You’ve got a gambling/Internet crime and betrayal thriller starring the red hot Justin Timberlake and a back-to-being hot Ben Affleck. It’s opening the same weekend as the ballyhooed (with justification) “Gravity.”
Selling it, getting the word about “Runner Runner” out would seem to be vital.
But 20th Century Fox isn’t previewing “Runner” for critics. Well, they are, but only on the Wednesday night pre-opening. That’s very late, after print deadlines. I’ve been asking around, and nobody (perhaps the late, lamented and once influential “trades” in LA) is getting to see it early.
Not exactly a vote of confidence, and certainly no way to build goodwill for a movie that probably needs some of that to compete against an Oscar contender that is also sure to be a blockbuster.
What’s Roger’s rule? Nobody ever “hides” a movie they’re proud of.