So many movies... where do they go?

Friday is the big day for new movies as you probably know. That's when a whole new pack of movies begins to play in theaters in Los Angeles. And none of them has Justin Timberlake or Ben Affleck in them.

And most of them you'll never see again.

The big opener this week is Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips, the true story about an attempt by Somali pirates of a cargo ship. This movie, of course, it the big dog and it will probably be the box office winner over the week-end. Maybe. I'm not sure how the audience will take this movie, it's well made but the story (set in 2009) is still recent in our memories. It's also a test for Hank's popularity.

But look at what else is opening, primarily in Los Angeles and maybe New York;

A Touch of Sin - dealing with corrupt Chinese businessmen.

Romeo & Juliet - Yes, one more version of the Shakespeare play.

Muscle Shoals - a documentary about the famous music studio where artists like Aretha Franklin, Mick Jagger, Bono and a ton of others recorded their music.

AKA Doc Pomus - Another documentary on a little-known songwriter/singer with polio and who wrote Viva Las Vegas, Save the Last Dance for Me and a lot of others.

Concussion - which has no information.

Escape from Tomorrow - a controversial film made by filmmakers using small cameras in Disneyland without permission.

Ghost Team 1 - A white man who is possessed by the spirit of an Asian hooker. You figure this one out.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane - A thriller where someone starts killing off a bunch of teens.

Sweetwater - An ex-prostitute now married has to deal with a power hungry religious nut.

Okay, enough already.

There are 5 more movies but I think by now, you get the picture. The story "behind the story" is that most of these movies are playing for 1 to 2 weeks to qualify as a "theatrical film"rather than made-for-TV. They usually end up on Netflix or weird cable channels or Redbox. And most of the time nobody shows up to see them. The docs usually go to PBS or other channels who broadcast that kind of programming. I'm looking forward to seeing Muscle Shoals but will wait till it's on Netflix.


And apart from Tom Hank's movie, let me know if you've seen any of them.