Limited and VOD Releases: Christmas Time is Nearly Here
November 30, 2018
It’s another slow week for new releases, so like last week, I had to be a little more liberal when it came to including films on this list. There are some films that I think could find an audience, including Alanis and Bathtubs Over Broadway. However, Anna and the Apocalypse is the film I’m most interested in seeing.
Alanis - Reviews
Anna and the Apocalypse - Reviews
Bathtubs Over Broadway - Reviews
Blood Brother - Reviews
Dead in a Week: or Your Money Back - Reviews
DriverX - Reviews
Ghostbox Cowboy - Reviews
Mirai - Reviews
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle - Reviews
Never Look Away - Reviews
People’s Republic of Desire - Reviews
Piripkura - Reviews
Sicilian Ghost Story - Reviews
Tiger - Reviews
Unstoppable - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
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Sofía Gala stars as the titular Alanis, a young prostitute living in Argentina trying to raise her 1-year old son. The film’s reviews are 100% positive and this is the type of film that can do well in limited release. However, its chances of expanding significantly are limited, to put it mildly.
Ella Hunt stars as a woman living in a small town and dealing with a zombie apocalypse at Christmas. This is one of the few films on this week’s list that earned some pre-release buzz. However, while its reviews suggest it could find an audience in theaters, it’s the wrong genre to thrive in art house theaters. Both horror films and comedies rarely do well in limited release, and horror comedies are even less likely to thrive. I am looking forward to seeing it on the home market.
A documentary about one man’s journey through the world of musical theater. 100% of its reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive, while its average score is 8.4 out of 10. Furthermore, documentaries are on a winning streak and this subject matter tends to do well with art house aficionados.
Video on Demand
A group of friends commit a crime and only one of them is caught. 15 years later, when that man gets out of prison, he seeks revenge on the others. Its reviews are mixed and it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are terrible.
A man hires a hitman when he fails to commit suicide, repeatedly. However, he then finds a reason to live, but the hitman refuses to fail at his assignment. The reviews are terrible and its box office chances are nearly zero.
Video on Demand
A movie about a husband who takes a job in the gig economy as a driver when he’s wife’s salary isn’t enough to survive in Los Angeles. It might do well on VOD, but it likely won’t find an audience in theaters.
An American immigrates to China to become rich. The film’s reviews are overwhelmingly positive, but the average score is just 6.7 out of 10, so while most critics like it, few love it.
An Anime movie about a young boy who is upset than his new younger sister is getting all of the attention. He then goes to the garden where he meets his younger sister, who is now his older sister, sort of. Time travel is confusing. The pair then travel through time to meet relatives at different eras. The film’s reviews are excellent and it deserves to be seen. However, it is having a very limited engagement, including shows yesterday, as well as on the 5th and 8th of December.
Andy Serkis makes his directorial debut with this darker, grittier retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s story. Unfortunately, most critics agree that the changes made to the story don’t help as much as they hurt. Additionally, the film is hitting Netflix very shortly, so it have very little time to make an impact at the box office.
A German romantic drama set in Germany after World War II. It is about a man who falls in love with a woman, but her father is a Nazi in hiding. The reviews are right on the border between merely good and good enough to thrive in limited release.
A documentary about two Internet streamers in China who are trying to become famous. The reviews are excellent and documentaries have done very well this year. That said, it isn’t the biggest documentary coming out this week.
A documentary about the Piripkura, an indigenous people of Brazil. There’s only one review, but it is positive and documentaries have been very lucrative this year. On the other hand, there is direct competition for documentaries this week.
A 13-year old boy goes missing and only his classmate, who had a crush on him, goes looking for him. She can’t understand why the adults are so quiet about his disappearance. The film’s reviews are fantastic and this could do well at the box office, at least compared to most foreign-language imports.
An inspirational sports movie based on real life events about a boxer discriminated against due to his Sikh religion. The reviews are good, but not great, with critics complaining about the formulaic nature of the film.
A South Korean crime thriller about a retired gangster who is dragged back into the business when his wife is kidnapped. There’s only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is positive, and it is a slow week, so I might as well mention it.
Like last week, there are no secondary VOD releases this week, because I included any films that would normally be relegated here on the main list.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, Tiger, Sicilian Ghost Story, Alanis, Anna and the Apocalypse, Blood Brother, People’s Republic of Desire, Mirai no Mirai, Werk ohne Autor, Ghostbox Cowboy, DriverX, Bathtubs Over Broadway, Sungnan Hwangso, Piripkura, Dead in a Week: or Your Money Back, Sebastian Koch, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson, Aneurin Barnard, Tom Schilling, Sofia Gala Castiglione, Ella Hunt, Rudyard Kipling, Paula Beer