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Ishtar
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Betrayal
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Play It As It Lays
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The Outfit
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Alex in Wonderland
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The Legend of Lylah Clare
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In The Cool of the Day
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That Cold Day in the Park
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Thumb Trippin'
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Midas Run
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At Long Last Love
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Outcast of the Islands
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Run of the Arrow
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Saint Joan
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When the Wind Blows
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Haunted Summer
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Upcoming

January 8

Bitch Slap

Waiting for Armageddon

Wonderful World

Youth in Revolt

January 15

January 22

Drool

Extraordinary Measures

The Girl on the Train

Endless Locker Delay

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What's with Summit refusing to announce a theatrical opening date for Kathryn Bigelow 's The Hurt Locker ? They've had this landmark war thriller since the acquisition was announced almost five months ago but they've steadfastly refused to say when. Pussyfooting on a theatrical release date is odd enough six months out, but it's bizarre when the film in question is this good.

I realize that Lionsgate's rumored purchase of Summit may have some bearing, but it still feels weird that Summit never announced a date. It suggests that they believe they've got a hot potato on their hands. Which of course it isn't -- it's brilliant.

A couple of just-announced festival dates suggests the release date has to be in late March or early April. The Hurt Locker, I've learned, will have a special screening at the Film Society of Lincoln Center on 3.5. It's also been announced that it'll show as a premiere attraction at South by Southwest, which runs from 3.13 to 3.22. Whenever a film with a solid distributor makes the rounds at festivals and high-profile screening series, an opening is never far off. All I got from Summit publicity chief Vivian Mayer is that an announced date "isn't far off."

The only possible monkey wrench I can imagine is the Lionsgate acquisition deal. But if things were truly up in the air the two afore-mentioned bookings wouldn't have been made.

Phillippine Grotesque << previous | next >>"May Have Made?"

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 2, 2009 at 4:01 PM

comment #1

EDouglasCS says ...

The film is playing at SXSW and at the FIlm Comment Selects at Lincoln Center, plus it's having a presence at NY Comic-Con this weekend... Summit isn't hiding it.

Posted by EDouglasCS at February 2, 2009 4:40 PM

comment #2

hunterd says ...

great movie. I've never been tense watching something at home before.

Posted by hunterd at February 2, 2009 4:42 PM

comment #3

Jeffrey Wells says ...

Theyr'e not hiding it, no, but what's with the pussyfooting? That's all I was asking.

Posted by Jeffrey Wells at February 2, 2009 4:51 PM

comment #4

Neil Miller says ...

Was excited to see this added to the SXSW lineup. I've been looking forward to it since seeing the positive reviews from Toronto (yours included).

It doesn't seem like a movie that they'd want to sit on for too long, unless of course they are trying to build more festival buzz and try to make an awards season run with a release in the fall... Perhaps.

Posted by Neil Miller at February 2, 2009 5:01 PM

comment #5

Deathtongue_Groupie says ...

Seems very likely that they want to make the film's release part of whatever the combo company is to become "Lion Summit"????).

Posted by Deathtongue_Groupie at February 2, 2009 5:04 PM

comment #6

erniesouchak says ...

No doubt they're trying to strategize marketing. Since every Iraq War-related movie has bombed, it's no wonder.

Posted by erniesouchak at February 2, 2009 5:06 PM

comment #7

Edward Havens says ...

Maybe because Iraq war movies are like 0 for 15,000 in the box office the past few years, and they're waiting for the war to end, when it will finally be okay to see movies about the war. Like it wasn't cool to see Vietnam movies until the war was over, and then we got bombarded with The Deer Hunter and Coming Home and Apocalypse Now.

Posted by Edward Havens at February 2, 2009 5:31 PM

comment #8

The Winchester says ...

Summit has had Brothers Bloom for almost 2 years now. If it doesn't have "Twilight" in the title, it's a good chance it will wait on a shelf for awhile. At least until Lionsgate gets their Madea money in order.

Posted by The Winchester at February 2, 2009 5:33 PM

comment #9

Thrudvangar says ...

Who gives a fuck about "Iraq movies?" I get that shit on CNN every night. What's new?

I don't have any friends that make these films I guess is the difference.

Posted by Thrudvangar at February 2, 2009 5:38 PM

comment #10

The InSneider says ...

Saw it last week at a test screening (which begs the question, why are they testing -- to figure out how to market it?) and it kicked MAJOR ass. It was seriously awesome. Renner and Mackie were fantastic. I hope this one doesn't suffer the same cruel B.O. fate as the other Iraq-related movies. This one really isn't the downer that the rest were.

Posted by The InSneider at February 2, 2009 5:51 PM

comment #11

The Winchester says ...

Scratch that Madea money comment...

