Mark Cosgrove’s Blog: 7th Sep 2018

Cinema Curator at Watershed and Chair of the Film Hub South West, Mark Cosgrove feeds back on the success of Watershed’s screenings this week…

“The reversals of fortune continue… As we ease ourselves into darker evenings and cooler temperatures, stronger films in the indie world see returning audiences. This week the gloriously melancholic Cold War, and Yardie – the much anticipated directorial debut of Idris Elba – arrived amidst the continuing demand for BlacKkKlansman and The Children Act.

When it comes to our smaller screen the cry is now “we need a bigger auditorium”. Much juggling and switching of screens ensued over the weekend to respond to demand. For me, it was pleasing to see Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War move into a larger screen, as audiences soaked up the film’s many charms and strong reviews.

BlacKkKlansman and The Children Act maintained high demand only dropping off a small percentage from their opening weeks. It’s interesting and not unsurprising to note that The Children’s Act is playing strongest to the older age group, and performing well on matinees and early evenings, whilst a younger age group is coming out at the later slots for the Spike Lee film.

Yardie performed better than I expected, helped by a satellite Q&A by the director, as well as significant promotion, including distributor StudioCanal securing coverage on BBC Radio 1.

The week(s) ahead is an interesting conundrum with three screens with The Miseducation of Cameron Post and American Animals opening amidst now five strong films still performing well.”

  • Mark Cosgrove, Cinema Curator, Watershed

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