Falling for Limited Releases
June 29, 2007
There are about half a dozen limited releases on this week's list, which is a bit shorter than expected as one of them went wide instead. Looking at the remaining films, none seem destined to join Evening in wide release, or even have a solid shot at doing so, but there are a couple that could have solid weekends.
Apne - Reviews
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox - Reviews
Falling - Reviews
Ghosts of Cite Soleil - Reviews
Let’s All Hate Toronto - No Reviews
One to Another - Reviews
Vitus - Reviews
An ex-boxer tries to regain some past glory through the success of his son in this Indian film. Like most limited releases from that country, this one is opening very wide at 43 theaters, and while it is still a niche market film, it should have little trouble cracking $200,000 over the weekend, perhaps earning $300,000 or more.
A documentary about a mental patient who invented a liquid soap that is still popular in health stores around the country.
Obviously a fascinating subject for a movie and the filmmakers do an admirable job at telling it but the target audience in limited.
Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox opens tonight at the Cinema Village in New York City.
The movie tells the story of five women who reunite at the funeral for one of their teachers.
The film walks a well-worn path but adds little new.
In fact, there's little here at all.
Falling is one of the wider releases of the week opening in 8 theaters, but that is likely as wide as it will go.
One of the few new limited releases to earn overwhelmingly positive reviews, this documentary deals with gangs in one of the poorest parts of Haiti, which was one of the poorest nations in the world. The filmmakers were able to get amazing access to their subjects, but that may have affected their objectivity. Ghosts of Cite Soleil opened on Wednesday at the IFC Center in New York City.
There are two types of people in Canada, those who live in Toronto and those who hate Toronto. ... There's even a lot of overlap between those two groups. The documentary explores the why this is the case. (It's 'cos they suck. How are they going to pad that out to a feature-length film?) In all seriousness, the movie does delve into the real issues, like the people from Toronto thinking they are the centre of the Universe, but does so in a humorous fashion. Made by the same filmmaker as Stupidity and Escape to Canada, and if you like either of those films (or hate Toronto), you will likely enjoy this one as well. Let’s All Hate Toronto opened yesterday in... Toronto.
An erotic thriller that is a story of revenge. There are hints that underneath it all, there is a nugget of an effective story, but it doesn't shine through. One to Another opens tonight at the Quad Cinema in New York City.
Easily the most anticipated limited release of the week (then again, there wasn't much in the way of competition for that).
However, the reviews are sadly average.
If a wide release earned 64% positive, that would be enough to assume strong legs, however, art house crowds demand more and anything less than 75% could hurt a film's box office potential. Even so, it should perform well this weekend, but I would be cautious about its long-term chances. Vitus opens tonight in two theaters, the Angelika Film Center and the Lincoln Plaza, both in New York City.
Filed under: Limited Releases, Vitus, Ghosts of Cité Soleil, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, Chacun sa nuit, Fallen, Apne