“Bubble” bursts film distribution notions

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh will challenge traditional assumptions of film distribution when his latest film, “Bubble,” a murder mystery set in a toy factory, opens in theaters, goes on sale on DVD and premieres on HDNet on Friday. This is the first of six films Soderbergh is making for Mark Cuban’s 2929 Entertainment. Cuban, who was a producer on a couple of 2005’s most interesting films, George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck.” and the documentary “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (and, of course, is the Dallas Mavericks’ maverick owner), recently told me that the film only needs to make $500,000 theatrically and sell 50,000 DVDs to break even, which, given Soderbergh’s status as an auteur, seems easy enough to accomplish.
All well and good, but the big question is: Who should review “Bubble?” Film critics, DVD critics or TV critics? I say: Have all three do it. TV critics could say, “It demands to be seen on the big screen;” movie critics could write, “Wait for video;” and DVD critics could conclude, “Just catch it on cable.”

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