DVD and Blu-ray Releases for July 8th, 2014

July 6th, 2014

It is a terrible week on the home market. I could just leave that as my opening sentence on this column all summer long and the vast majority of the time it would fit perfectly. This week, the biggest new release is Raid 2, a foreign-language action film. The second biggest release is Jodorowsky's Dune, a documentary about a movie that was never made. Neither release will sell a ton of units. However, both earned great reviews and both are contenders for Pick of the Week. The third and final contender is Le Week-End, which is earning reviews that are just as good, but the film appears to be selling far fewer units on the home market. While all three releases are worth picking up, Jodorowsky's Dune on Blu-ray Combo Pack is the best this week and it is the winner of the Pick of the Week. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Stage Fright

July 6th, 2014

Stage Fright is a horror musical. When you look up a list of horror musicals, you find films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Little Shop of Horrors. Those are comedies that use horror tropes to tell a story. The list of actual horror musicals is tiny. Is there something in musicals that makes them incompatible with horrors? If so, how does Stage Fright figure this out? Is it actually a horror movie? Or is it as scary as The Rocky Horror Picture Show? More...

Per Theater Chart: Eat It Up

May 14th, 2014

It was a good week on the per theater chart with five films in the $10,000 club, led by Chef with an average of $34,160 in six theaters, which is the third best opening average of the year so far. Palo Alto was well back, but was still strong earning an average of $15,865 in four theaters. The overall box office leader, Neighbors, was next with an average of $14,954. There were also a couple of holdovers in the $10,000 club, which is impressive. Ida held on strong earning an average of $12,223 in seven theaters, with room to keep growing. Belle expanded from 4 theaters to 45 theaters, but still managed an average of $10,825. By this time next week, it will have reached its first major milestone, with more to come. More...

Limited Releases: What's Cooking?

May 9th, 2014

There are a number of limited releases coming out this week that are earning strong buzz and good reviews. Some of the films that have reviews that are strong enough to suggest box office success are Palo Alto and The Double, as well as two documentaries, Fed Up and Llyn Foulkes One Man Band. However, the film with the best combination of buzz and reviews is Chef. More...