WAITRESS (2023): Bleecker Street Has Obtained U.S. Rights to Broadway Musical Movie and Set Release Date

Waitress Coming to Fathom Events on December 7th

The filmed edition of the long-running Broadway musical, Waitress, was picked up for distribution by Bleecker Street and will be released through Fathom Events on December 7th.

In 2007, Keri Russell starred in the charming comedy, Waitress. Not a blockbuster by any measure, the film from Fox Searchlight Pictures was directed by quirky filmmaker Adrienne Shelly and made a little less than $20 million domestically. That was actually a nice-sized hit for a smaller production like the one Waitress was. It also helped that Keri Russell was in high demand at the time and had made several great projects, including the fine August Rush which was released later that year.

Now, Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson’s hit Broadway show of the same name, Waitress, will be more accessible to viewers. The captured 2021 performance of the hit Broadway musical, which was based on the 2007 movie, will be making its way to theaters in December now that it has found its distributor after showing at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Bareilles plays Jenna Hunterson, a girl who is a pie-maker with big dreams and a big heart but a considerably small income. This was the role Russell played in the 2007 film. Brett Sullivan stepped behind the camera to direct the filmed production which Bleecker Street recently picked up for U.S. distribution and most likely hopes will get viewers who haven’t seen the musical live to watch it on the big screen.

Bleecker Street has struggled with some high quality films which have performed with mediocre results at the box-office. Last summer’s release, Mr. Malcolm’s List was the most obvious financial disappointment and was one of the best movies the studio had put out but grossed less than $2 million at the domestic box-office. One could chalk the financial performance of the movie up to the pandemic as adults were just starting to return to the movies at the point the film came out theatrically. Bleecker Street is counting on Meg Ryan’s What Happens Later to prove adults still come out to see intelligent, adult-themed movies. That film opens in early November and co-stars the usually reliable David Duchovny.

After that, however, with Waitress, an opportunity arises which offers the studio a chance to get viewers into theaters with a well-known title which could turn out to be among one of the solid showings that Fathom Events typically has with its limited theatrical runs. Certainly, a female heavy project, Waitress: The Musical on Broadway appealed to all demographics across the board making it a true triumph for all involved. The Tribeca unveiling of the new film was a smashing success with critics which could eventually lead to a small fortune for the movie when it is ultimately released on December 7th.

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