Netflix has finally decided to stop teasing us with cryptic teasers and has given us an actual trailer for “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” David Fincher's Quentin Tarantino-scripted 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood' sequel.
Notice that the footage shown ends with “only in IMAX.” Yep, Netflix has given the film an IMAX-exclusive release, with no standard-format or competing premium large-format (PLF) screenings permitted. That would leave the movie playing at only around 350 U.S. locations, maybe fewer, despite its high-profile creative team.
The irony is that ‘Cliff Booth’ has the ingredients of a major cinematic event—Pitt + Tarantino + Fincher—yet its U.S. theatrical footprint could be smaller than that of many ordinary wide releases. The reported plan is an exclusive two-week IMAX run beginning November 25, followed by Netflix on December 23.
The teaser leans hard into throwback vibes, complete with a retro montage of Cliff Booth in all sorts of episodes: roaming the shadowy corners of a bar and driving a demolition derby car on a dusty racetrack.
There will yet again be complaints that Fincher’s go-to DP Erik Messerschmidt has underlit the film — and it shows in the trailer. He’s replacing ‘Hollywood’ DP Robert Richardson, who brought sunny and grainy goodness to Tarantino’s film. Messerschmidt, on the other hand, is colder in his frames, more calculating. We’ll know soon whether he was a good fit.
Take it with a grain of salt, but Empire City Box Office recently hinted that the $200M ‘Cliff Booth’ was not testing well. Furthermore, The InSneider reported that Fincher was not happy with what he saw in the editing room. As I said, grain of salt — let’s just hope the film is ready in time for its November release.
No plot details have leaked about ‘Cliff Booth’ except that it’s set to take place a few years after Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” In addition to Pitt, the cast includes Timothy Olyphant, Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Peter Weller, and Holt McCallany.
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