How #1 Movie The Outpost's Director Feels About Not Really Knowing How Well The Film Did
While most of the 2020 slate of theatrical debuts has been postponed to later in the year, if not into 2021 outright, movies like director Rod Lurie’s military drama The Outpost are making the best of the current situation. The film debuted in drive-in theaters last weekend, as well as on all major VOD platforms, exemplifying how new releases are dealing with this brave new world of theatrical exhibition. Unfortunately, that kind of makes it hard to tell exactly how well The Outpost did in terms of the more traditional measures of success. But if you ask Lurie his feelings on the matter, he’d tell you another benchmark is more important to him.
In a guest column for Deadline, Rod Lurie dissected the matter of just how to measure The Outpost’s actual imprint on the theatrical market. The conclusions he went on to draw about the performance of the movie, starring The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood, The Dead Don’t Die’s Caleb Landry Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom were very interesting indicators of the current market. Lurie’s initial thoughts were the following:
Certified fresh at 90%, with an iTunes topping debut and a distributor’s record added to its credit, it sounds like The Outpost is indeed a success. Based on a true story, which was chronicled in the book of the same name by CNN journalist Jake Tapper, the film chronicles 2009’s harrowing Battle of Kamdesh; a skirmish that saw 53 U.S. soldiers facing off against an army of insurgents that severely outnumbered their own ranks, at the location that’s now come to be known as Combat Outpost Keating.
Because of the subject matter, as well as his own personal background as a graduate of United States Military Academy West Point, Rod Lurie doesn’t see the standard business metrics that The Outpost would hope to hit in the world of traditional exhibition as his endgame. Rather, he hopes to have done right by a very important group of people close to the subject matter:
In its original incarnation, The Outpost would have been a big studio film with Sam Raimi attached to direct as initially intended. Instead, the story of Combat Outpost Keating and it’s the brave warfighters who swore to protect it, became an independent hit at a time when the world could use a story of iinspiration. So long as the men and women who served or knew those that served in this instance of combat feel their story was told with reverence and honor, Rod Lurie will feel that it was worth it. You can judge for yourself, as The Outpost is currently available in select theatrical venues, as well as through major VOD retailers for rental or purchase.
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Mike Reyes is the Senior Movie Contributor at CinemaBlend, though that title’s more of a guideline really. Passionate about entertainment since grade school, the movies have always held a special place in his life, which explains his current occupation. Mike graduated from Drew University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, but swore off of running for public office a long time ago. Mike's expertise ranges from James Bond to everything Alita, making for a brilliantly eclectic resume. He fights for the user.