Now that the whole ratings brouhaha has been resolved and “Blue Valentine” has received the much more reasonable and fair R-rating instead of the reactionary original NC-17 tag, The Weinstein Company can focus on the task at hand: getting asses into seats for what they hope will be an Oscar contender come February.
Deadline reports that the film will begin its limited rollout two days earlier than planned, opening on December 29th in one theater each in New York City and Los Angeles. It will add another New York theater on December 31st and then expand to 10 more markets on January 7th.
If you’re wondering why the slow rollout, it’s likely because the film is a lovely, but very bitter pill to swallow. The film tracks Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) in the painful last throes of their relationship, and while it does flashback to happier times, the overall arc is the dissolution of their marriage. The Weinstein Company will be hoping for strong word of mouth and some awards season boosts to help the box office prospects of the film. Having seen the pic and loved it, we definitely encourage you to track it down should it play a theater near you. And to get a taste for what’s in store, you can check out a number of clips from “Blue Valentine” on the film’s Facebook page.
