews are nearly 100% positive, so hopefully it will find an audience in theaters.

I Trapped the Devil - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A couple decide to spend Christmas at the home of the husband’s estranged brother, only to arrive and find out he’s got a kidnapped man locked in the basement. However, it’s cool, because the brother claims the man is really the Devil. The reviews are barely at the overall positive level, which will likely be fatal for its box office chances. On the other hand, it’s worth a VOD rental.

JT LeRoy - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Kristen Stewart stars as the titular JT LeRoy, sort of. She actually plays Savannah Knoop, who pretended to be the author JT LeRoy, but it was actually her sister, Laura Dern, who wrote the books. The reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release. Additionally, the film is already playing on VOD, so its box office chances are even worse.

Marilyn - Reviews
 A film from Argentina about a young man who doesn’t fit in and the consequences of that. There are only five reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all five of them are positive. On the other hand, it is a foreign-language film and it will likely not expand beyond the art house circuit.

Okko’s Inn - Reviews
 This film only has seven reviews, which normally wouldn’t be enough to be included here. However, all seven reviews are positive. On the downside, it was a special engagement for two days only, while it begins an Oscar-qualifying run in Los Angeles today. It will hit theaters in Canada in May, but for most people, the home market wil be the first chance they will get to see it. Fans of Anime should definitely keep an eye out for it when it debuts on the home market.

The White Crow - Reviews
 A biopic of Rudolf Nureyev directed by Ralph Fiennes. The reviews are good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. It could find an audience on the home market, on the other hand.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Demon Eye - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The only secondary VOD release of the week has no reviews.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Avengers: Endgame, The White Crow, JT LeRoy, Carmine Street Guitars, Waka Okami wa Shogakusei!, Marilyn, Body at Brighton Rock, I Trapped the Devil, Demon Eye, Laura Dern, Ralph Fiennes, Kristen Stewart, Karina Fontes