Limited and VOD Releases: Old Man and the Limited Release
September 27, 2018
Robert Redford’s swan song, The Old Man and the Gun, leads a group of limited releases this week. It should be the biggest hit on this week’s list and could even become an Awards Season contender. Bad Reputation could also open really well, for a documentary.
All About Nina - Reviews
Bad Reputation - Reviews
Black 47 - Reviews
Climax - Reviews
Free Solo - Reviews
Golden Job - Reviews
Little Women - Reviews
Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. - Reviews
Monsters and Men - Reviews
The Old Man and the Gun - Reviews
Summer ‘03 - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as the titular Nina, a stand-up comic whose career is just taking off, but whose romantic life is getting more complicated. Its reviews could be enough to thrive in limited release.
A documentary about Joan Jett. There have been several documentaries that have earned more than $1 million at the box office this year and I think this could be one of them. This is the film I’m most interested in seeing on this week’s list.
Video on Demand
This film is set in the mid 1800s in Ireland, where an Irish man deserts the British army to return home, only to discover his family is dead and the British are at least partially responsible. He vows revenge while another British soldier is brought in to stop him. The reviews are merely good and likely not good enough to thrive in limited release. On the other hand, its reviews are good enough for a VOD rental.
A group of dancers are rehearsing / celebrating a recent performance when they realize the drinks they have been consuming are laced with LSD. The reviews are stellar and there’s enough star power on both sides of the camera to expect this film to do well in limited release. However, I think it is too out there to expand wide enough to earn a true measure of mainstream success.
A documentary about mountain climbing. ... The Dawn Wall just came out two weeks ago. Granted, it has been a great year for documentary films, there can’t be a large enough audience for two mountain climbing films this close together. Right?
This film only has a handful of reviews and they are merely mixed, so normally it wouldn’t be worth mentioning. However, the film earned second place on the international chart last week and Chinese films are starting to find an audience here, so it could actually do well at the box office, compared to most other films on this week’s list.
This is by far the biggest release on this week’s list, at least in terms of theaters, as it is opening in 600 of them. However, its reviews are just 36% positive and the film is being released by Pure Flix in partnership with Pinnacle Peak. This is the first film released by Pinnacle Peak and Pure Flix is dealing with a long losing streak, so that will further hurt its box office chances.
A documentary about Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, a.k.a., M.I.A. Its reviews are excellent and as I’ve mentioned a number of times, it has been a very good year for documentaries, especially biopics of celebrities.
A film about an African-American man who witnesses and records a white cop killing a black street hustler. Its reviews are over 80% positive, but its average score is just 6.7 out of 10, and because of this, I don’t think it will thrive in limited release.
Robert Redford stars in this real-life story of Forrest Tucker, who spent most of his life in prison, mostly escaping from prison. The film’s reviews are excellent, while it should get a boost at the box office, because Robert Redford announced he is retiring from acting and this will be his final film. It might even do well enough to get the attention of some Awards Season voters.
Joey King plays Jamie, a 16-year old girl during the summer of 2003. She has to navigate the normal teenage obstacles, while also dealing with the aftermath of her grandmother’s deathbed confessions, which basically spilled all of the family secrets. The reviews are just below the overall positive level, which would be fine for a wide release, but will likely prove fatal for a limited release. That said, it will be worth a VOD rental, when that becomes an option.
At First Light - Reviews - Video on Demand
Cruise - Reviews - Video on Demand
Extremity - No Reviews - Video on Demand
The Padre - Reviews - Video On Demand
There are not one but two Canadian films on this week’s list of secondary VOD releases. That said, the only such release that I’ve heard any buzz about is The Padre.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Little Women, Cruise, The Old Man and the Gun, First Light, Extremity, Monsters and Men, The Padre, Summer '03, Climax, The Dawn Wall, Bad Reputation, All About Nina, Free Solo, Black 47, Matangi/Maya/M.I.A., Huang Jin Xiong Di, Joan Jett, Joey King, Robert Redford, Mary Elizabeth Winstead