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LAT on Precious [PRCUS]: can the film become a must-see for black audiences and an art-house stop for upscale, metropolitan moviegoers?
Lionsgate has booked "Precious" into four demographically distinct local theaters, and the selection speaks volumes to the studio's aspirations: West Los Angeles' the Landmark (primarily a home for highbrow fare), Hollywood's ArcLight (where art and commercial films coexist), Westchester's the Bridge: Cinema de Lux (a multiethnic destination for mass-appeal titles) and South Los Angeles' Magic Johnson Crenshaw 15 (one of the top-grossing theaters for African American patrons).
Come Monday, Lionsgate will review how director Lee Daniels' film played in those theaters (coupled with a look at its performance in similarly targeted bookings in New York, Chicago and Atlanta) to see where the greatest interest resides. If all goes as well as can be imagined, the film's theatrical expansion could build as surely as its Oscar chances.
Tag(s): PRCUS