Limited and VOD Releases: Looking for Change

February 22, 2019

The Changeover

It is a painfully slow week for limited releases. It is so slow that I had to include all films we have theater counts for, even ones with no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, just to have enough films to talk about. Of the nine films on this week’s list, only three would be included in a normal week. Interestingly, two of these films are being released by Vertical Entertainment: The Changeover and Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz.

The Changeover - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Not only does this film have some of the best reviews of the week, it also has more reviews on Rotten Tomatoes than any other film on this week’s list. (At least that’s true as I’m writing this.) On the other hand, it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are negligible.

Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future - No Reviews
 A biography of Chesley Bonestell, an artist who specialized in space art and who did work for serious scientific magazines, as well as Hollywood special effects. Unfortunately, there are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and there’s direct competition below, so its box office chances are weak.

The Iron Orchard - Reviews
 This is one of the few films on this week’s list with more than a handful of reviews, but they are mostly negative. This film will struggle, even with so little competition.

The Law of Moises - No Reviews
 Nic Caruccio stars as a young man who desperately wants to leave his small town. However, when the Biblical ten plagues strike his home town, he learns he might be the only person able to save it. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so its box office chances are very limited.

Paddleton - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A Netlflix movie about two men, one of whom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so he wants his friend to help him end his life before the cancer does. The reviews are good, but it is playing on Netflix, so most people will watch it there and won’t bother with the theatrical release.

Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz - Reviews
 A documentary about the oldest surviving member of the prosecuting team at the Nuremberg trials. The reviews are 100% positive, plus we’ve seen a lot of documentaries do well at the box office over the past year, so this film has a chance at doing well.

Run the Race - Reviews
 A faith-based movie about a high school football star whose chances of getting out of his small town are put in jeopardy due to an injury. There are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they are both positive, so that’s a good sign. On the other hand, the film is playing in over 800 theaters and faith-based films are on a losing streak at the box office.

Total Dhamaal - No Reviews
 The third film in the Dhamaal franchise. The first two were huge hits for Bollywood films and I suspect this one will be the same. In fact, since the movie is opening in nearly 200 theaters this weekend, it has a shot to crack $1 million during its domestic run.

Trading Paint - No Reviews
 Video on Demand
John Travolta and Toby Sebastian play a father-son racing team who have a falling out and become rivals. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and it is playing on VOD, so its box office chances are practically zero.

Secondary VOD Releases:
There was one film that normally would have been relegated to the Secondary VOD list, but it was such a slow week, I talked about it above.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Trading Paint, The Changeover, Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, Run the Race, The Iron Orchard, Paddleton, Total Dhamaal, Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future, The Law of Moises, Dhamaal, John Travolta, Toby Sebastian, Nic Caruccio