God Bless Limited Releases
May 10, 2012
God Bless America is one of four limited releases opening in more than ten theaters this weekend, but of those four films, it is the only one earning overall positive reviews. In fact, it is one of only four films on this week's list earning overall positive reviews. The others are I Wish, Nobody Else But You, and Sleepless Night, all three of which are foreign language films, which tends to limit box office potential. Hopefully one will have breakout success, otherwise, new releases might not show a lot of strength on the per theater chart this week.
After Dark Action - Reviews
Dangerous Ishhq - No Reviews
Girl in Progress - Reviews
God Bless America - Reviews
Hick - Reviews
I Wish - Reviews
Nobody Else But You - Reviews
Otter 501 - No Reviews
The Road - Reviews
Sleepless Night - Reviews
Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview - Reviews
Tonight You're Mine - Reviews
Where do We Go From Here? - Reviews
This is not a movie, but a film festival. Like they did with Horror films, After Dark is taking a group of action films that would otherwise probably never find a theatrical release and releasing them all in one weekend under one banner. It will be interesting to see if they can replicate the success of 8 Films to Die For, but even if they do, it still means they will make most of their money on the home market. I hope to get a chance to review them when they do, and I'm especially looking forward to seeing Dragon Eyes. Check the Official Site for a theater listing.
A Bollywood thriller about a powerful couple, the son of a business tycoon and a supermodel. When he is kidnapped and ransomed, she will do anything to get him back. While researching, she learns the pair have connections that go deeper than love and stretch back centuries. Like most Bollywood movies, this one is opening with no reviews and in many more theaters than most limited releases can handle (30, to be exact). Also, like most other Bollywood releases, it's almost impossible to tell how well it will do in theaters.
Eva Mendes and Cierra Ramirez play mother and daughter, only the daughter is the more mature of the pair. She decides she has to become an adult, because her mother won't be, but this has disastrous results. The film is earning really weak reviews for a limited release, plus the Hispanic film market is still not fully developed, although it has had some successes. Girl in Progress opens tonight in 300 theaters, but I expect that's as wide as it will go.
At the beginning of the month, the reviews for this film were nearly perfect. Since then, they have sunk to barely above the overall positive level. It still has a lot more buzz than most wide releases earn, but its target audience isn't exactly Art House Aficionados, so it will likely have to wait till the home market to find an audience. God Bless America opens tonight in 11 theaters in cities nationwide.
This film had quite a bit of buzz going into its release. It's Derick Martini's follow-up to Lymelife, which earned him a Gotham Awards nomination for Breakthrough Director and a win at the TIFF. This film won't win many awards. In fact, it is earning zero percent positive reviews. Hick opens tonight at the AMC Loews Village 7 in New York City.
A Japanese film about a 12-year old bot dealing with his parents divorce, which resulted in him being separated from his younger brother when he moved with his mom to a new town. When a high speed rail line is set to connect the town where he lives with the town where his brother lives, he sees this as a sign his parents will get back together. One of only two films on this week's list that is earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, but it is a foreign language film, so that will likely prevent it from expanding significantly. I Wish opens tonight in five theaters, two in New York City and three in the Los Angeles area.
A crime novelist investigates the supposed suicide of a model who thought she was the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. The film's reviews are excellent and among the best and French films do tend to have a built in fan base here, at least when compared to other foreign language films. Nobody Else But You opens tonight at the Cinema Village in New York City.
A documentary about a sea otter pup separated from its mother after a storm and the woman, Katie, who tries to reunite the pup with its mom. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a really bad sign, as it indicates a lack of buzz. Otter 501 opens tonight in several theaters, mostly along the west coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle) but also in Florida (Fort Lauderdale and Tempe).
When I started writing this column, this film had only four reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and only two of them were positive. Now it has eight reviews, and six of them are positive. It's a good sign, but it is still far too early to tell where its Tomatometer Score will end up. It is a horror film, so it probably won't do well in limited release, but its theatrical release is just a setup for its home market run, which is where it should earn most of its money. The Road opens tonight in 50 theaters in cities nationwide.
Two corrupt cops decide to rob a drug runner and steal the cocaine he's transporting. However, the mob boss kidnaps one of the cop's son in order to convince him to get the drugs back. So far, the film's Tomatometer Score is a perfect 100%. It is a foreign language film, which usually hurts a film's box office potential, but French films tend to do well on the Art House circuit and this film could succeed where most other limited releases this week will fail. Sleepless Night opens tonight at the Cinema Village in New York City.
Just a quick note about this film, which originally came out last November, but is getting a special engagement this weekend. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but all three are positive and should interest technophiles. Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview opens tonight in six theaters in cities like New York and Los Angeles, but also in Spokane, Washington and Greensboro, North Carolina, and others.
Two musicians, the lead singer in an Indie rock band and the lead of an all-girl punk band, get into a fight backstage at the biggest music festival in Scotland and are accidentally handcuffed to each other. The makes them hate each other even more, but since this is a romantic comedy, you know this is going to change. The film's reviews are weak compared to the average romantic comedy, and it will likely really struggle to find an audience in limited release. Tonight You're Mine opens tonight in New York City and Los Angeles.
The women of a small village in Lebanon see past their religious differences when they try and stop their husbands from starting another religious war. Their methods tend to be a little unorthodox and range from strippers to narcotics. Critics are split on the film and it is earning exactly 50% positive reviews, with the divide coming from how they see the balance between the comedy and the drama. Some critics think the film managed to hit just the right balance, other think by trying to do both, the filmmaker was unable to successful do either. A Tomatometer Score of 50% wouldn't be bad for a wide release, but it will likely proof fatal for a limited release. Where do We Go From Here? opens tonight in three theaters, two in New York City and the other in Los Angeles.
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Road, Hick, Kiseki, Et maintenant, on va où?, Girl in Progress, Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview, You Instead, Dragon Eyes, God Bless America, Poupoupidou, Nuit Blanche, The Road, Otter 501, After Dark Action, Dangerous ISHHQ