Limited and VOD Releases: Quality Takes a Nap
September 8, 2017
It’s a really busy week for limited releases, but it is a case of quantity over quality. There are no films that really stand out as potential hits this weekend. That’s not to say there are no films worth checking out, but for the most part this list is filled with films that are good, but not great. Anti-Matter, The Limehouse Golem, Lipstick Under My Burka, Napping Princess: The Story of the Unknown Me, and The Unknown Girl all could be described as good, but likely not good enough for limited release.
Anti-Matter - Reviews
The Limehouse Golem - Reviews
Lipstick Under My Burka - Reviews
Napping Princess: The Story of the Unknown Me - Reviews
Poster Boys - No Reviews
Rebel in the Rye - Reviews
Rememory - Reviews
Trophy - Reviews
The Unknown Girl - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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Video on Demand
An experiment with wormholes results in a scientist, played by Yaiza Figueroa, being unable to form new memories. She has to figure out what happened and why. The Neo Noir Sci-fi thriller is earning excellent reviews, but it is the wrong genre for limited release and it is already playing on VOD. That said, while it likely won’t be a hit in theaters, it is certainly worth a $5 rental.
Video on Demand
Bill Nighy plays a Scotland Yard detective on the trail of a serial killer who has to protect an important witness, played by Olivia Cooke. The reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release, while it is playing on Video on Demand, so its box office chances are even weaker. That said, if you want to watch a new movie this weekend, but don’t want to go out to a theater, then this is a great choice.
This film doesn’t have a lot of reviews, but there has been some pre-release buzz for this film. It might be a sleeper hit on the art house circuit.
An Anime title about a girl whose life isn’t exactly roses and who spends all of her time asleep. GKIDS is one of the few distributors with any luck releasing Anime titles in theaters. I don’t expect this to reach any major milestone, but it could do well enough to boost its home market sales.
A Bollywood film about three men who learn they are being used to promote vasectomies. After getting mocked by their fellow villagers for this, they work together to correct this mistake. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but that is common for a Bollywood release. The film is being released by Sony and having a major studio behind it could help its ticket sales.
Danny Strong started out as an actor, became an award-worthy author, and now is making his directorial debut with this film. Unfortunately, its reviews are terrible. He has directed multiple episodes of the TV show Empire, so many he’s better at TV than movies.
A Sci-fi mystery about a scientist who develops a way to read, record, and playback memories, but dies shortly afterwards. The film’s Tomatometer Score is bad at just 21% positive. However, the average score is only mixed, not aggressively negative. Furthermore, it is one of only a few films on this week’s list to be earning pre-release buzz. I think that has to do with the cast, rather than perceived quality.
A documentary about trophy hunting and its impacts on the wildlife in Africa. The reviews are 100% positive, which means it could do well in limited release. Or to be more accurate, it could do well, for a documentary. I’m not sure audiences are primed for a documentary about animals going extinct.
Video on Demand
A young doctor ignores an after hours patient, only to learn that patient died. She is then determined to make sure the woman doesn’t remain unknown. The film’s reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release. Additionally, it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are even weaker. That said, it is certainly worth $6 for a rental.
Fallen - Reviews - Video on Demand
Fallen - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Good Catholic - Reviews - Video on Demand
Gun Shy - Reviews - Video on Demand
Man in Red Bandana - Reviews - Video on Demand
Paradise Club - No Reviews - Video On Demand
There are two secondary VOD releases coming out this week that are called Fallen.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Rebel in the Rye, Fallen, La Fille Inconnue, Trophy, Paradise Club, The Good Catholic, Gun Shy, Rememory, The Limehouse Golem, Lipstick Under My Burka, Hirune-hime: Shiranai watashi no monogatari, Poster Boys, Man in Red Bandana, Fallen, Anti Matter, Bill Nighy, Danny Strong, Olivia Cooke