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/talks-between-summit-lionsgate/

Posted by The Winchester at February 2, 2009 6:08 PM

comment #12

actionman says ...

Body of Lies and The Kingdom should have done better box office.

Can't wait to see The Hurt Locker. Can't fuckin' wait.

Posted by actionman at February 2, 2009 6:13 PM

comment #13

Ethan says ...

Maybe they'll actually wait until the fall to give it an Oscar push. Renner could be this year's Richard Jenkins.

Posted by Ethan at February 2, 2009 6:22 PM

comment #14

MindlessObamaton says ...

Maybe they're trying to get some sorta groundswell for it, since all Iraq films have tanked (and this one will, too, most likely). Anyway, I 'm sure it's grand, Wells, but the (so far) definitive Iraq film is GENERATION KILL.

Posted by MindlessObamaton at February 2, 2009 8:05 PM

comment #15

Devin Faraci says ...

Weirdly enough they're bringing footage from this to the New York Comic Con.

Posted by Devin Faraci at February 2, 2009 8:21 PM

comment #16

Daniel Tayag says ...

This film hasn't been shown in the U.S. yet? There's already a beautiful 720p version of the film all around the torrent sites.

Posted by Daniel Tayag at February 2, 2009 9:08 PM

comment #17

nouvelle_vague says ...

i just don't get the love for Hurt Locker. It's mediocre in my tastes and is in no way a wide release film. I'd be shocked to see a box office above 10 mil.

Posted by nouvelle_vague at February 2, 2009 9:47 PM

comment #18

krout says ...

Can't wait to see this. Looks awesome.

By the way, can all comments referring to films being available online be deleted? It's posts like these that only fuel the continuing decay of the industry.

Posted by krout at February 3, 2009 4:01 AM

comment #19

Nick says ...

I'm really excited to see this (Based on Jeff's hype) and at this point I might just have to download it. Normally I would want to see something like this in theaters but if the stupid companies won't get their act together and release it....their loss.

I don't think discussing which movies are available online fuels the decay. I think it helps as a wake up call to the industry get their act together as far as addressing how entertainment will be viewed in the 21st century. They have to move faster. I think it's ridiculous for the public to have to wait months for a movie that is shown to a select few at film festivals raved about by critics and then hidden by the studio till they can figure out some bullshit marketing strategy which those who know about the movie do not need.

Last week Outlander was the top torrented movie. A movie that was not released in NYC or LA. A movie that has been sat on by the Weinsteins. People want to see it, and they'll do whatever they can to see it. If Outlander was released on, say the xbox, on the same weekend that it was released in select theaters, I would think it would do gangbusters. Especially since the xbox rental system is highly overpriced.

Posted by Nick at February 3, 2009 9:10 AM

comment #20

nouvelle_vague says ...

Nick, when you say, "People want to see it, and they'll do whatever they can to see it" keep in mind that there is a difference in what people will pay to see and what people will download for free. Outlander wasn't just sat out for a time by TWC. They made it available for sale for anyone who would pay to distribute it. The offers they received were only for a direct to video release. Nobody wanted to release this movie theatrically. Now, people are wrong all the time in the business, but I do think its a stretch to discuss studios not meeting theatrical demand on a title and using Outlander as an example.

Now, Hurt Locker...Summit has only owned it since September of last year. There's could be a lot of reasons why it hasn't been released that have nothing to do with marketing or being bought out by Lionsgate.

Posted by nouvelle_vague at February 3, 2009 9:23 AM

comment #21

Nick says ...

-Nouvelle

Fair enough about Outlander. But I was thinking more in terms of just getting the movie out there rather than what type of release. They didn't get the theatrical run they wanted so why don't they day and date release a dvd with the limited theatrical. I have a fondness for monster movies so I would have paid to see Outlander if it was available to me at an easy convenience. I suppose I could have driven to San Diego...

And if Hurt Locker is delayed because of inter-company shenanigans so be it. I'm still impatient. If Jeff didn't pimp it so hard I wouldn't be having this moral dilemma.

I think my annoyance comes from the fact that I feel that the film festival format of slowly rolling out a movie is outdated especially when piracy is involved. If the movie makes it's way into the tubes between festival and theatrical release there are alot of people who will see it because they don't want to wait not because they don't want to pay.

Sundance could do a download subscription service during the festival where people at home could rent some of the movies showing there. They did it with the shorts and it was great! Granted this would would mean big shifts in the way things are done but they're going to have to happen eventually.

Posted by Nick at February 3, 2009 9:51 AM

comment #22

pchu says ...

It's a great action movie. Bigelow's best in quite some time. I have a feeling that they will screw up the release somehow, because they have no idea how to market this.

Posted by pchu at February 3, 2009 10:11 AM

comment #23