Limited and VOD Releases: Dinner and a Movie
June 9, 2017
It is not a particularly busy week as far as limited releases are concerned. However, there are a few that have a shot at earning some mainstream success: Beatriz at Dinner, I, Daniel Blake, and My Cousin Rachel. There’s a chance none of them will do well this weekend, but hopefully they can all find an audience.
Beatriz at Dinner - Reviews
I, Daniel Blake - Reviews
Dawson City: Frozen Time - Reviews
The Hero - Reviews
The Hunter’s Prayer - Reviews
My Cousin Rachel - Reviews
Night School - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
Salma Hayek plays an immigrant from a poor Mexican town who has become a healthcare provider in the States. At a dinner party, she meets a billionaire, played by John Lithgow, and their lives change as a result. This is one of the better reviewed films on this week’s list and it does have more buzz than most of the competition. That said, opening in limited release is never easy.
We’ve mentioned this film twice before, but it is finally getting a theatrical release, as opposed to a film festival release. The reviews are amazing and it could do well in limited release.
Dawson City was a gold rush town in the early 20th century. It was also the last place most films prints ended up, because it was too expensive to be worth shipping them back to the distributors. In the 1970s, hundreds of prints were accidentally discovered and this film looks at the discovery and life and times they represent.
Sam Elliott stars as an aging movie star whose glory days are behind him. Most critics are praising his performance, but they also say the story is filled with too many clichés to be completely effective. It is worth checking out, but maybe wait for a rental.
Video On Demand
A hitman teams up with one of his targets, who wants revenge for the murder of her family. The reviews are weak and it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are zero. That said, if you like the genre and the cast, maybe it is worth a $7 rental. Maybe.
A movie about a man who believes his cousin, Rachel, murdered the man who raised him as an orphan. He plots revenge, only to fall in love with her. The reviews are very good, but they are right on the border between good and good enough for limited release. Furthermore, it is playing in 500 theaters, which will likely prove to be too many to thrive. On the other hand, maybe it will be a sleeper hit.
A documentary about two African-Americans living in Indianapolis who are trying to get their high school diploma as adults. Indianapolis has one of the lowest graduation rates, so completing their GED would be a huge boost to their lives. The reviews are very positive, so it could do well in limited release, at least for a documentary.
11:55 - Reviews - Video on Demand
Awakening the Zodiac - Reviews - Video on Demand
I Love You Both - Reviews - Video on Demand
Middle Man - Reviews - Video on Demand
Miles - Reviews - Video on Demand
Random Tropical Paradise - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are almost as many secondary VOD releases as there are main releases. In fact, The Hunter’s Prayer could be in this list, as there are only ten reviews, while Camera Obscura hits Video on Demand on Tuesday, so it wouldn’t be completely out of place here.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, My Cousin Rachel, The Hunter’s Prayer, I, Daniel Blake, Awakening the Zodiac, 11:55, The Hero, Night School, Camera Obscura, Dawson City: Frozen Time, Beatriz at Dinner, I Love You Both, Random Tropical Paradise, Miles, Middle Man, Sam Elliott, Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Rachel Weisz, Sam Worthington, Odeya Rush