Limited and VOD Releases: Growing Up is not Required

January 18, 2019

Adult Life Skills

It is still the worst time of the year for limited releases. Dragon Ball Super: Broly will undoubtedly be the biggest hit of the weekend, but films like Adult Life Skills should find an audience on the home market.

Adult Life Skills - Reviews
 Video on Demand
Jodie Whittaker plays a woman who hasn’t really grown up, and doesn’t have a problem with that. At least she didn’t, but as she approaches 30, she has to decide if she needs to abandon her old life for one more “adult”. The reviews are right on the border between being merely good and being good enough for limited release. Unfortunately, for its box office chances, it is playing on VOD, so its reviews won’t really matter there. Fortunately for moviegoers, the reviews are perfect for a $7 rental.

All These Small Moments - Reviews
 A coming of age film about a teenage boy dealing with his parents failing marriage. The reviews are over 90% positive, but the average score is 6.3 out of 10. In other words, while nearly all of the critics liked the movie, few loved it. It is worth checking out, but most people will have to wait till the home market to do so.

Don’t Come Back From the Moon - Reviews
 Video on Demand
This is a drama about a small town where so many fathers have abandoned their families that it has become a crisis. There are only six reviews, so normally I would put this below with the secondary VOD releases. However, all six reviews are positive, so it deserves more.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly - Reviews
 One of the biggest Anime franchise crossovers. This film earned $7 million on Wednesday, but I’m not even going to guess what it will make over the weekend, because I have no earthly idea how many theaters are carrying it. Anime titles tend to not have full runs, so its theater count could even change from Friday to Saturday to Sunday.

The Heiresses - Reviews
 Two women who inherited their wealth see their fortunes falter, especially when one of them is jailed on fraud charges. The other then has to find a way to supplement their income. The film’s reviews are among the best of the week, but it is a foreign-language film, so it will likely remain on the art house circuit.

The Standoff at Sparrow Creek - Reviews
 Video on Demand
This film’s reviews are not strong enough to do well in limited release, plus it is playing on VOD, so its theatrical chances are even weaker. Furthermore, there’s no rental option on Amazon, so I would wait.

Wonders of the Sea 3D - Reviews
 A 3D underwater nature documentary. There are only three reviews on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment, but all three of them are positive. This makes it one of the better releases on this week’s list.

Secondary VOD Releases:
An Acceptable Loss - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Brawler - Reviews - Video on Demand
I Hate Kids - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Last Man - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Untold Story - Reviews - Video on Demand
The Untold Story only has one review, but at least it’s positive, so that makes it the best secondary VOD title of the week.

Filed under: Limited Releases, VOD Releases, Home Market Releases, Adult Life Skills, An Acceptable Loss, I Hate Kids, Wonders of the Sea 3D, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Las Herederas, The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, The Last Man, The Untold Story, All These Small Moments, Don’t Come Back From the Moon, The Brawler