From face wars to a penguin pal, itinerant surfers and Haitian immigrants in Miami, the independent film market is fun, thoughtful, diverse and struggling with a faster cadence of well-performing, studio-wide releases. That’s exciting on one hand, but indie distribution executives say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to date their films after having a fairly clear pitch for the first half of 2024.

New this weekend: IFC Films' Elizabeth Banks-starring Skincare hits 768 screens. Banks plays Hope Goldman, a legendary Hollywood facialist to the stars who prepares for the next phase of her career with a new line of skincare products in this dark comedy. Sensing that someone is trying to sabotage her business and destroy her life, she begins investigating to save what she's built, by any means necessary.

Loosely inspired by a real-life case involving beautician Dawn DaLuise, who served a prison sentence in 2014 for staging the murder of a rival beautician. See Deadline review. Starring Nathan Fillion, Lewis Pullman, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and Luis Gerrado Méndez. Written by Sam Freilich, Austin Peters, and Deering Regan.

From Paramount's Republic Pictures, Rob Peace, directed, edited by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, is the true story of a brilliant young man torn between his father's dark past and his own promising future. Starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, Camila Cabello. Based on the New York Times bestseller by Jeff Hobbs. Premiering at Sundance, opening in 526 theaters.