[ad_1]
No matter how highly anticipated, some movies end up going straight to video, instead of spending time on the big screen. Even in more modern times, we see movies going straight to streaming services instead of getting a box office release.
This often happens for a few reasons, such as the movie is suspected to not do as well, and there isn’t enough money in the budget to pay for it to be in theaters.
However, just because movies didn’t release in the theater, doesn’t mean they are bad. Many end up becoming well-loved or even cult classics.
12/12 Tremors II: Aftershocks (1996)
Tremors II: Aftershocks was test-screened many times with highly positive reviews, and the studio debated a theatrical distribution. Eventually, a date was set for two years after they finished the movie. However, it was determined that a theatrical release was too expensive. It was given a limited release in some international theaters and an exclusive screening in Hollywood, but that was all the sequel was given before being sent directly to DVD.
In part, this was because the movie lost some of the big actors that made the first movie so good, like Kevin Bacon, and they didn’t think they could make up the costs. However, the movie was pretty well enjoyed and was deemed to be much better than most other direct-to-video sequels.
11/12 One in the Chamber (2012)
One in the Chamber is considered to be a B movie. It was designed with a limited budget, and though many of the characters are fairly well-known today, they weren’t at the time. Additionally, some of the actors were on a streak for making bad movies and people were hesitant to watch them again, such as Cuba Gooding Jr.
For these reasons, the movie was never considered to be released in theaters. Even at the beginning, the studio determined it would do best as a direct-to-video movie.
It was probably a good idea, as while some people love this movie and definitely think it is worth watching, it is in the gray area between a B movie and a great movie, and might not have done well in theaters.
10/12 Frozen (2010)
Frozen is another movie with a limited release. It was first shown in 2010 at a Sundance Film Festival and had a small theatrical release from Anchor Bay, but otherwise wasn’t talked about much until it was quietly released to video.
According to critics, this probably has a lot to do with the cast. Though the story itself has a great buildup and is a good psychological slow-suspense thriller, the cast couldn’t really bring justice to the story.
However, that hasn’t stopped many fans from enjoying the movie anyway, and it is now slowly starting to gain the attention it deserves.
9/12 Stargate: Continuum (2008)
For those who don’t know, Stargate was originally a TV show. Stargate: Continuum was the second movie based on the series, with Stargate: The Ark of Truth being the first. Both were released directly to DVD without a theatrical release.
Stargate: Continuum was designed to be a stand-alone story that didn’t have much focus on the original story. However, it is aimed more at experienced fans, as it has a lot of information that the uninitiated may not get or be able to follow along with.
For this reason, it makes sense to be released directly to video. While hardcore fans would enjoy it and snap up the movie, there weren’t going to be enough people going to the movies that would give it a try if they hadn’t seen the show before.
8/12 Stretch (2014)
There was a lot of confusion on why Stretch just couldn’t get into theaters. Some critics said it was just a little too strange and bold for a major release, but that it was still a good movie.
However, many fans assumed that the writer-director Joe Carnahan’s reputation would be enough to get it noticed, or the cast, which had some well-loved actors including Chris Pine, Ed Helms, Brooklyn Decker, Patrick Wilson, and Jessica Alba. But somehow, none of that was enough to garner the attention it needed for the big screen.
7/12 Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
Trick ‘r Treat is a great horror movie. The cast and crew worked hard to get it finished in time for a Halloween horror release.
Unfortunately, Warner Bros didn’t seem to have the same excitement for the film, and pulled it from the movie theater schedule for two years without explanation. Some felt that it had something to do with Superman Returns failing shortly beforehand, while others thought the studio was just hesitant to release a movie where multiple kids are killed.
6/12 Free Enterprise (1998)
Free Enterprise had a small theatrical release in Los Angeles, where it was shown in nine theaters. However, there wasn’t much promotion for the movie and no one went to see it.
This made the studio hesitant to offer a big release, and it instead went directly to DVD. This was a huge bummer as many reviews said the show was a great break from most comedies at the time, and really showed off the main actor, William Shatner.
5/12 Snowpiercer (2013)
Snowpiercer has an amazing cast, including Chris Evans, and is a movie that had a big budget and a lot of science-fiction and fantasy elements to it.
However, the movie was fully Korean-made, despite being in English. It was also based on a French graphic novel, so there was a lot of confusion and hesitation about watching the movie.
The distributors understood that though the movie was good, theaters were hesitant to give them a chance, so they broke out of it by releasing the movie directly to video and working hard to spread word-of-mouth and get good reviews. It worked, and the movie is highly popular now.
4/12 The Lion King 1 ½ (2004)
Though The Lion King 1 1/2 was considered one of the most well-loved Lion King sequels, it was never released in theaters. This didn’t have anything to do with the lack of a budget or excitement.
It was just what Disney was doing at the time. Most of their first movies were given big box office releases while sequels were just released to video. This could be because the hype was already there or because they wanted to make sure there was space and hype for their newer releases.
3/12 The Voices (2014)
Ryan Reynolds went through a period of not-so-great roles in movies, and most people started to get a little hesitant to watch him in new movies. Though The Voices got pretty good reviews at the limited release, the distributors decided that it was best to just send it out directly to video in the hope that people would give the now-famous actor a chance.
2/12 The Boondock Saints (1999)
The Boondock Saints was allowed a limited release onto five screens in total throughout the United States. This was largely due to Indican Pictures and Blockbuster Video.
Later, it was released directly to DVD as part of a Blockbuster exclusive video. It didn’t earn much in the theaters, only getting a little over $30,000. However, when it was released on DVD, it started to get a huge cult following and made over $50 million in domestic sales of the DVDs.
Despite its low reviews, its cult following and the dramatic story behind the film make for an interesting, must-watch movie.
1/12 The Interview (2014)
The lack of theater release for The Interview was somewhat unusual. It had nothing to do with the decision by the team or distributors, and more to do with threats.
Since the movie made fun of a lot to do with North Korea, the country threatened to attack the United States if the movie was released. Sony decided to take the threat seriously, making serious edits to the film before quietly releasing it to video instead of the box office.
[ad_2]
Source link