Oscar winner Jim Wilson's latest film, "50 to 1," the story of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Mine That Bird and his New Mexico cowboy trainer and owners, is opening in dozens of new states in response to growing demand across the country.
"Audiences are thoroughly enjoying the romp," says Wilson, the Oscar-winning producer of "Dances with Wolves". "I feel good releasing a film that reaches all ages and leaves you feeling great at the end."
"50 to 1" recounts the tale of Mine That Bird, trainer Chip Woolley, and owners Mark Allen and Leonard 'Doc' Blach, who end up on the journey of a lifetime when their gelding qualified for the Derby. Fish out of water in the land of Kentucky's blue bloods, the cowboys face a series of mishaps on their way to Churchill Downs, becoming the ultimate underdogs in a final showdown with the world's racing elite.
Benefitting from a rail-skimming ride by Calvin Borel, Mine That Bird won the Derby at 50-1 odds.
Ten Furlongs, the movie's distribution company, has been releasing the film around the country since its initial seven-state rollout, which began March 21 in New Mexico and continued through Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The rollout mirrored the road trip Woolley took with Mine That Bird from New Mexico to the Derby back in 2009, and has since expanded to 34 states.
"This is just the beginning," Wilson said. "We're speaking with theaters across the country every day."