Limited and VOD Releases: Will Forest See some Green this Weekend?
July 29, 2016
It’s a week of “good, but not great” movies as there are a number of films earning Tomatometer Scores in the 70s. Generally speaking, films usually need 80% positive reviews or better to survive in limited release. There are a couple of films with amazing reviews, Gleason and Miss Sharon Jones, but both are documentaries, so they don’t have a lot of box office potential. The film I’m most interested in is Into the Forest, which is playing on Video on Demand.
Equity - Reviews
Gleason - Reviews
Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil - Reviews
Indignation - Reviews
Into the Forest - Reviews
The Land - Reviews
League of Gods - Reviews
Miss Sharon Jones - Reviews
Tallulah - Reviews
Secondary VOD Releases:
Anna Gunn leads the cast of this film, which is about high stakes financial dealings. The film has some of the best buzz on this week’s list, while its reviews are great. I’m not sure they are enough to help it thrive in limited release, on the other hand. Equity opens tonight in four theaters and hopefully it will stick around for a while.
A documentary about Steve Gleason, a former football player diagnosed with ALS, who was determined to do as much good as he could with what little time he had. The reviews are excellent, but documentaries rarely have breakout success. In fact, you can already pre-order the film on Video on Demand.
A documentary about the art of Hieronymus Bosch. You might not recognize the name, but you will likely instantly recognize his art. Unfortunately, most critics agree that his art is the most interesting part of this movie, as it doesn’t add much to help viewers understand or appreciate his work.
The film is set in the 1950s and takes place in a small, conservative Ohio college. Logan Lerman plays a Jewish student on a scholarship. However, when he falls for Sarah Gadon, the Dean becomes a serious obstacle to his academic career. The reviews are good and the buzz is louder that most other limited releases on this week’s list, but I'm not sure either are good enough for it to thrive.
Video on Demand
Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood star as two sisters who live in their parents’ house in the woods. They have to learn to survive after a massive power failure causes society to collapse. The reviews are good, but not great, while the buzz is better than most other films on this week’s list. However, it is playing on VOD and it will very likely make most of its money on the home market.
Video on Demand
A group of friends want to become professional skateboard players to escape their lives in Cleveland. However, they steal cars to finance this dream, which results in them crossing paths with a local Queen-pin. Their friendship might not survive this turn of events. They might not survive this turn of events. The reviews are not good enough for limited release, but you can rent it on VOD starting on the 4th, and that’s probably the best way to see it.
A Chinese fantasy epic. There’s only one review on Rotten Tomatoes and it is negative. However, there’s a growing audience for Chinese films here, so it might do well regardless.
A documentary about a year in life of soul singer Sharon Jones, who was battling cancer at the time. The reviews are amazing and biographies like this can do well in limited release. However, they almost never have break out success.
The second Ellen Page film on this week’s list. In this film, she plays a young woman taking care of an abandoned child who turns to her ex-boyfriend's mother, Allison Janney, for help. Like the other Ellen Page film, this one is earning good reviews, but not great reviews. On the other hand, it isn’t playing on VOD, so its box office numbers should be better.
Ants on a Shrimp - Reviews - Video on Demand
Viral - Reviews - Video on Demand
A documentary about a restaurant and a horror film about a parasitic epidemic. Both are worth checking out for their respective target audiences.
Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Into the Forest, Tallulah, Viral, Indignation, Miss Sharon Jones, Ants on a Shrimp, The Land, Equity, Gleason, Jheronimus Bosch, Touched by the Devil, Feng Shen Bang, Allison Janney, Logan Lerman, Elliot Page, Evan Rachel Wood, Sarah Gadon, Sharon Jones, Anna Gunn