Detroit [the movie] opens to mediocre box office results

[Canadian Visitor]

I'm late to the party....

I got to see this today. It got an ok-sized release in Toronto, but hasn't done super-well here either, in downtown its down to one screen in a 100-seat venue, airing twice daily. [[still on a couple of suburban screens)

Attendance was ok, considering the above, probably about 35 or so, for a mid-afternoon Sunday screening.

In terms of the box office, as opposed to the review, I would offer this.

I see a fair few movies, in theatre, I don't recall seeing a single trailer for 'Detroit' before it opened.

This is a problem faced by many movies, both good and bad, that aren't backed by big distributors w/big marketing budgets.

Reviews in the Toronto market were decidedly mixed, w/the local alt-weekly being favourable; but the Globe and Mail giving it 1.5 and calling it an 'exploitative horror film'

Between the mixed reviews, and the lack of strong promotion I can see attendance not being great.

The lack of big name acting talent doesn't detract from the film, but may also reduce its 'reach' to audiences unsure about the material.

****

As to my own take, I'm a bit too young to have personal familiarity w/all that took place.

So my previous knowledge is based both on some common knowledge, some friends I know from Detroit, and from Cdn family old enough to remember watching live coverage.

Needless to say, I knew I wasn't seeing a documentary; what I was expecting and think I sorta got was a film that gave you the 'feel' of the times.

That said, as others have pointed out.....the attempt to rush a whole lot of 'context' into a very odd opening sequence; then spend a bit of time glossing over the raid and the first few days of the riots wasn't well advised.

I don't think it really added usefully to the telling of the Algiers incident; but it did manage to severely truncate everything else.

It left me feeling that the movie couldn't quite make up its mind on what story it wanted to tell.

Was this about one or two particularly bad cops, and one terrible incident? Or was this the story of how Detroit reached a breaking point, at the same time [[roughly) as many other U.S. cities?

If it was the former, there were bits and pieces of a good movie here; but both the beginning and ending need a complete re-think as they seem to be telling a different story.

If it was the latter; then it utterly failed beyond a few platitudes and brief illustrations of the perils of racism in 1960's America.