Dark Knight Sinks Limited Releases
July 20, 2012
Not only has The Dark Knight Rises scared off the competition in terms of wide releases, there are almost no limited releases coming out this week either. Of the four releases, two are documentaries, one is a 3D samurai film, and the other an ensemble. I don't think any of them will earn a real measure of mainstream success, but The Queen of Versailles will likely perform the best this weekend.
30 Beats - Reviews
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai - Reviews
The Queen of Versailles - Reviews
Strong! - Reviews
An ensemble drama about a group of inter-connected couples in New York City. This is writer / director Alexis Lloyd's first film and so far it is earning zero positive reviews. Not only are all 14 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes negative, many are aggressively negative. 30 Beats opens tonight in 15 theaters, but that is likely as far as it will go.
A 3D samurai film directed by cult master Takashi Miike. The man has made some amazing movies, including 13 Assassins, which I loved. This film's reviews are not quite as strong, but strong enough that it has a shot at earning some measure of mainstream success. On the other hand, can a 3D film win over fans of art house cinema? Or has there been too much backlash against the format? Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai opens tonight at the IFC Center in New York City and the Downtown Independent Theater in Los Angeles.
The rise and fall of the fortunes of David and Jackie Siegel. The film begins with the billionaires building what is planned to be the biggest house in all of the United States, but as the housing bubble begins to pop, their empire begins to crumble. The reviews are unbelievably positive, and the movie might have a bit of schadenfreude boosting ticket sales. The Queen of Versailles opens tonigh in three theaters, two in New York City and the other in Los Angeles.
A biopic of Cheryl Haworth, an Olympic weightlifter as she tries to compete at the 2008 Olympics. The timing is good, as the Summer Olympics are ramping up, but weightlifting is not a major sport. Additionally, there is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, which suggests a real lack of buzz. Strong! opened on Wednesday in Colorado and debuts on PBS on the 26th.
Filed under: Limited Releases, The Dark Knight Rises, 30 Beats, The Queen of Versailles, Ichimei, Strong