{"id":1628,"date":"2019-04-05T02:26:11","date_gmt":"2019-04-05T02:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/?p=1628"},"modified":"2019-04-09T02:27:22","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T02:27:22","slug":"robert-pattinson-hits-high-life-aretha-franklin-reaches-amazing-grace-specialty-box-office-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ramolawpc.com\/new\/robert-pattinson-hits-high-life-aretha-franklin-reaches-amazing-grace-specialty-box-office-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Robert Pattinson Hits \u2018High Life\u2019, Aretha Franklin Reaches \u2018Amazing Grace\u2019 \u2013 Specialty Box Office Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"deadline-hollywood-logo-o\"Celebrated French filmmaker Claire Denis will have her English-language feature debut with High Life, starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche, opening this weekend via A24. Specialty distributors continue to ramp up spring releases, though with a somewhat less-packed slate of newcomers compared with last weekend. Nearly five decades after its recording, Aretha Franklin concert documentary Amazing Grace begins a regular theatrical run via Neon, which picked up the title in December. Amazon Studios is launching multiple-Oscar-nominated British director Mike Leigh\u2019s historical epic Peterloo in select New York and L.A. locations. Greenwich Entertainment, meanwhile, is heading out with Emilio Estevez-directed drama The Public, with Jena Malone, Gabrielle Union, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater and Estevez.<\/p>\n

Also launching in limited release is IFC Films\u2019 horror Western The Wind, in addition to Good Deed drama Storm Boy at AMC Empire in New York and AMC CityWalk in L.A. along with other major cities.<\/p>\n

Also in bowing is Astute Films\u2019 bio-drama The Best of Enemies, with Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. The company said it has targeted the \u201cbroad spectrum of adult audiences,\u201d with \u201cspecial outreach to African-American, faith-friendly, and socially-conscious audiences.\u201d Noted Astute\u2019s Fred Berstein: \u201cThis true story has fantastic performances, drama, emotion, and humor, and we believe the story of Ann Atwater and CP Ellis will have resonance for all audiences.\u201d Read Deadline\u2019s review of The Best of Enemies here.<\/p>\n

High Life
\nDirector-writer: Claire Denis
\nCast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth, Andr\u00e9 Benjamin
\nDistributor: A24<\/p>\n

A24
\nProducers D.J. Gugenheim and Andrew Lauren were given an abbreviated script of sci-fi-thriller High Life via CAA. The pair, who lead Andrew Lauren Productions, quickly were drawn to the project, which is the first English-language feature for French filmmaker Claire Denis (Let the Sunshine In, Chocolat).<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was enough for us to be intrigued, and we wanted to get on the phone with Claire,\u201d said Gugenheim, who along with Lauren first spoke to Denis in 2016. \u201cWe had both stayed up until 3 a.m. reading but also had a lot of scientific questions. We were immediately smitten by her. My dad made me watch her films, so I knew about her work, but I realized this would be very ambitious.\u201d Added Lauren: \u201cA lot of filmmaker friends see her as one of the best filmmakers right now, and we thought it was an opportunity to work with one of the greats.\u201d<\/p>\n

High Life centers on Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his baby daughter who are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to deep space. The crew \u2014 death-row inmates led by a doctor (Juliette Binoche) with sinister motives \u2014 has vanished. As the mystery of what happened onboard the ship is unraveled, father and daughter must rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe finance structure was unique,\u201d said Lauren. \u201cWe were the equity financing and that was combined with the European financial model.\u201d<\/p>\n

Early on, Denis eyed Philip Seymour Hoffman for the lead. Following his death in 2014, Pattinson lobbied for the role. \u201cRobert wasn\u2019t in Claire\u2019s mind,\u201d said Lauren. \u201cBut he was extremely persistent. Following Twilight, he\u2019s wanted to push himself as an actor, and he won her over.\u201d Patricia Arquette also had been a possible cast member, and later came on board.<\/p>\n

Claire Denis On Buzz Sci-Fi \u2018High Life\u2019, Her \u201cKnight\u201d Robert Pattinson, & Coping With Personal Loss \u2014 Toronto Q&A<\/p>\n

