I don't know why -- it's an independent, low-budget film, and for some reason the distributors decided to do it that way. Seems kind of silly to me. They could have at least released it on a weekend. However, there will be a DVD released in August that (I think) should be available everywhere. I saw a sneak preview of the movie in February. As the review says, John was really good in it.
John has a new movie opening tonight (Monday) in limited release. It's in theaters for one night ONLY, so go see it tonight if you can! Go to http://www.hiddensecrets-themovie.com to find out if it's playing near you. Here's a review with praise for John: http://www2.arkansasonline.com/news/2007/apr/27/sinners-reveal-their-secrets20070427/?entertainment/movies
In that "20 Greatest Country Comedies" special, the one guy was talking about how they were always looking for excuses to take their shirts off. I think he said they took their shirts off if they had to do long division.