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David Mumpower: As someone who is in an area of the country that frequently has to wait several weeks for platform releases, Snowpiercer is a first for me. I had planned to see it in the theater, but I still did not have any local options this past weekend. So, I bought it off of Vudu instead. Owning the film required a financial outlay of $22.99, and I have it forever. A pair of movie tickets that evening would have been $26 plus Fandango fees. The value side of the equation speaks for itself.

I am someone who has previously stated in this forum that I would prefer to watch movies in the comfort of my own home. Snowpiercer bordered on being an exception because I had heard that the cinematography is great (it is) and that the special effects are good (they are fine but not worth any special effort to see in a theater). This type of film is right on the line for me in terms of wanting to see in a theater. I am glad I watched it at home because there were a couple of moments where I became squeamish. I was relieved that did not occur in a theater. If Hollywood does move in the direction of next month release for major movies, I will consume most cinematic offerings that way simply because of the ease of the process.

With regards to the film quality of Snowpiercer, I think Max should dial his expectations down. It is a solid movie that overreaches somewhat. Its ambition is its undoing during an extended third act. Overall, it is a damn good movie that I highly recommend to everyone, though. I would give it a solid A- and look forward to extended discussions about the film in the coming months and years.

Kim Hollis: I absolutely would have seen Snowpiercer in theaters if it had been available to me to do so prior to this weekend. With that said, the instant I realized it was available for at-home viewing, the choice was easy. Even if it had been in local theaters this weekend, I would have gone the home video route. I’ll always choose the comfort of home versus seat-kickers, people on cell phones, and just the general distraction of the theater itself (I admit that since the theater shooting in Colorado a couple of years ago, I have moments where I anxiously examine the exit doors and weird behavior of other people in the audience).

As for the decision itself, I’d say it paid off. Entertainment Weekly says that Snowpiercer earned $1.1 million, almost two times as much as it made in North American theaters. If you add the $1.1 million to the $635,000 it did earn in theaters, it had an increase from last weekend (whereas if you just look at its box office results, it looks like it declined 37%). Clearly, a good portion of potential viewers wanted to see Snowpiercer at home and took advantage. Now, as word-of-mouth can spread, it should become a profitable little venture for Radius, an arm of the Weinstein Co. that plans to specialize in this unique release style moving forward. It was an interesting experiment, and I think it’s going to be a story we’re all going to continue to track very closely.

On a final note, I do recommend the film. It has segments that are difficult to watch (and even to think about), but it has an engaging story and fine acting performances.

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