As ‘The Substance’ Opens in Nearly 2,000 Theaters, a Wide Specialized Release Is Oxymoron No More

Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” ( MUBI ) opens in 1,949 U.S./Canada theaters this week.

That’s not unusual for a genre film (aging star imbibes youth-enhancing serum, chaos ensues), but it also won best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and its distributor is the theatrical division of niche streamer MUBI. In the year 2024, wide is the new platform. “Conclave” (Focus) , “Megalopolis” (Lionsgate) , or “The Apprentice” (Briarcliff) will also go wide between now and the end of October.

Pre-COVID, they would most likely debut in a few New York and Los Angeles theaters. “ The Substance ” isn’t a hard sell for a wider release. There’s strong advance interest among cinephiles for the original and gory body-horror story starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

However, it’s a first for MUBI. Launched as a streaming site, MUBI expanded into the U.S.

theatrical market in 2016 with very limited releases for films like “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki.” Before “The Substance,” its widest release was Ira Sachs’ “Passages” in a 2023 platform debut that scaled up to 114 theaters. MUBI’s ability to reach nearly 2,000 theaters requires significant involvement from the top three exhibitors.

That’s now possible as studios release fewer films, there are fewer long-term hits, and access is a seller’s market. There’s also the trailblazing success of top specialized independents like A24 (“Civil War”) and Neon (“Longlegs”.