Limited and VOD Releases: Big Short Looks to Stand Tall
December 11, 2015
Earlier this week, The Big Short picked up two SAG nominations and four Golden Globe nominations and now it is opening in limited release. It arguably has louder buzz than the rest of this week’s limited releases combined, and the reviews to back it up. Outside of this film, both The Boy and the World and The Girl in the Book deserve to find an audience.
American Hero - Reviews
The Big Short - Reviews
Body - Reviews
The Boy and the World - Reviews
Dixieland - Reviews
Don Verdean - Reviews
The Girl in the Book - Reviews
The Ridiculous 6
Video on Demand
Stephen Dorff stars as a man with superpowers, but who has been using alcohol and drugs to suppress them so he can avoid any of the responsibilities that come with them. However, he decides to become a hero, so he can be a good father to his son. The reviews are soft and the film is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are very limited.
This film has amazing timing as it picked up six major Award Season nominations this week. It is also earning incredible reviews and it is by far the biggest release on this week’s list in terms of buzz. I don’t think there’s any real doubt it will top the theater averages this week. The Big Short opens tonight in 8 theaters with plans to expand truly wide in less than two weeks.
A Christmas horror film opening in limited release with mixed reviews. That’s too many strikes against this film’s box office chances. On the other hand, 50% positive reviews is fine for a rental, so it could find an audience on the home market.
An animated film about a young boy living in a small town whose father leaves for the big city in order to look for work. One day, the boy decides to go to the city in order to find his father. This film is earning the best reviews on this week’s list; however, animated films rarely do well in limited release. Although, GKIDS does have a better track record than most in this regard.
Video on Demand
This film’s reviews are too weak, even for a VOD rental.
Video on Demand
This film has the biggest gap between the talent involved and the quality of reviews on this week’s list. It is co-written and directed by Jared Hess and the ensemble cast is led by Sam Rockwell. Already I’m interested. However, something clearly went wrong, as the reviews are below 40% positive. That might not be enough, even for VOD.
Emily VanCamp stars as the daughter of a famous writer who is struggling to be a writer herself. She works as a low-level assistant book editor, but one day she is asked to help with the re-release of a book that is based in part on events from her own life and this causes memories she had long-forgot to bubble to the surface. The reviews are excellent, but unfortunately the competition is strong, so I’m not overly bullish about the film’s box office chances.
This film isn’t coming out in theaters, but it is important to talk about, because it is the first collaboration between Adam Sandler and Netflix. The streaming service released the film globally today, but Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t even have a page for it. It reportedly cost $60 million to make and I don’t think the VOD market is lucrative enough for a film like this to thrive.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Don Verdean, The Big Short, Body, Dixieland, The Girl in the Book, O Menino e o Mundo, American Hero, Stephen Dorff, Jared Hess, Sam Rockwell, Adam Sandler, Emily VanCamp