Many of 2010’s acclaimed movies will reach local theaters in January, February

And, this time of year, local movie buffs have no other choice — except to wait until 2011 for many of 2010’s top awards prospects to reach local theaters.

For the past month, everyone from Michelle Williams ("Blue Valentine") to Kevin Spacey ("Casino Jack") has been making the TV rounds promoting movies; Spacey even visited Vegas for a Dec. 8 "Casino Jack" premiere at Planet Hollywood.

But those and other releases, which had to open in New York and/or Los Angeles by this month to qualify for 2010 awards, aren’t expected to reach Las Vegas theaters until January or February.

For locals, it’s a familiar annual waiting game, yet there are signs that the rules are changing.

In previous years, Las Vegans might have had to wait months for such top awards prospects as "Black Swan" and "The King’s Speech."

Yet both movies opened here this month — much earlier than might be expected, given the usual Las Vegas release patterns.

"Black Swan," for example, opened in only 18 theaters, then expanded Dec. 18 to 959 locations — including several in Southern Nevada, notes Jeremy Devine, marketing vice president for Rave Motion Pictures, which operates the 18-screen Town Square multiplex. Similarly, Las Vegas was part of the first Christmas Day expansion for "The King’s Speech," representing "a triumph" for local moviegoers, Devine contends.

"Obviously, both these films have star power and critical acclaim," making them good bets for wider runs, he notes.

In addition, this season’s somewhat lackluster movie crop has enabled them to compete with the big holiday guns.

With star vehicles from "The Tourist" (Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie) to "Burlesque" (Cher, Christina Aguilera) to "How Do You Know" (Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd) failing to attract turnaway crowds, something like "The King’s Speech" or "Black Swan" provides an alternative, especially for adult couples, 40 to 50, according to Devine.

Initially, "The King’s Speech" wasn’t expected to open in Las Vegas until Jan. 14, but its "off-the-charts success in New York and L.A.," combined with critical acclaim, prompted an earlier release, explains Paul Serwitz, vice president of film for Regal Cinemas, who books the circuit’s Southern Nevada theaters.

Similar momentum brought "Black Swan" to local theaters sooner than expected, Serwitz adds.

"That caught the buzz in a hurry," he says. "That picture was so hot so quick," distributor Fox Searchlight "jumped on it" because studio officials "wanted to tap into the holiday playtime."

Because there have been "no knock-’em-out-of-the-park hits" this month — unlike last year’s smash "Avatar" — other contenders, including Oscar prospects "True Grit" and "The Fighter," got their shot during the holiday season, notes Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s box-office division. "People are seeking out these films because the blockbusters aren’t delivering."

Other art-house prospects coming to Las Vegas in early 2011, however, "are going to be slimmer in their appeal," Serwitz predicts. Those that receive "some awards attention," he adds, will benefit from the "free advertising" accompanying such recognition.

"Ordinarily, January’s not the greatest month for movies," Dergarabedian says.

Because of platform release strategies, however, Las Vegas moviegoers have an annual influx of "more sophisticated and awards-oriented fare" to anticipate, Serwitz notes.

Distributors decide where, and when, to release movies "based on a combination of market size, past film performance and demographics," he explains.

And when it comes to past performance, "Las Vegas is considered a mediocre art (film) town," Serwitz says, "and it’s fickle on top of that."

In part, that’s because "Vegas is very fragmented," he says, with specialty audiences concentrated in suburban Summerlin and Green Valley.

"One of the unique, and odd, things about Las Vegas, compared to most cities," Serwitz observes, "is there’s no core area where you find a traditional art house."

If multiplexes show it, however, audiences will come nonetheless, Dergarabedian suggests.

"We continue to see the platform release as a mainstay," he says. "They’re called specialized films for a reason — because they require special handling, special nurturing."

Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.