Movies
‘It Follows’ Gets Screwed Out Of Wide Theatrical Release?
MAJOR UPDATE TO THIS STORY: IT FOLLOWS WILL OPEN IN THEATERS EVERYWHERE!
I battled a Bloody Disgusting reader on Twitter explaining to him that It Follows would never get a wide theatrical release. While I want to say “I told you so” it appears we were both sorta right.
David Robert Mitchell’s horror film was on the verge of being the biggest horror breakout since the 2007 Paranormal Activity, that was until cable companies and other home viewing platforms allegedly threw a wrench in TWC-Radius’ plans.
According to Indiewire sources, Radius told theaters that they were going to expand to about 1,000 cinemas on March 27th. But by day’s end they had returned to their original VOD plan, possibly in part under pressure from cable companies and other home viewing platforms.
While a lot of you immediately think of iTunes as THE go-to VOD company, their numbers aren’t as impressive as companies like Redbox and Netflix, who can make or break a home video release. Having exclusives on Time Warner/Xfinity and DirecTV are also a huge deal these days, from my own personal experience.
My only question is – why would The Weinstein Company allow themselves to be bullied by home video chains, when a wide theatrical release and major breakout would result in major exposure and financial gains for the home releases? It’s all a bit perplexing, frustrating, and mostly rage-inducing.
Indweller attempts to explain a bit, pointing out the $7-10 million in marketing costs that would need to be recouped. In addition, theaters would only pay part of their grosses to Radius, and there was no guarantee on short notice that future bookings would have done enough to cover increased costs.
Sticking to early VOD means that Radius’ costs would be much lower, they explain, with Radius retaining a higher share of revenues. So this route guarantees them a profit, with whatever theatrical revenue they take in (possibly in the range of $2 million or more).
For those interested in the business side of indie releases, I think it’s important to click over and read a bit more.
In regards to It Follows, SEE IT IMMEDIATELY. I gave it a perfect score, calling it “a classical horror masterpiece.” Mike Pereira referred to as a creepy, mesmerizing exercise in minimalist horror” when reviewed out of the TIFF last September.
“For 19-year-old Jay (Maika Monroe), the fall should be about school, boys and weekends at the lake. Yet after a seemingly innocent sexual encounter she suddenly finds herself plagued by nightmarish visions; she can’t shake the sensation that someone, or something, is following her. As the threat closes in, Jay and her friends must somehow escape the horrors that are only a few steps behind.”
The buried origins of the cinema zombie will be explored in upcoming documentary Black Zombie, and Deadline reports that Kino Lorber has picked up the doc for U.S. release.
Kino Lorber will release Black Zombie in theaters later this year.
From writer and director Maya Annik Bedward, Black Zombie digs beneath the blood-soaked spectacle of modern horror to uncover the zombie’s buried and unsettling origins.
Long before it became associated with flesh-eating ghouls, the zombie was a living metaphor for slavery: not a monster, but the ultimate victim of colonial power.
Deadline further details, “Director Maya Annik Bedward traces the evolution of the zombie from colonial Haiti to contemporary Hollywood, reconsidering iconic films like White Zombie, Night of the Living Dead, and The Serpent and the Rainbow alongside archival footage, vérité scenes, and interviews with cultural historians, artists, and genre legends including Yves-Grégory Francois, Mambo Labelle Déesse, Slash, Tom Savini, and Zandashé Brown. Part cultural reckoning, part horror remix, Black Zombie exposes how a figure born from enslavement, spiritual belief, and resistance was transformed into one of pop culture’s most profitable monsters.”
“I’m thrilled to partner with Kino Lorber on the release of Black Zombie,” said Maya Annik Bedward. “The film explores the power of images to shape our understanding of history, culture, and race, making it especially meaningful to work with a distributor so deeply engaged with cinema’s past and present. Their passion for films that challenge, illuminate, and expand our understanding of the world makes them an ideal partner for bringing this story to audiences across the U.S.”
Kino Lorber’s Karoliina Dwyer adds, “The zombie is one of the most iconic images in cinema, and you’ll never look at them the same after watching Black Zombie. Maya Annik Bedward has crafted a fascinating, deeply researched documentary that unearths the long-buried Haitian origins of the genre, interrogating colonial, political, and Hollywood history to powerful and illuminating effect. We’re so proud to bring this documentary to U.S. audiences this fall.”
Executive producers for the documentary include music legend Slash.
‘I Walked With a Zombie’ (1943)
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