Open Road Films Re-Releasing Sundance Smash ‘Dope’ This Weekend
Zack Sharf
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Open Road Films made quite the gamble this summer by opening Rick Famuyiwa‘s Sundance sensation “Dope” nationwide on June 19. Instead of releasing the coming-of-age film in select theaters to generate strong word of mouth, the distribution company put all their cards in at once, figuring the critical acclaim would lead to box office fortunes. Unfortunately, “Dope” debuted with just $6 million, and it’s only earned around $17 million to date, hardly what the company was expecting after a Sundance deal that cost a rumored upwards of $7 million.
Hoping to capitalize on the slow Labor Day weekend, Open Road has announced it will re-release the film this weekend in select theaters, giving audiences another chance to see what all the fuss was about at Sundance earlier this year.
The official synopsis reads: “Malcolm is an anomaly, a ‘geek living in the Bottoms,’ the drug-infested, gang-run ghetto part of Inglewood, California. A victim of circumstance, but with admirable ambition, Malcolm gets caught in the crossfires of a drug buy gone bad. Using his wits and considerable smarts, he manages to take a dicey situation and make it work in his favor.”
Produced by Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi (the duo behind Sundance powerhouse “Fruitvale Station”) and featuring original music by Pharrell Williams, “Dope” stars Shameik Moore opposite Tony Revolori (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”), Kiersey Clemons (“Transparent”), Kimberly Elise (“For Colored Girls”), Zoe Kravitz (“Divergent”), Chanel Iman and A$AP Rocky.
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