The Weinstein Company said Wednesday it has decided against a wide release on Thanksgiving weekend for its Oscar contender "Silver Linings Playbook."
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David O. Russell’s romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, which will debut in 16 theaters this weekend, was to have rolled out in 2,000 theaters on Nov. 21. Instead, it will expand to around 440 on that date.
The buzz around the film — which won the audience award at the Toronto international Film Festival — has been extremely positive. The Weinstein Co. has opted for a more gradual platform release that it believes will allow the film to build awards momentum. It's a strategy the company has employed before, with films like "The Descendants" and "The Kings Speech" both of which were Academy Award best-picture nominees with "The Kings Speech" winning the Oscar.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving will still be crowded with three wide openers: "Life of Pi" from Fox, FilmDistrict's "Red Dawn (2012)" and "Rise of the Guardians" from Paramount.