Sorry But "Sorry to Bother You" Isn’t Coming to Australian Cinemas

We apologise for the nuisance.

Update (18/10): Since this original report, Sorry to Bother You has picked up an Australian distributor and will get a limited theatrical release on 29 November. Find out more here. And read the original story below...

Hey, did’ya know there’s a new comedy in American cinemas starring Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield, Thor: Ragnarok’s Tessa Thompson and famed tracksuit-aficionado Armie Hammer?

It’s called Sorry to Bother You, and despite being a small indie flick, it has already grossed more than $US15 million in the States, boasting a huge 94 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Bask in the trailer, below.

Looks great, right?

Unfortunately, if you’re reading this from Australia, you’re probably not gonna get to see it anytime soon.

Student Edge can confirm that, at this time, there is no Australian theatrical release planned through eOne, the primary Australian distributor of Sorry to Bother You’s production company, Annapurna Pictures. No other distributor appears to have picked it up either.

Several independent local cinemas similarly told us there were no planned showings of Sorry to Bother You on the calendar. We also reached out directly to Annapurna Pictures and the film's producers for a comment on any future Australian release. Neither replied.

We will (happily!) update this story with a correction if this fact changes in the coming months. But you shouldn't hold your breath.

Last week, writer-director Boots Riley tweeted that his picture wasn’t getting released theatrically outside of America, having been told "'black movies' don’t do well internationally".

We’re not sure which regions Riley was specifically speaking about, but there is certainly a precedent of "black movies" skipping theatres here in Australia. Earlier this year, we discovered Kyrie Irving’s basketball comedy Uncle Drew would pass by Australian cinemas, debuting instead on Amazon Prime Video at the end of this month. (It has grossed more than $US41 million in the U.S.)

In 2016, the acclaimed Barbershop: The Next Cut also went direct-to-digital in Australia, long after it played in American cinemas (where it earned $US54 million).

And though Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is getting a proper theatrical run in Australia this very week, it marks Lee's first major Aussie release in over a decade.

Meanwhile, recent box office underperformers in the States like Unsane, Beirut and Disobedience have all managed to snag theatrical releases in Australia, despite earning less than half of Sorry to Bother You’s tally to date. The big difference? They all have recognisable white stars at their center.

(Funnily/depressingly enough, Sorry to Bother You tells the story of a black man who has to use his "white voice" to succeed in business.)

The massive success Down Under of Black Panther and Get Out was meant to have shattered the illusion that Aussie audiences stay away from features with all-black casts. They were meant to prove to local distributors that quality and concept trumps all. However, in 2018, it appears that's still not the case. Instead, an ugly and inexplicable fear of "black movies" remains.

We’ll let you know once we learn of any physical, digital or streaming release date for Sorry to Bother You. Again, sorry 'bout this.

Update (04/10): Boots Riley has tweeted the following, though we don't yet know if he's referring to a theatrical release of any kind. We will keep you posted!

Update (18/10): Ask/apologise and you shall receive. A limited Australian theatrical release has been set for 29 November. Find out more here.

Header Image: Annapurna Pictures