Limited and VOD Releases: Give the Gift of Zucchini

February 24, 2017

My Life as a Zucchini

January and February are terrible months to release a limited release movie. Not only is it way too soon to earn Oscar buzz, but the competition includes a ton of last year’s crop of Oscar contenders. Worse still, this is Oscar weekend. I’m not saying there are no good movies coming out. My Life as a Zucchini is an Oscar-nominated film and it deserves to be seen. The Girl with all the Gifts feels like it is being dumped on VOD, but the reviews suggest it could find an audience on the home market.

As You Are - Reviews
 This film takes place during a police investigation where three friends try and reconstruct what led up to a tragedy. The reviews are good, but likely not good enough to thrive in limited release.

Bitter Harvest - Reviews
 The biggest film on this week’s list, at least in terms of theater count. It is also one of the worst reviewed films opening this week. It takes place in the 1930s Ukraine when Stalin committed genocide against the Ukrainian people by taking their food to strengthen Russia. The reviews are only 10% positive, so it will likely go nowhere in limited release.

The Girl with all the Gifts - Reviews
 Video on Demand
This film is based on a young adult novel about a fungal infection that turns people into zombies. The book earned a lot of praise and the movie's reviews are just as good, so it is really disappointing that the film is being dumped to VOD in the States. I really hope people see it.

Kiki - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A documentary about the LGBT Kiki culture in New York City. The reviews are good, but not great, while most documentaries struggle in limited release.

My Life as a Zucchini - Reviews
 This Oscar-nominated stop-motion animated film is earning 100% positive reviews and its well-timed release could help it at the box office. On the other hand, animated films rarely do well in limited release. I don’t expect it to thrive, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it did well enough this weekend to expand over the coming weeks.

Pelle the Conqueror - Reviews
 A re-release from 1987 about a man, Max von Sydow, who travels with his son from Sweden to Denmark to find a better life after the death of his wife. There is only one review on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is positive. It also mentions that Max von Sydow’s performance in Strange Brew was better. Of course it was better. Max von Sydow’s performance in Strange Brew is the greatest performance ever captured on film. I will fight anyone who says otherwise.

Punching Henry - Reviews
 Video On Demand
Henry Phillips plays Henry Phillips, a comedy songwriter lured to Los Angeles for his big break, a TV show about his life and career. However, the producer wants to do a show about a loser, which is why he picked Henry. The reviews are excellent, but there are not a lot of them on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, the film is already playing on VOD, so its box office chances are really weak.

Secondary VOD Releases:
Dying Laughing - Reviews - Video on Demand
VooDoo - Reviews - Video on Demand
Dying Laughing is earning good reviews, but not a lot of them. VooDoo isn’t terrible for a low-budget horror movie, but there are better options out there.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Pelle erobreren, Bitter Harvest, Ma vie de Courgette, Dying Laughing, The Girl with all the Gifts, Punching Henry, Kiki, VooDoo, As You Are, J.K. Simmons, Max von Sydow, Henry Phillips