Are "select theaters" more common?

[D'Snowth]

As far as I can remember, certain movies would be released "in select theaters" only, mostly because the movie might have controversial themes, or perhaps certain theater franchises and local theaters opt not to release them.

However, I've noticed TWO movies in a row that are being released on DVD right, yet I don't remember seeing them actually hit the theaters... first is Fantastic Mr. Fox... I remember promos and such for this movie clearly, because I remember reading about the plot of the movie and thinking "Well, there goes a possible plot for a possible movie version of *My Puppet Sitcom*", and I believe both IMDb and deviantART decked out for the film's upcoming release; that was really only a matter of months ago, and now it's being released on DVD... so when was it even in theaters? I never saw any of the theaters in my town release this movie, and I frequent about four different theaters, two of which are actually national chains... no posters, now banners, no cardboard cut-outs of the title character, nothing. The next is the new Miley Cyrus actually playing someone other than a poorly acted version of herself/Hannah Montana movie... not that I have any remote interest in seeing this movie, however, I DO remember seeing a poster for it at one of the said national chain theaters in town saying it was coming soon, but again, I never saw it being played at any of these theaters, and already it's being released on DVD.

Now I know that it doesn't take as long for movies to see DVD releases as much as it did in the old days (sometimes up to a year, now it's really a matter of weeks), but I mean to say, it seems like certain movies are being promoted for theater releases, don't receive theater releases, then get released on DVD.

So what's up?

 

[GonzoLover85]

I do know that Fantastic Mr. Fox was released in a ridiculously low number of theaters, only something like 50 theaters nation wide. So there's a pretty good chance that one of those theaters wasn't in your home-town.

 

[Drtooth]

I do know that Fantastic Mr. Fox was released in a ridiculously low number of theaters, only something like 50 theaters nation wide. So there's a pretty good chance that one of those theaters wasn't in your home-town.

I didn't get to see it in theaters until last week! No foolin'. I actually found it at a semi-art house type place that has older films playing at it, long after they left the big theaters. I was waiting to do the same for the Princess and the Frog, but that one just jumped on DVD for marketing purposes.

It reminds me of when I tired to see Spirited Away. it was only playing at 2 theaters at midnight... I found somewhere they was playing it, but way too early, and I didn't even find out when until 5 minutes before it actually started, and then had to see the HORRIBLE Jungle Book 2 (which I didn't think was gonna be that bad, otherwise, I'd have ignored it). Really... That really honked me off. Disney widely released a piece of crap that should have been directly released to DVD, but had such a lame release of an actual GOOD animated movie.

Then there's the weird case of this one theater I frequent that somehow manages to miss like half the movies I actually want to see, leaving me somewhere else to find them. And they have most of the movies the day they come out.

 

[D'Snowth]

How come my threads are always renamed? Just 'cause I didn't include "are" in the thread name...