High Life shot over 45 days in Cologne, Germany. \u201cShe runs a tight ship,\u201d Gugenheim said of Denis. \u201cShe\u2019s a filmmaker that\u2019s so specific and used to working in the natural world. It was quite a process seeing her create this unique ship in this unique world. She worked with a famous French physicist to figure out how the ship would function in this space.\u201d<\/p>\n

The title debuted at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival. The initial screening left some in the audience cold, according to Gugenheim, but the title won over the press and audiences at later screenings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was an older audience all dressed up [for the premiere]. About 150 people left, but then the reviews came out and they were glowing. She\u2019s an artist you have to be prepared for. Then those people came back and loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A24 began talks for theatrical soon after the premiere. The pair had worked with the distributor for the release of The Spectacular Now (2013). High Life opens today in select New York and L.A. locations before expanding around the country in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

Added Gugenheim: \u201cIt\u2019s an art house film, but we\u2019re hoping to go beyond that. It\u2019s a unique cast and filmmaker, so we hope it crosses over and reaches for the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amazing Grace
\nDirectors: Alan Elliott, Sydney Pollock
\nSubject: Aretha Franklin
\nDistributor: Neon<\/p>\n

Neon
\nAretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace took more than four decades to get to the big screen. Shot in 1972 by Sydney Pollack, the feature chronicles Franklin\u2019s famed performance with the choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in L.A.\u2019s Watts neighborhood when she was 29. The occasion begat the biggest-selling gospel album of all time and had been mired in legal technicalities for years, according to a Deadline article in December announcing Neon\u2019s pickup of the title. The film played a qualifying run at New York\u2019s Film Forum in the fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw it a couple years ago at a private screening,\u201d Neon chief Tom Quinn said. \u201cI wanted to see it with an audience, so I watched it again at a premiere. It was the single most-riveting experience I\u2019ve ever had. \u2026 I\u2019ve had extraordinary [cinematic] experiences, but this took the cake. It transcends barriers of the fourth wall, the theater and time. It\u2019s something that must be experienced, and it functions to make you feel like you\u2019re there in 1972.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neon has been leveraging partners for group sales with allied organizations including churches leading into the weekend\u2019s release in a \u201cmulti-layered launch.\u201d Said Quinn, \u201cThere are multiple audiences and theaters this film could go for.\u201d Amazing Grace will bow today in several locations each in New York and Los Angeles ahead of a sizable expansion timed to Easter weekend.<\/p>\n

\u2018Amazing Grace\u2019 Trailer: Aretha Franklin Delivers Powerhouse Performance Of Title Tune<\/p>\n

Amazing Grace is the second of three ambitious documentaries that Neon is releasing in the first part of the year. Sundance premiere Apollo 11 has cumed more than $7.7M since opening in early March. Following today\u2019s release, the company\u2019s next nonfiction title is Biggest Little Farm, which played last fall\u2019s Telluride and Toronto festivals before heading to Sundance. \u201cThey\u2019re all aspirational messages in their own ways,\u201d said Quinn. \u201cIn a world that\u2019s off-kilter, they\u2019re able to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n

After it took decades en route to the big screen, Amazing Grace won the best documentary prize from the NAACP. Quinn noted its long time coming while whimsically giving two caveats: \u201cThere are two faults with this film: It should have been released 47 years ago, and you have to see it sitting down. But if the spirit moves you, by all means, get out of your seats\u2026 Where it takes you is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterloo
\nDirector-writer: Mike Leigh
\nCast: Rory Kinnear, Maxine Peake, Neil Bell, Philip Jackson, Vincent Franklin, Karl Johnson, Tim McInnerny
\nDistributor: Amazon Studios<\/p>\n

Amazon Studios
\nFive-time Oscar nominated British filmmaker Mike Leigh and producer Georgina Lowe came out of their previous feature project, Mr. Turner (2014), with an aim for an even more ambitious historical epic. Leigh found the vehicle for his next film from tragic events that took place 200 years ago in Manchester, England.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was conscious of the events that took [place then] from the locals he grew up with,\u201d said Lowe. \u201cAfter Mr. Turner, he gave me a document with the sequence of events [from the period] and I immediately thought it would make a great film.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterloo is an epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St. Peter\u2019s Field in Manchester, England turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had our loyal supporters at BFI and Film4,\u201d said Lowe. \u201cThen we met with Ted Hope at Amazon [in 2015]. He said he\u2019d like to be involved. We are grateful to the financiers especially Amazon, which allowed us to have a bigger budget than we typically do. This gave the scale to achieve what we wanted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Extensive research around the events at the center of the film took place over two years in addition to \u201ca long period of casting and six months of rehearsal,\u201d noted Lowe. \u201cThere were over 160 actors involved. Shooting took place in the center of Manchester where [the massacre] took place, but also in Lancashire, Lincoln, Chester [and other areas].\u201d<\/p>\n

The shoot took place over 15 weeks with intermittent preparation. \u201cMike always has rehearsal periods built in,\u201d said Lowe. \u201cWe ended up at a historic fort in Essex where we did the shoot of the massacre itself. That took four weeks. It was really exciting with people getting trampled and horses. We had calls for hundreds of people each day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The title debuted in Venice followed by Telluride and Toronto on this side of the Atlantic. The title\u2019s U.K. premiere took place in Manchester as part of the London Film Festival in October.<\/p>\n

Peterloo bows in New York at the Angelika and Landmark 57 West as well as the Laemmle Royal this weekend. Leigh will take part in select Q&As. Amazon Studios will take the title to Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Washington, D.C. the following weekend ahead of an expansion around the country on April 19.<\/p>\n

The Public
\nDirector-writer: Emilio Estevez
\nCast: Jena Malone, Gabrielle Union, Emilio Estevez, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Jeffrey Wright, Che Smith, Jacob Vargas, Taylor Schilling, Michael K. Williams
\nDistributor: Greenwich Entertainment<\/p>\n

Greenwich Entertainment
\nGreenwich Entertainment and UPHE Content Group previously worked together for the February release of Nicolas Pesce\u2019s thriller Piercing with Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska. Both companies caught writer-director Emilio Estevez drama The Public at last year\u2019s Toronto Film Festival. UPHE Content Group acquired the title and they soon discussed collaborating on the release.<\/p>\n

In The Public, an unusually bitter Arctic blast has made its way to downtown Cincinnati and the front doors of the public library where the action of the film takes place. The story revolves around the library patrons, many of whom are homeless, mentally ill and marginalized, as well as an exhausted and overwhelmed staff of librarians who often build emotional connections and a sense of obligation to care for those regular patrons. At odds with library officials over how to handle the extreme weather event, the patrons turn the building into a homeless shelter for the night by staging an \u201cOccupy\u201d-style sit in.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, Emilio has made a very entertaining film that sold out its festival and word-of-mouth screenings, so our marketing is leaning into the crowd-pleasing aspects for a mainstream audience,\u201d noted Greenwich\u2019s Andy Bohn. \u201cHowever, as is true for Emilio\u2019s recent films, The Public has a loftier message with its focus on homelessness and the vital role of public libraries in our democracy. Librarians are unsung heroes protecting the fundamental human right to freedom of information and our grassroots team has organized a ton of group sales screenings this weekend for librarians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bohn said that a \u201crobust\u201d national and regional publicity campaign, which included press involving Estevez as well as Taylor Schilling, Alec Baldwin, Michael K. Williams, Gabrielle Union, Che Smith and Jacob Vargas took place in the lead up to the film\u2019s roll out Friday. Added Bohn: \u201cEmilio has worked tirelessly for months doing 45 Q&A screenings in 30 cities via film festivals, libraries and nonprofit partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Public is opening in 265 locations with a traditional roll out. Commented Bohn: \u201cBased on the enthusiastic audience response, we\u2019re very optimistic about the playability throughout the country and want to capitalize on the national publicity and an aggressive media campaign encompassing spot cable, programmatic, paid social and NPR.\u201d<\/p>\n

View this article at Deadline<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrated French filmmaker Claire Denis will have her English-language feature debut with High Life, starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche, opening this weekend via A24. Specialty distributors continue to ramp up spring releases, though with a somewhat less-packed slate of newcomers compared with last weekend. Nearly five decades after its recording, Aretha Franklin concert documentary
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