An essay
Five films I saw before the market decided what they were worth. The case for each one, what the critics filed, and what happened to it on release.
Between 2023 and 2024 I saw these five in acquisitions screenings, ahead of reviews and ahead of any decision about what they were worth. All five reached theatres. None of them reached the audience they were built for.
What each one did once it left the room
Three of these five waited a year or more between premiere and a theatrical date. The films were finished the whole time. What was missing was a slot on somebody's calendar and a way to tell forty thousand interested people that the thing they would like exists.
Poster artwork remains the property of the respective distributors and is reproduced here for the purpose of criticism. Credits, scores and release data verified against Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic and the publications named. Critics' notices are quoted briefly with attribution. Live extracts pulled from the Wikipedia REST API, text licensed CC BY-SA.