"Snowpiercer," the futuristic political thriller starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, and Ed Harris, will be coming to VOD as early as Friday, reports IndieWire.
The first English language film directed by Bong Joon-ho is currently still showing in some cinemas in the US but RADiUS-TWC has decided to release it in Video on Demand format early.
"We at RADiUS, decided early on, to do something completely different with this release," RADiUs co-president Tom Quinn said in a statement regarding "Snowpiercer." "We're embracing both the benefits of a platform theatrical, but also the merits of going SUPER WIDE by making it available on more 'screens' then any movie this summer."
Although the sci-fi film is doing surprisingly well in its limited US cinema release, RADiUS believes that it will earn more and reach a wider audience through VOD.
Originally intended for a US-wide release by TWC, negotiations didn't fall through when Bong opted not to cut the 20 minutes from the movie's original international version requested by the film house. TWC eventually handed it over to their subsidiary RADiUS.
"Snowpiercer" was shown in only eight movie theaters in its first weekend but earned an impressive $162,000. It later opened in 250 cinemas the following weekend and pulled in an average of $3,993 per screen, reports CinemaBlend. All in all, the film has earned $1.5 million dollars so far, not including the $80 million it already earned internationally-all through word of mouth.
"Snowpiercer" is included in Yahoo's top ten movies of the (half) year. Yahoo calls it "a violent, genre-bending, and visually stunning thriller that never derails." Other movies on the list include "Only Lovers Left," "Neighbors," "The Grand Budapest Hotel," and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
CinemaBlend has also highlighted the sci-fi film in its best movies of 2014 list. Citing it as "a thrilling film that demands your attention from its first frames, and rewards its audience with heart-pounding turns, breathtaking action, and thought-provoking subtext."
CinemaBlend adds, "There are flashier movies out this summer. There are movies with bigger stars. But none of these will chill and thrill you like 'Snowpiercer.'"
