Distribution of The Fabelmans

Submitted by an_ephemeral_life t3_z4yohb in movies

How is the release of The Fabelmans like in your area? Are popular theaters showing it where you're at? I'm dismayed to discover that only one small theater, which usually shows only low budget/indie/arthouse flicks, is the only theater here that is currently showing it. They have 4 showings per day so far. By next week, it's cut down to 3.

For the most commercially successful director of all time, I'm pretty shocked at the lack of showings. I know it doesn't feature any big name actors, nor is it the typical Spielberg blockbuster...but it's still Spielberg. Are they waiting for the film to rake in better numbers before expanding it? If that's the case, that doesn't bode well for the film since it seems the initial box office numbers have been disappointing.

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roto_disc t1_ixthaby wrote

> but it’s still Spielberg

Doesn’t carry much weight with the audiences heading the the megaplex these days.

> Are they waiting for the film to rake in better numbers before expanding it?

More like waiting for Oscar noms before expanding.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixtht4k wrote

Sad, but you're probably right. If this was a Marvel film, or it starred The Rock, this would be playing everywhere. I can't ever recall a Spielberg film having such a limited release.

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roto_disc t1_ixthwuk wrote

Not that sad. Dude hasn’t made a good picture in over a decade.

Edit: Jesus. Nearly two decades.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixtiw2k wrote

I concur his best days are behind him. (But I think Munich is extremely underrated.) His newest film is getting a lot of buzz. Haven't felt this excited for a new Spielberg film in a long time. I mean, out of all people to feature in a Spielberg flick, none other than David Lynch makes an appearance as John Ford!

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roto_disc t1_ixtjab7 wrote

Ha. Perfect. Munich was the line I drew in my head, so we’re very much on the same page. And I, too, think this new picture could be great.

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cd637 t1_iy4qxsv wrote

Munich (IMO) was his last truly great film. The Fabelmans is definitely his best work since then.

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cd637 t1_iy4qs3k wrote

What are you talking about? Nothing good in the last two decades, since 2002?? Catch me if you Can? Minority Report? Munich? Lincoln? Bridge of Spies? West Side Story? All of these range from good to great! Sure there have been a few others in this time period that were more meh, but still adequate films for the most part. And now we have The Fabelmans which is by far his best since Munich which I think was his last truly great film.

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blackcatmystery t1_ixtk9p3 wrote

Im currently in New Braunfels and it is showing in San Antonio.

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Schism213 t1_ixw2z4v wrote

This film was very frustrating. Universal was all set for a wide release before abruptly pulling back and going down to 600 screens. I work at a single screen theatre (USA) that had this booked. Universal pulled out booking at that time and told us they weren’t doing any single screens. Pseudo Spielberg biopic about discovering the magic of cinema and Universal isn’t booking single screen theatres. Makes no sense at all.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixxlh2d wrote

I truly do not get the release/distribution strategy at all. This sounds like Spielberg's Cinema Paradiso, a real treat for movie fans. Hopefully it gets more raves and more screenings.

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tomandshell t1_ixtfmli wrote

It’s not playing anywhere near me.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixthk57 wrote

Where are you located? I should have clarified I'm in Hawaii. Granted, not the best location for films, but both Tar and Decision To Leave had more screenings.

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tomandshell t1_ixtitrn wrote

I’m in central California. It would be at least a 2.5 hour drive to see it down in LA, but I don’t have five hours of round trip driving time to spare right now.

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Calm-Hovercraft9858 t1_ixticio wrote

Not many theaters near me are playing it. They must not expect many people to come out to see it

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DavvenGarick t1_ixtipj4 wrote

There's an AMC, Regal and CMX theater near me. The AMC and the CMX are showing it. I'm going to see it Saturday at the AMC, and they're showing it in one of their smallest screens.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixtmjd4 wrote

None of the Regals here are showing it either. Yet they showed Decision to Leave, as well as Gaspar Noe's Vortex, the latter of which probably made no money at all.

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Jerrymoviefan3 t1_ixtl46y wrote

Five theaters within ten miles of me are showing it.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_ixtm9yt wrote

Are any of them megaplexes? Where are you located?

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Jerrymoviefan3 t1_ixtqa9o wrote

The range from 2 screens to 20. I am in a county with 1.9 million people including the eleventh largest city in the country.

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Saiph_orion t1_ixtte4r wrote

I didn't realize it was out yet....my theaters aren't showing it. But I'm in a fairly small city. Hopefully it'll be here soon... I'm looking forward to seeing it

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iliketurkeys1 t1_ixv8vjl wrote

Speilberg draw seems to be going down unfortunately. West Side Story was a massive bomb, and this I don’t see being profitable

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jelly10001 t1_ixwnuyd wrote

It's not out until the end of January in the UK.

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Jerrymoviefan3 t1_iy08ued wrote

Fortunately the weekend’s per theater average of $4,859 was good enough that the current 638 theaters should double on Friday

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cd637 t1_iy4s5e3 wrote

It's playing in about 9 theaters total in the greater Seattle area (about a 30 mile radius). This is less than half of all theaters in the region I would say. Almost all that are showing it are megaplex style cinemas. The smaller artsy theaters aren't showing it.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_iy52dbu wrote

The release strategy is totally off, not just for this film but many other films as well. It's head-scratching. So it comes as no surprise this was the worst Thanksgiving weekend ever for movies https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/worst-thanksgiving-weekend-box-office-205240754.html

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cd637 t1_iy58bjm wrote

Adult dramas like this just don't seem to be relevant to the under 40 crowd. A lot of people in the younger generations have TikTok brains now and want fast and snappy engrossing entertainment that push new boundaries and that are more culturally relevant. A talky drama just doesn't have universal appeal anymore. Also for Spielberg in particular, I think he has been slowly falling out of relevancy since he released Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That was like a turning point in his late career and his movies have not brought in as much money as they did before that point. I really do believe that The Fabelmans is his best work since the early/mid 2000s so it's a shame a lot of people aren't see it. Hopefully it gets a big awards season push because this is going to be a frontrunner.

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an_ephemeral_life OP t1_iy63tch wrote

Yeah it seems like at this rate The Fabelmans will really need to score some nominations (and it sounds like it certainly will), and then maybe benefit from the "Oscar bounce." Your positive comments on the film are getting me excited, something I haven't felt for a Spielberg film in a long time. It sounds like this generation's Cinema Paradiso (if you've seen it, how does it compare to that film?), and a cameo by David Lynch. I need to see that on the biggest screen possible!

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