Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Will 'The Descendants' ever open in Springfield?

12:40 p.m. Dec. 6, 2011 | Updated The latest commercial for "The Descendants" proclaims that the film is now playing "everywhere."
Everywhere, that is, but Springfield.
This always happens toward the end of the year: movie studios release a slew of "grown up" films while simultaneously pursuing a press and advertising blitz. This is part of a strategy that's supposed to keep these high-end films front-of-mind when it comes time to vote for the Oscars and other awards.
The problem is, most such movies are released in just a few big cities, weeks (or even months) before they'll open in cities the size of Springfield. So while "The Descendants" has been receivinggreat reviews and director Alexander Payne appeared last week on "Charlie Rose," Springfield residents could not yet see the movie.
So when will it open here?
"'The Descendants' continues to open in new markets during the next few weeks and will open at the AMC Springfield 12 on Dec. 9," AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan said in an email.
Several readers have sent emails asking why AMC waited so long to open the film here, but Noonan said it wasn't the company's decision.
"The studio sets the plan for limited release movies," Noonan said. "Typically they open in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago first. We then work closely with the distributors to show as many runs at as many theaters as possible under the distributor’s release plan."
I asked Fox Searchlight Pictures, the studio behind "The Descendants," about their release plan. The company sent this statement in response: "A platform release allows time for positive word of mouth to generate. The success of many specialty and independent films such as 'The Descendants' rely heavily on grassroots efforts, creating momentum and building awareness that then can support the film's opening in additional markets."
This does not bode well for our odds of seeing some of the other grown-up movies getting a lot of buzz this season, such as "The Artist," "My Week With Marilyn," "Melancholia," "Like Crazy," "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and "Into the Abyss." I asked Noonan when (or if) they might open here.
"Many of these films are still in early release and, while schedules are always subject to change, should hit the Springfield market in January," Noonan said. He also said AMC is not carrying "Melancholia" because the film was released to home video at the same time it was a theatrical release.

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