system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do movies have staggered releases?

I often read that a movie was theatrically released in a select group of countries on one date and released to the rest of the world weeks later. Many movies are also released to "select theaters" first then have a broadened release days later. What's the point?
gpt
Often, it's just a matter of scheduling for each country because of competition, holidays, and the like.

Now, when a movie is released to "select theaters" first it's for one of two reasons. First is because it has a low marketing budget and they are releasing it in a limited number of theaters in order to get critics to write about it and create some buzz.

The other reason this might happen is if the studio thinks that they have a movie with Oscar potential. They will often release it in New York and Los Angeles late in the calendar year so that it can be eligible for Academy Awards for that year. They will put it into wide release right about the time the Oscars are presented, because of the publicity that creates. A lot of people may never have heard of the movie until the saw it was nominated, and then they see it's in their local theaters.