What exactly does "in select cities" mean?

[Kuky]

There was a preview for "The Science of Sleep" on tv, and they said it's playing "in select cities." What does that mean? Do they say that everytime, and I just didn't notice, or are there cities where some mainstream movies are banned? I bet it's the same areas where dildos are banned :lol:.

[Barefoot Matt]

Usually it means that it opens in some major cities first, and then the next week it will open everywhere else. If it's a low budget movie, though, it could actually mean that it will only ever play in a few places because they don't have enough of an audience in smaller centres.

[Crash Override]

Broadly, "in select cities" is contrasted with "now playing at a theatre near you."

In practice, "In select cities" usually means New York and Los Angeles.
Sometimes they'll add Toronto and Montreal to the list, and very occasionally, they'll add a dozen or so more cities.

A lot of films get a limited release before they get a wide release, but some films never go beyond limited release because the studios just don't want to cough up the money to put them everywhere.

[Barefoot Matt]

Isn't that what I said? :p

[Crash Override]

Isn't that what I said? :p
But I went the distance and actually named the cities, plus gave the more common "now playing in a theatre near you" as a reference point. :lol:

[Bravehearter]

Zing!

[Nurseman]

Ditto!

[tadaoNakamaru]

They are basically testing the waters for that film. If it does well in those "select" cities, such as Los Angeles or New York, then it will get a wide release.

As for the movie at hand, I would love to see it. I loved Eternal Sunshine and welcome another Gondry film with open arms.

[Brass Monkey]

Select cities = LA, New York, Seattle, Houston, Miami, San Fransisco... and sometimes Toronto and Montreal.

In Hollywood speek, it basically means "We're not sure if this will suck, so we'll release it in our most diverse areas to see if we can actually make some money off this bitch."



... you know it's really easy to hate Hollywood and the culture it creates when you live so close to it.