This awards season, the films that have drawn the most attention from critics and prognosticators alike are the glitzy Hollywood musical La La Land, the personal indie darling Moonlight, and the somber drama Manchester by the Sea, but not all of the year's great films came from America. The French film Elle cleaned house at the Golden Globes, winning Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress in a Drama for Isabelle Huppert. But many people still haven't heard of the film, let alone seen it. But if you'd like to see it, will you even be able to? Is Elle still in theaters?
Depending on where you live, yes, you still may be able to watch Elle in theaters – but only if you live in a major city and have a theater that plays foreign and independent films. In other words, it's unlikely that you'll be able to stroll into your local AMC Loews or Regal theater and catch a screening of Elle. The movie has not been given a wide release in the U.S. When the film premiered domestically on Nov. 11, it was screened in only two theaters. Since that time, the number of theaters playing the film has fluctuated every weekend, reaching a peak of 37 theaters on Christmas weekend. This past weekend, the weekend starting Jan. 6, saw the film screened in just 36 theaters nationwide.
As of right now, according to Fandango, the film is only playing in the following nine American cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Austin, Seattle, and the San Francisco Bay area. It's possible that the film's success at the Golden Globes, which took place on Sunday, January 8, could boost its popularity enough to increase its share of theaters, but probably not by many.
So if you're looking to see Elle in theaters, and you live in a major city, then check with your local indie theater to see if they're screening this dark foreign thriller before it exits cinemas for good.
