Limited Releases are Feeling Blue
March 23, 2012
After last week's strange list of limited releases, which included three films playing in more than 200 theaters, this week's list is a lot more typical. In fact, there's only one film placing in more than a handful of theaters. That film is The Deep Blue Sea, which is also earning some of the best reviews and should be the biggest hit, at least in raw dollars. I'm not sure how well it will do on the per theater chart.
4:44 - Last Day on Earth - Reviews
Brake - Buy from Amazon
The Deep Blue Sea - Reviews
Musical Chairs - Reviews
The Raid: Redemption - Reviews
Sisters & Brothers - Reviews
The Trouble With Bliss - Reviews
Willem Dafoe and Shanyn Leigh play a couple who are dealing with their last day on Earth. It's the end of the world and they have just one day left. The film's reviews are just a hair below the overall positive level, but fans of writer / director Abel Ferrara will want to give it a try. And if you get a chance to see it tonight at the IFC Center in New York City, he will be there for a couple Q&A sessions.
A thriller about a secret service agent kidnapped by terrorists, who want him to give up information on the President. Critics are split on this one, with some saying it it tense enough to be worth watching, while others say it can't hold your attention throughout the entire running time. Given the mixed reviews and the genre, it likely won't find an audience in theaters. Brake opens tonight at the IFC Center, having previously been released on Video on Demand.
Rachel Weisz plays a woman in Post-World War II Britain married to a respectable judge. However, their marriage is without passion, so she leaves him for a younger man. But will this change be for the better? This film is earning the best reviews of any film on this week's list, but it is also opening in 33 theaters, which might be too much to thrive. Let's hope it can find an audience, because it certainly deserves to.
A romantic comedy set in the world of Wheelchair Ballroom Dancing. Since it is a romantic comedy, expectations for its reviews have to be a little lower, but even so, 33% positive is not good. It is certainly not good enough to predict box office success in limited release. Musical Chairs opens tonight in nine theaters split between New York and Florida.
An Indonesian movie about a SWAT raid on a tenement building where a notorious crime boss is. However, when the mission goes wrong and the leader of the cops is killed, the rookie has to take over. This film is earning overwhelmingly positive reviews; however, it is a martial arts action film, and there are not a lot of those that have managed to thrive in limited release. Maybe it will be one of the rare exceptions, but I'm not holding my breath. The Raid: Redemption opens tonight in 13 theaters in New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco and Chicago.
A Canadian film with an impressive ensemble cast. It tells the stories of four pairs of siblings touching on subjects like mental illness, addiction, unexpected families, and the usual sibling rivalries. Most of the critics argue that the cast is better than the script, but they are split on whether or not the overall film is a success. Sisters & Brothers opens tonight at the Cineplex International Village Theatres in Vancouver and the AMC Yonge&Dundas in Toronto.
Michael C. Hall leads an impressive cast; however, the cast might be the only impressive thing about the movie. Many critics are complaining that the mid-life crisis movie doesn't have enough edge and merely repeats well-worn clichés. The Trouble With Bliss opens tonight at the City Cinemas Village East in New York City.
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Deep Blue Sea, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Musical Chairs, The Trouble With Bliss, Serbuan maut, Brake