MovieChat Forums > Cheats (2002) Discussion > Does anyone know the reason this didn't ...

Does anyone know the reason this didn't get a theatrical release?


I have searched everywhere for an article or interview that gives reason as to why Cheats went direct-to-cable instead of receiving a theatrical release. I remember seeing the trailer for it when it was scheduled to be in theaters. Can anyone help me out?

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[deleted]

Maybe they just didn't know what to do with it. Look at the movie posters/pictures.

Horrible.

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Because the people that decide these things are sheep. There are a lot of Crap-tacular movies that go in the theaters that are absolute garbage but they don't release this solid, good movie. I guess it could be that there are only a select few cool people in the world that can appreciate this movie for what it is, a great movie. I loved The Rules of Attraction too from 2002 and that was probably not in theaters too.

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[deleted]

I loved The Rules of Attraction too from 2002 and that was probably not in theaters too.

The Rules of Attraction was in the theaters and that was actually a good movie, this one, not so much.

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Usually it has to do with studio backing. This probably didn't get picked up by a major studio that could theatrically release it. It was an indie film, afterall, with not that huge of a budget. The only real name attached to the movie was Mary Tyler Moore, and then I suppose Matthew Lawerence as he was in the Boy Meets World series.
A lot of movies go straight to DVD/tv because of this reason. They are also sometimes shelved because producers or backers pull out. If it's shelved the movie is sometimes refound by smaller production companies that then make a smaller release. I'm not even sure if this movie hit the better known festival circuit (sundance, for instance) which would give it even less of a chance of being noticed by any person or comapny that had any chance of giving it a wider release. It must have gone to at least some of the smaller festivals though.

vanity

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I have some 35mm trailers for this movie- one of them is unique in that it was mistakenly printed with all black frames, except the leader and tail were normal and the digital and analog sound tracks are present.

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My guess on why it didn't get a release date is that test screenings must have given really negative results.

Then again,it is a pretty bad movie

- THB

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