It just hit me that there are at least 4… actually 5 (thanks to reader Kevin for adding the last title as you'll read in the comments section below) "black films" opening in theaters in the USA this month! That must be a record or something right?
Joking… somewhat… but you get my point.
Yes, there really are 5 "black films" opening in theaters during the month of April – last weekend saw the release of Mario Van Peebles's We The Party; this Friday, April 13th, the Neema Barnette-directed, TD Jakes-produced drama/thriller Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day; and next week, April 20th, Think Like A Man, and the long-awaited Bob Marley feature documentary project; and the weekend after, April 27th, AFFRM unveils Restless City.
Any others?
It's worth researching though, now that I think about it further – what month in the history of cinema has seen the most "black films" released in theaters (in the USA)?
Somebody get to work 🙂 If not, then I guess I'll do it later…
I should note that 3 of the 5 have AMC Independent's theatrical release program to thank for their releases – a program that's actually more accessible than you might think and that more filmmakers really should be taking advantage of.
But first, in theaters this weekend, will be Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day, although its release will be in a limited number of theaters (not surprised by that); however, I don't have any info on what cities exactly it'll open in, and the film's website doesn't list them (it really should; it saves time).
What you will find on the website is a link to purchase tickets which takes you to AMC's website, where you can search by city/state or zip code to find out if it's coming to a theater near you.
I searched for NYC, and it is playing in 3 theaters here, so if you're interested in seeing it, you have some options.
Box Office Mojo doesn't list a theater count for it either.
CodeBlack is the distributor by the way. Recall they recently announced a multi-year partnership with AMC theaters, and this film is the first to be released in that partnership.
Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie, and Pam Grier star in this second film in Pastor TD Jake’s Woman Thou Art Loosed! series – a film that centers on a husband and wife who find themselves in the midst of a crisis, when their young daughter is kidnapped. The kidnapper is supposedly a serial killer who murders his victims "On the 7th Day," hence the title. As you'd expect, during their search for their daughter, secrets are revealed that putting the marriage and their daughter's life in jeopardy.
I saw the film at the Pan African Film Festival in February; I haven't reviewed it because, well, as I said in a previous post, it just wasn't for me. Final answer 🙂
And instead of beating it up in a review, I figured I'd just leave you all to see it for yourselves; the audience I saw it with at PAFF (a packed house) seemed to mostly love it. So run with that!
I'm certainly curious to see how it's received at the box office this opening weekend.
And if you need a reminder, here's the film's trailer:
