EXCLUSIVE: Nicolas Winding Refn‘s first feature directorial in ten years, NEON‘s Her Private Hell, will open in theaters on July 24 in what will be a moderate release in 800 to 1,200 theaters.
Refn’s Her Private Hell will make its world premiere at Cannes later this month in the out-of-competition section. The pic stars Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, and Kristine Froseth. The movie has myriad storylines, but fires up in a metropolis future where actresses are gathering at a posh hotel where they’re set to make a Barberella-like movie. A heinous killer known as Leather Man is going around the city taking the lives of women.
In between his last movie which world premiered at Cannes, 2016’s Neon Demon starring Elle Fanning, and Her Private Hell, Refn made two streaming noir series, Prime Video’s 2019 Too Old to Die Young (which also world premiered at Cannes) and Netflix’s 2022 Copenhagen Cowboy (which world premiered at Venice). He has also been a brand filmmaker for Prada making shorts such as 2022’s Touch of Crude.
Refn won Best Director at Cannes for his 2011’s crime thriller, Drive, starring Ryan Gosling, Albert Brooks (playing against type as a villain), Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac. The movie per Deadline’s Pete Hammond at the time received a 15-minute standing ovation at the world premiere, certainly one of the festival’s longest. Drive received four BAFTA noms, an Oscar nom for Sounding Editing, and a Golden Globe supporting actor nomination for Brooks.
Duly note on July 24, there aren’t any major studio wide entries on the release calendar. Huh? Essentially that weekend is wedged between the opening of Universal’s Christopher Nolan title The Odyssey on July 17 and Sony/Marvel Studio’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. IFC is going wide with its TIFF acquisition, Potsy Ponciroli’s silent crime feature Motor City starring Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley and Ben Foster.
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