system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do some big-budget movies, for instance 'The Grand Budapest Hotel,' open only in 'select cities' before wider release?
gpt
It serves as a good measure for how big the demand is going to be when they release it nationwide. If it performs poorly in New York and LA, it probably isn't going to be worth it to send 30 prints to Topeka.