Limited and VOD Releases: It’s a Good Night to see a Movie

August 2, 2019

The Nightingale

It is a slow week for limited releases with only six films on the main list. Fortunately, four of those six films are earning excellent reviews and a couple of them could do well at the box office. This includes both Luce and The Nightingale. Meanwhile, Love, Antosha could do well for a documentary.

La Flor - Reviews
 An avant garde film starring the same four actresses in six different stories. There are only eight reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they are all positive. This suggests it could do well in limited release, but it has almost no chance of expanding significantly.

Love, Antosha - Reviews
 A documentary about Anton Yelchin, an actor whose life was tragically but short in an accident involving his car. (I won’t go into the details here, but I consider it a stark example of how sometimes the universe is random and cruel.) The reviews are 100% positive and fans of the actor, or of biographical documentaries in general, will want to check it out.

Luce - Reviews
 One of three films that earned both pre-release buzz and impressive reviews. This film is about a former child solider who was adopted by an American family and becomes a star pupil in his new home. However, when he is asked to write a paper about a political hero of his, his choice sets off alarm bells in his teacher. The film’s reviews are 95% positive and it is even getting some mild Awards Season buzz. Perhaps if it were released in November, then is buzz would have been louder. Or it could have been drowned out by other films.

The Nightingale - Reviews
 This is one of the few films on this week’s list that was earning any real pre-release buzz and thankfully its reviews are living up to the buzz. On the downside, even the positive reviews are pointing out its brutal nature and how this will limit its target audience. Hopefully it will do well in limited release, but I don’t think it will expand significantly.

The Operative - Reviews
 Video on Demand
A spy thriller with mixed reviews that is also playing on VOD. Even spending $7 on a rental might be asking too much.

Them That Follow - Reviews
 This movie is set in a remote town in the Appalachia and follows a group of snake handlers, a sect of Christianity that takes the “You shall pick up snakes” part of the Bible very literally. The reviews are merely good, but not good enough to thrive in limited release. It does look interesting enough to check out on the home market, when it gets there.

Secondary VOD Releases:
15 Minutes of War - Reviews - Video on Demand
Daughter of the Wolf - Reviews - Video On Demand
Kings of Beer - Reviews - Video on Demand
Madness in the Method - No Reviews - Video on Demand
A Score To Settle - Reviews - Video on Demand
There are five secondary VOD titles coming out this week and I want to see Daughter of the Wolf the most.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, The Nightingale, Them That Follow, A Score To Settle, Luce, The Operative, Daughter of the Wolf, L'intervention, La Flor, Love, Antosha, Kings of Beer, Madness in the Method, Anton Yelchin