Amazon really carried on about “I Play Rocky” when no one could see it.
Now the story about making “Rocky” is getting a punchy release this week. And only in one place.
As near as I can figure, the Peter Farrelly movie then stays on the ropes in New York and most other places — until November 20th.
You’ll need a Ouija board to figure it out.
“I Play Rocky” has nothing to do with the “Rocky” movies per se. Or “Creed.” It’s the story of how the “Rocky” movie was made back in 1974.
This week, Amazon MGM is going to start showing it in New York at AMC Lincoln Square, until the 11th.
Then “I Play Rocky” goes away until November 20th, when it returns to a small sampling of theaters — but not the AMC Lincoln Square.
Got that?
It’s a little different in Los Angeles, where they seem to have it in a few theaters during the week. Same in Chicago. Good luck!
If you think that’s peculiar, Amazon had an “opening” in Philadelphia last night — election night. If you were looking for Sylvester Stallone, or anyone from the original movie, you were out of luck.
The Amazon release pattern is pretty strange, and seems directed really to force viewing on Amazon Prime. So the theatrical release is just a Trojan horse.
It’s unclear whenever it hits Amazon Prime how much the will the ticket price be? Will it be included in an Amazon Prime subscription? If not, will it cost 20 bucks? So far there’s no listing for it on Amazon Prime.
This does sound a lot like Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Ali G” movie, which had one weekend in a few theaters, then drifted over to Amazon Prime. It’s number 6 today on Amazon Prime, just two weeks later.
So is “I Play Rocky” meant for the Oscars? It doesn’t feel like it. But who knows? With a plethora of movies ahead of it, “I Play Rocky” may just be a novelty. I’ll wait and see it over Thanksgiving. After all, I know the story. We all do!
