Limited and VOD Releases: Weathering the Storm

January 17, 2020

Weathering With You

It’s yet another slow week for limited releases. That’s not to say there are no films worth checking out. Weathering With You is earning outstanding reviews and will be the biggest hit opening this week. Extracurricular and Feedback are also worth checking out, but they will find audiences on VOD, not in theaters.

Disturbing the Peace - Reviews
Video on Demand
This film has more reviews than most limited releases coming out this week, but not only are the reviews 100% negative, they are also aggressively negative. Unfortunately, the main complaint is how dull it is, so it isn’t even a “so bad it’s good” type of movie.

Extracurricular - Reviews
Video on Demand
Four overachieving high school students also plan and execute murders. They have strict rules to prevent them from getting caught, but when their latest plan goes awry, their friendship is tested. This film doesn’t have a lot of reviews and it is the wrong genre for limited release, but it could find an audience on VOD.

Feedback - Reviews
Video on Demand
This is one of a few films on this week’s list that are earning more than a handful of reviews. Unfortunately, its reviews are merely good and not good enough to thrive in limited release. They are good enough for a VOD rental, on the other hand.

Frozen II: Sing Along - Reviews
This film is getting a sing along re-release this weekend. However, despite this, its overall theater count is still falling, so I don’t think it will have much of an impact at the box office.

The Wave - Reviews
Video on Demand
Justin Long stars as a businessman with a very important presentation who gets dosed with a hallucinogen and goes on a bad trip. The reviews are exactly 50% positive, which is nowhere near good enough to thrive in limited release. However, it is also playing on VOD and that’s good enough for a rental.

Weathering With You - Reviews
As we previously mentioned, this anime title has already earned $3 million in limited release, although it is playing in 1,000 theaters, which makes it more of a semi-wide release than a true limited release. It will easily be the biggest box office hit on this week’s list, ignoring the Frozen II re-release, and it is also the best in terms of reviews, so that success is well deserved.

Secondary VOD Releases:
2050 - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Host - Reviews - Video on Demand
Intrigo: Death Of An Author - Reviews - Video on Demand
My Hindu Friend - Reviews - Video on Demand
I’m surprised My Hindu Friend isn’t getting more press. It’s the only secondary VOD release of the week that’s really worth checking out.

- Theater Counts

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Frozen II, Meu Amigo Hindu, 2050, Feedback, The Wave, Weathering with You (天気の子), Intrigo: Death Of An Author, Disturbing the Peace, Extracurricular, The Host, Justin Long