Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells has learned that Woody Allen’s “Coup de Chance” will receive “some kind of limited U.S. release in April, possibly a streaming-only deal or perhaps a brief theatrical exposure in major cities followed by streaming”.
The distribution arrangement is supposed to be announced sometime this week. This goes well with my November 2023 report that the film had indeed been acquired. I doubt it’ll make a splash Stateside, but at least those willing to see it will get to, very soon.
Ever since its September 2023 Venice premiere, “Coup de Chance” had struggled to find an American studio willing to distribute it. It’s obviously not been acquired by a big studio, Wells goes on to add that it “isn’t an indie major but an outfit like Vertical or Ketchup…someone in that vein”.
Why has there been such difficulty in “Coup de Chance,” and really, all of Allen’s post-MeToo films, getting seen in the U.S? After all, Allen’s films were mainstays in American theaters, for close to 50 years. Everything changed in 2017 …
In October ‘17, just a few weeks before “Wonder Wheel” was supposed to world premiere at the New York Film Festival, the #MeToo hashtag went viral which led to ex-wife Mia Farrow’s old allegations against Allen coming back into the spotlight.
By the time “Wonder Wheel” premiered, the reviews turned out to be, no coincidence, the worst of Allen’s career (31% on Rotten Tomatoes) —“Wonder Wheel” was not a bad movie, it’s nowhere near a nadir. After all, a NYFF selection is something to brag home about, the selection committee for that festival can be very picky, and by selecting “Wonder Wheel,” a few months before the allegations came out, they were basically implying that this was a worthy addition to Allen’s canon of films.
Ever since 2017, Allen’s films have not found wide U.S. distribution (“Rainy Day in New York” and “Rifkin’s Festival”), but the good news is that the tide is slightly turning. “Coup de Chance,” will be released Stateside very soon, albeit in rather muted fashion .
“Coup de Chance” is Allen’s 50th film, shot in France, all in French, and has been compared to 2005’s “Match Point.” So far, it sits at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.