Liam Neeson crime thriller In the Land of Saints and Sinners opens on 896 screens this weekend, joined by Sean Penn in Asphalt City — the Godzilla vs. Kong of the specialty market?

“Land of Saints And Sinners” and “Asphalt City”Everett

Neeson reunites with The Marksman director Robert Lorenz as a newly retired assassin in a remote Irish village who finds himself drawn into a lethal game of cat and mouse with a trio of vengeful terrorists.

Ciarán Hinds, Kerry Condon, Colm Meaney and Jack Gleeson also star in Land of Saints and Sinners, which premiered at Venice, and was shot in County Donegal, Ireland. Screenplay by Mark Michael McNally and Terry Loane. Samuel Goldwyn Films’ widest release post-pandemic sits at 80% with critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

Penn stars with Tye Sheridan in Asphalt City, Vertical’s co-release with Roadside Attractions that opens on 297 screens, also with a national footprint. Young paramedic Ollie Cross (Sheridan) is paired with seasoned partner Gene Rutkovsky (Penn) on the hellish night shift in New York City, revealing a city that’s gory and in crisis.

With Kali Resi (True Detective: Night Country) Gbenga Akinnagbe, Michael Carmen Pitt, Katherine Waterston and Mike Tyson. (41% with Critics on RT.) Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (A Prayer Before Dawn), written by Ryan King (The Tutor) and Ben Mac Brown based on the novel Black Flies by Shannon Burke. Premiered at Cannes with the title Black Flies.