Andrea RiseboroughPhoto: Jason Mendez (Getty Images)
Following Andrea Riseborough’s shock Oscar nomination for her performance in To Leslie, which initially grossed $27,000 during its quiet theatrical run last fall, the film is set to return to theaters amid renewed interest in the project. According to , it will be re-released in “about six” locations across North America, followed by more theaters in the UK.
While top Oscar contenders typically promote their work for months before awards season, the English-born Birdman actor only started campaigning in earnest weeks ago, when voting for the nominations began. Word of mouth and social posts from Hollywood stars like Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Minnie Driver and Demi Moore appeared seemingly overnight, and it was enough to earn Riseborough a spot at yesterday’s announcement of this year’s nominees. For Leslie, the recognition may be a win for low-key releases that haven’t pulled off huge awards budgets, but the campaign has also been criticized for seemingly hurting Viola Davis and Danielle Deadwyler’s chances of making the cut.
Directed by Michael Morris, To follows Leslie Riseborough as a Texas single mother and former lottery winner struggling to reconnect with her son. The film was distributed by Momentum Pictures, for which co-star Marc Maron struck “gross incompetence” while playing the prize game. (In the infinite multiverse, somewhere out there is a timeline where Gwyneth Paltrow and Edward Norton got together to get Aubrey Plaza an Oscar nomination for Black Bear.)
While doesn’t mention where the handful of theaters where To Leslie will be rebooted are located, more people will soon be able to decide for themselves if it’s a small movie with a huge heart on the big screen.