Limited and VOD Releases: Limited’s Limited Releases
August 10, 2018
There are very few films on this week’s list of limited releases; however almost all of them are earning great reviews. Even the two exceptions, BUYBUST and Summer of 84, are earning good reviews. Out of all of the films on this week’s list, Madeline’s Madeline and Skate Kitchen have the best shot at earning some measure of mainstream success.
BUYBUST - Reviews
Euthanizer - Reviews
Madeline’s Madeline - Reviews
Skate Kitchen - Reviews
Summer of 84 - Reviews
What Still Remains - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
Anne Curtis stars as the lone survivor of a drug bust gone horribly wrong. She wants revenge against the gang that killed the rest of her squad, but this also goes horribly, horribly wrong. The reviews are right on the border between good and good enough for limited release. However, I think it is the wrong genre for the art house scene and that will be the deciding factor.
Video on Demand
A mechanic has a side job euthanizing animals. He’s hired to kill a healthy dog, which he decides to spare, but the people who hired him are a violent gang of Neo Nazis. The film’s reviews are above the 90% positive level, but this is a foreign-language film that is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are close to zero. On the other hand, it is just a $4 rental, so if you like foreign-language films, definitely check it out.
Helena Howard stars as the titular Madeline, a stage actor who joins a prestigious theater group. She even gets the lead role in their new production, which is based on Madeline’s life. The film’s Tomatometer Score is over 90% positive, which is high enough that it could do well in limited release.
This film features non-professional actors, but this allows for performances that feel more real. Rachelle Vinberg stars as a Long Island girl who moves to New York City and joins an all-girl skateboarding group. This is the first narrative film from the co-writer / director, Crystal Moselle, who previously found success with the documentary, The Wolfpack. Hopefully this will help this film find an audience, as it deserves to be seen.
A group of friends think one of their neighbors might be a serial killer and decide to investigate. The reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release. Additionally, horror movies rarely do well in limited release, so its box office chances are even weaker.
This movie is set in a world where an epidemic killed nearly everyone. Lulu Antariksa stars as Anna, a loner who was born after the epidemic, so she grew up in this world. She meets Peter, and has to decide if she will stay with his community or remain on her own. There are only six reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, which normally wouldn’t be enough to be included here, but all six are positive, so that’s worth talking about. Unfortunately, it is coming out on DVD / Blu-ray on Tuesday, so it doesn’t have a lot of time to find an audience in theaters.
Along Came the Devil - Reviews - Video on Demand
Elizabeth Harvest - Reviews - Video on Demand
Hope Springs Eternal - Reviews - Video on Demand
Pretty Bad Actress - Reviews - Video on Demand
Of the secondary VOD releases, only Hope Springs Eternal is earning good reviews. Hopefully it will find an audience, but it will have to do so on the home market.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Madeline’s Madeline, Elizabeth Harvest, Skate Kitchen, Summer of 84, Hope Springs Eternal, BuyBust, Along Came the Devil, What Still Remains, Armomurhaaja, Pretty Bad Actress, Colin O'Donoghue, Crystal Moselle, Helena Howard, Rachelle Vinberg, Anne Curtis, Lulu Antariksa