"Silence" to open on December 23rd. Which films can win attention at Christmas?
Monday, September 26, 2016 at 7:04PM According to Variety, it's now official: Martin Scorsese's Silence is opening this year after all on December 23rd despite no trailer, no poster, no promotional materials, and a current running time of well over 3 hours. The most curious aspect of this is that Paramount already has an overstuffed plate without it: Arrival should be a major player because it's great, Fences should be a major player if it's any good at all since it has two beloved stars doing award winning roles in the first motion picture based on an August Wilson play, and Florence Foster Jenkins is, I think, underpredicted since it's a handsome production with an unusual angle on the arts that will surely appeal to voters and should expect a boost from Golden Globe attention.
Curiously, despite twelve years of evidence that Oscar voters are definitely preferring films with October or November bows (no December release has won Best Picture since Million Dollar Baby), despite awards bodies pushing their deadlines even earlier this year, distributors are pushing the other way with force...
December is crazy stacked with hopefuls, all of which will try to wrestle media attention away from each other during the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story explosion. It should be interesting. And messy. Casualties surely await. Last year The Revenant did very well for itself with the late December strategy but it had Leonardo DiCaprio, one of the most bankable stars in the world.
Films going wide between December 16th and Christmas
- Assassin's Creed
- Collateral Beauty
- Fences
- Gold
- La La Land
- Passengers
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Sing!
- The Space Between Us
- Why Him?
November limited releases like Nocturnal Animals, Lion, Loving , and Elle will also be trying to expand during December while the following limited releases open and pray for last minute attention...
I kind of wish 20th Century Women would wait til 2017. I hate to see a Mike Mills movie get ignored in the glut. His last film was such a delicate beauty
- 20th Century Women
- Jackie
- Julieta (foreign film hopeful)
- Live By Night
- A Monster Calls (It's move to December 23rd is still so puzzling. It would have been perfect for October and a slow build. Will people who want fantasy care about anything beyond Passengers and the new Star Wars that week?)
- Neruda (foreign film hopeful)
- Paterson
- The Salesman (foreign film hopeful)
- Silence
- Toni Erdmann (foreign film hopeful)
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Reader Comments (25)
DDL won the Oscar for replacing Neeson in Lincoln -- will Neeson return the favour here?
I'm totally with you on 20TH CENTURY WOMEN. I'm trying to remain hopeful, but fear that it will get lost in the glut. Besides, that release date is so strange, since BEGINNERS opened in the spring/summer, and I feel like history has shown that this type of indie movie fares better with awards when it opens early and builds word of mouth and a consensus around it.
@Sean C.
I sure hope so! Neeson is so overdue.
The December glut is best for puffing up mediocre or bad pictures with a veneer of respectability that would not even DARE to be thought of as Best Picture material if they got April slots. Think War Horse, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, American Sniper or The Revenant. That having been said? On the screenwriter ALONE, I figured this kind of positioning might be the end result.
Never count out Scorcese and his talent with actors. I hope it's great - we know the potential/talent is there.
But the People Who read the book say that Liam's role is really small. And the Japanese actor Who had a best role in dramatic way.
But, well, Judi Dench won for how many minutes on screen?
The same here???
What a dilemma for the Broadcast Film Critics. Will they have to add SILENCE *and* ROGUE ONE as Best Picture nominees after they've announced the other nominees because - duh Scorsese and Star Wars? Or will voters just nominate them sight unseen? Assuming they don't screen early enough of course.
Anonny: A great performance can still happen in a mediocre or TERRIBLE film though. The screenwriter on this one, Jay Cocks, was the sole credited writer on Age of Innocence and was involved in Gangs of New York. Y'know, Scorsese's worst movies, the latter in SPITE of a "way too good for this material" performance from DDL?
I really want this to be great but I can't help feeling like this is going to be a dud. Here's hoping I'm wrong.
Let's hope this is better than The Wolf of Wall Street. Thank God the bloated, overrated manchild DiCaprio isn't in this.
I have a hunch HELL OR HIGH WATER will be remembered by critics and awards voters at year end. It seems to be well loved (doesn't open in Australia till next month).
I will also be very curious to see how BIRTH OF A NATION does with audiences and then awards groups. I think it will get scattered nominations rather than be ignored altogether and I still think a Best Picture nomination is possible.
last temptation of christ and kundun weren't overly showered with oscar noms; maybe the academy just doesn't go for marty's spiritual side
Neeson's gold watch coronation is a potential possibility.
I wonder how Rules Don't Apply is going to turn out. It has a great cast, and a great cinematographer, and certainly enough time has been spent on it. Yet the budget is low enough that it can make a profit.
Will it be gorgeous looking and fun? Or will it be too different than what is expected, or overbaked?
I'm leaning towards the positive. Warren Beatty has always had an original streak. If it's successful, is he the old school champion, the respected vet, who has written, directed, and taken a supporting role in his movie, and is rewarded with warm welcome back nominations?
adri: I like to think that could happen too.
@ Volvagia
I can think of a number of Scorsese movies that are arguably "worse" than The Age of Innocence.
I've read Silence and Neeson's role is tiny, but his two scenes are so powerful that I wouldn't rule out a William Hurt in A Histpry of Violence nomination.
On the Japanese actors: there are two great roles for Japanese actors. One of them is the one of a tragic figure guy who follows the priests, and another one is the translator. I think they have merged the roles.
The book is absolutely devastating (and I am not Christian). If Scorsese does it right, it may be his masterpiece.
To release it around Christmas reminds me that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo tagline: the feel bad movie of the holidays, something like it. This is gonna be SO DEPRESSING.
Bening needs to put her foot down and tell them she ain't losing for a 5th time,unless she is all levels ov Vivien Leigh then she can forget her Oscar,she is going to have to give one of the greatest performances,something that scream Oscar,Stone & Portman are way ahead now and maybe Davis,Adams & Negga bringing the total to 5.
I was literally going to mention KUNDUN, but Par got in first. Scorsese can't be nominated for every film he makes until he dies.
Of the limited titles, sadly I think 20th Century Women, Julieta, A Monster Calls, and Paterson will all be write-offs unless they bag some big awards buzz, which seems highly unlikely at this stage.
Adams' inflated nomination count doesn't make her a priority to voters. Especially when she's not a threat to win above rival competitors for the category.
Bening is in!
https://youtu.be/TSADYQgDLfI
I agree on 20th Century Women. The trailer is so good and Beginners was so good. I don't want to see it get overshadowed. But maybe A24 can work their magic with it.
December releases get oscar boost at the box office if they get nominations so it is easy to see why studios try this.
I don't think Liam Neeson is overdue for a win or even for a second nomination. But I'm interested to see what kind of performance Scorsese can wring out of him.