Guy Ritchie ROCKNROLLAing on just 800 screens?

Morning folks, Peter here. Unlike the rest of the OWF office, I am a huge fan of Guy Ritchie. It's 10 years since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels brought the British auteur to the limelight, but a couple of mis-guided projects has seen him slip off many peoples radars (aside from his gossip column inches related to his rocky marriage to pop superstar Madonna).

RockNRolla sees Ritchie taking us back to the gritty east end of London - the area that served him so well in both Lock, Stock and Snatch. The trailer carries much promise and the early reviews are equally encouraging, with TotalFilm rating it as a 4-star flick. I defy anyone to watch the trailer and tell me that doesn't look like a whole lotta fun? So todays news that Warner Bros. have decided to open in just 800 theatres comes as somewhat of a surprise, and also a let down.

"I think it's a well-made picture, but while it's funny in spots, it's very English," he said. "I don't think it's broadly commercial. It feels like a film that deserves a spirited release, but not a wide one. Joel has an 800-screen deal, which we'll honor, but we might not be willing to spend the marketing money he wants us to."

The movie is sure to do OK numbers in the UK - where the woefully reviewed Revolver still managed to take nearly a million in the opening weekend - when it is released on September 5th. But being released in the US in an already busy October on just 800 screens is going to do nothing but hamper the chances of the Ritchie revival. It seems likely that Joel Silver will now try to push the movie in front of the executives at Sony and Lionsgate to try and get the movie out to a larger number of screens and find a more appealing street-date. Here's hoping. source - AICN

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