VOD Releases: Are Audiences Feeling Friendly?
July 22, 2020
Most of the major new releases on VOD are earning positive reviews this week. Of these, The Whistlers is the critical darling, but Fisherman’s Friends could find a larger audience. There’s also some strength in depth among the independent films and shows coming to a platform near you.
The Alienist: Season Two
Fisherman’s Friends
Survive the Night
This is one of the biggest release of the week based on pre-release buzz. It is also one of the worst based on reviews, and the bad reviews are really bad. This isn’t a movie where most critics are merely calling it mediocre.
The Whistlers
12 oz. Mouse: Season Three - Vudu
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Highlights
iTunes or Vudu
I previously reviewed the first season of the show. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. The acting is good, as is the writing, but it is a police procedural show and I’m burnt out on those. I wasn’t alone in offering tepid praise, but if you are a fan of the genre, it is worth checking out.
iTunes
This is a light-hearted, inspirational film that is based on real life events. Specifically, it is about a music executive who “discovers” a group of singing fishermen and tries to convince them to put out an album. I really think this is a film that had the potential to become a sleeper hit in theaters during the summer and it would not have been too shocking to see it expand at least semi-wide. Calendar Girls is another light-hearted inspirational film and that movie made $30 million in North America and nearly $100 million worldwide back in 2003. Unfortunately, the pandemic means it won’t be seen in theaters. That said, I’m cautiously optimistic it will do well on VOD.
Amazon 4K UHD VOD, Amazon VOD, Google Play, iTunes, or Vudu
An action movie starring Bruce Willis and Chad Michael Murray that was originally scheduled for a limited theatrical release in May, and now landing on VOD. After his brother Mathias is mortally wounded in a robbery gone bad, Jamie stalks trauma doctor Rich from the hospital to his home. While holding Rich’s wife and daughter hostage, the unhinged murderer forces Rich to operate on Mathias. But in order for him and his family to survive the night, Rich must team up with his estranged tough-as-nails father, retired sheriff Frank, in order to gain the upper hand and turn the tables on the criminals.
Amazon, iTunes, or Vudu
An action film from Romania that is not only earning lots of reviews, which suggests loud buzz, the reviews it is earning are overwhelmingly positive. They might not be enthusiastically positive, but the film costs just $4 to rent on Vudu and the average review score is good enough to justify a $4 rental.
Other Releases
American Experience: George W. Bush - Amazon
Attraction 2: Invasion - Amazon, iTunes, or Vudu
Blood Vessel - Amazon or Vudu
Coma - Vudu
Confidence - Amazon
Debunkers Inc. - iTunes
Doll House - Vudu
El Mar La Mar - iTunes, Vudu
Electricity - Google Play or iTunes
Florence and the Uffizi Gallery - iTunes
The Grand Unified Theory of Howard Bloom - Amazon or Vudu
Guest Artist - Amazon, Google Play, or Vudu
Jay Mohr: American Treasure - Vudu
A Killer Next Door - iTunes or Vudu
Mephisto - Amazon
Mighty Oak - Amazon, Google Play, Vudu
Neon Heart - iTunes
Our Bodies Our Doctors - iTunes or Vudu
Rad - iTunes
Sailing Into Love - Amazon, iTunes, Vudu
Terror in the Skies - Amazon or iTunes
The Things We Keep - iTunes
The Thundermans: Season One - Amazon
The Thundermans: Season Two - Amazon
The Thundermans: Season Three - Amazon
Filed under: Home Market Releases, VOD Releases, Rad, Confidence, Firenze e gli Uffizi 3D/4K, El Mar La Mar, Neon Heart, Guest Artist, Fisherman's Friends, Survive the Night, La Gomera, Koma, Mighty Oak, Our Bodies Our Doctors, The Grand Unified Theory of Howard Bloom, Sailing Into Love, Jay Mohr: American Treasure, Electricity, A Killer Next Door, Vtorzhenie, Doll House, Blood Vessel, The Things We Keep, Terror in the Skies, American Experience, The Alienist, 12 oz. Mouse, The Thundermans, Bruce Willis, Chad Michael Murray, Rosamund Pike