Limited and VOD Releases: Lovers of Limited Releases

May 5, 2017

Chuck

It is one of those weeks where it is hard to find a film with high box office potential. Last Men in Aleppo is the best movie, but as a documentary, it likely won’t expand significantly. Chuck has a great cast, but it’s reviews are merely good. Maybe The Lovers will do the best.

Another Evil - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A man encounters a ghost in his family’s vacation home and hires an exorcist to get rid of it. Then he needs to figure out how to get rid of the exorcist. The reviews are good, but not good enough for limited release. It is worth a $7 VOD rental, if you like horror comedies.

Berlin Syndrome - Reviews
 Teresa Palmer plays a tourist in Berlin who meets a local man. What could have been the start of a romance quickly becomes something much more sinister. The film’s reviews are good enough to do well in limited release, but it is a thriller / horror, so it might struggle because of that.

Burden - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A documentary about Chris Burden, who started out as a performance artist in the 1970s before eventually growing up and becoming a real artist. The reviews are good enough to do well in limited release, but it won’t expand significantly.

Chuck - Reviews
 A biopic about Chuck Wepner, who was the real life inspiration for Rocky. The cast is great, but I’m not sure the reviews are good enough to thrive in limited release.

The Dinner - Reviews
 Two rich families have dinner together. Their two 16-year old sons have committed a horrible crime and the families have to decide what to do next. The cast is impressive, but the reviews are mixed, so it will likely struggle in theaters.

Last Men in Aleppo - Reviews
 A documentary about the White Hats, a group of civilians who operate as a rescue squad in Aleppo, which is the center of fighting in the Syrian civil war. The film’s reviews are 100% positive, but the subject matter might be too tough for the average moviegoer.

Like Crazy - Reviews
 Two women from different backgrounds become friends in a mental institute. They decide to break out and runaway together. The film’s reviews could be good enough to do well in limited release, but as a foreign-language film, its chances of expanding significantly are very limited.

The Lovers - Reviews
 Debra Winger and Tracy Letts play a married couple whose marriage has fallen apart. (Both of them are having affairs.) However, one day there’s a romantic spark between them and they have to decide if their marriage is worth saving. The reviews are among the best this week and it could find success in limited release.

Risk - Reviews
 A documentary about Julian Assange, who is a subject I’m sick of hearing about. If the documentary doesn’t spend half its running time talking about Julian Assange working for Russia, then it is an incomplete movie and I don’t have time for that.

Shock Wave - Reviews
 This Chinese thriller opened in first place at the box office in its native China this past weekend. There are not a lot of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but most of them are positive. Furthermore, Chinese films are begging to make inroads in limited release.

Take Me - No Reviews - Reviews
Video On Demand
Pat Healy runs a company that performs simulated kidnappings clients, but his latest job turns out to be more than he bargained for. The reviews are mixed, but not so bad that it isn’t worth a $5 rental, if you like the setup.

Three Generations - Reviews
 One of the only films on this week’s list earning any real buzz. Unfortunately, this is mainly due to its battle with the MPAA about its initial R rating. The film’s reviews are well below 50% positive and there’s little hope it will thrive in theaters. Worse still, it a Weinstein release and the distributor is barely hanging on. It needs a hit soon.

A Woman’s Life - Reviews
 An aristocrat marries a rich man, only to learn this won’t be the life of privilege that she thought it would be. The film’s reviews are not as strong as I would like, but French films have a built in target audience among art house fans, so it could do well in limited release.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Lady Bloodfight - Reviews - Video on Demand
Warrior’s Gate - Reviews - Video on Demand
Only two secondary VOD releases, neither of which is even worth renting.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Three Generations, Warrior’s Gate, La Pazza Gioia, Burden, The Dinner, Berlin Syndrome, The Lovers, Lady Bloodfight, Take Me, Chuck, Une Vie, Last Men in Aleppo, Another Evil, Risk, Chāi dàn zhuānjiā, Pat Healy, Tracy Letts, Teresa Palmer, Liev Schreiber, Debra Winger, Taylor Schilling, Max Riemelt, Julian Assange, Chris Burden