Deadline:
Robert Zemeckis' The Walk got the 53rd annual New York Film Festival off to a roaring start with what I am told was a great reception with “rapturous applause” at Saturday night’s Gala Opening at Alice Tully Hall. This is not a surprise as the movie recounting French tightrope artist Philippe Petit’s incredible 1974 walk the twin towers of the World Trade Center is not only about as thrilling as they come, but it also packs quite an emotional punch, particularly for New Yorkers who lived through 9/11 and have vivid memories of those towers as they once were. It was the ideal opener for NYFF, a film that exalts the wonder of movies in the same way another groundbreaking technical achievement full of humanity — Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi — did in 2012. That movie was a box-office word-of-mouth hit and a big player at the Oscars, winning four Academy Awards including Best Director.
Great for the film. I would like to see it but I don't think I'll see it at the theater.
Probably the same audience that praised the hell out of the documentary
Honestly, you can't really deny the positive bias of the receptive crowd in this regard. Nevertheless, it's great to see Zemeckis going for something unexpected like his previous Flight.