Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Arrow Video Looks To Mar. 31 For The 4K Ultra HD Debut Of Director Tobe Hooper's 1979 Two-Part Mini-Series Adaptation Of Stephen King's Salem's Lot (International Theatrical Cut Also Included)

@dvdblurayreport, Ralph Tribbey, DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has circled Mar. 31 on the calendar as the debut date for a double-disc 4K Ultra HD edition of director Tobe Hooper's 1979 two-part mini-series adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 novel, Salem's Lot.

Broadcast on Nov. 17 and Nov. 24, 1979 as a two-part mini-series in the United States, the production was re-cut into a a theatrical version that was subsequently released in 1980 is selective foreign markets.   Arrow Video is including both the mini-series and the theatrical cut as part of this 4K Ultra HD presentation. 

Bonus features (mini-series) include the archival commentary from filmmaker Tobe Hooper, plus a newly-prepared commentary option from film critics Bill Ackerman and Amanda Reyes.

The international theatrical cut comes with commentary from film critic Chris Alexander and a half-dozen featurettes — "King of the Vampires," "Second Coming," "New England Nosferatu," "Fear Lives Here," "We Can All be Heroes" and "A Gold Standard for Small Screen Screams." 

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Tabs Feb. 17 As The Street Day For A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Director William Wyler's Ben-Hur

@dvdblurayreport, Ralph Tribbey, DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has tag Feb. 17 as the debut date for a 4K Ultra HD edition of director William Wyler’s 1959 Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Ben-Hur.

From the announcement of the production on Dec. 13, 1952 in Hedda Hopper’s nationally syndicated column to its star-studded “Gala Premier” at the Loew’s State Theatre at Broadway and 45th Street in New York City on Nov. 18, 1959, the film was the talk of the film industry for nearly seven full years.   From who would star (a long list of names) — with Charlton Heston finally selected (he captured the Oscar for Best Actor) — who would write the film adaptation (at least a dozen scripts were in the mix) and where it would be filmed. 

There were on the order of 50,000 (a nice round number) extras used and 365 speaking parts … Ben-Hur, was — by any standard of measurement — a mammoth film production.

When it first came to VHS (remember videocassettes … another world) it was a pan-and-scan release, however it was decided (in a daring move at the time) that the chariot race sequence (2.76:1 aspect ratio) would be presented in its proper aspect ratio, which meant a slow transition from 1.33:1 to 2.76:1 and then back to pan-and-scan at the end of the race.   It worked like a charm!!   

No such “transitions” will be necessary with the 4K Ultra HD release of Ben-Hur on Feb. 17.

Monday, December 8, 2025

Severin Films Targets Jan. 27, 2026 As The Street Date For A 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Filmmaker Rugero Deodato's House At The Edge Of The Park

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey, @dvdblurayreport
Severin Films, with sales and distribution support directed by MVD Entertainment Group, looks to Jan. 27, 2026 as the street date for a newly-minted 4K Ultra HD edition of Italian filmmaker Ruggero Deodato’s 1980 (domestic1984) horror classic (with a twist) House at the Edge of the Park.

When the film opened with a 17-theatre break in Detroit on Sept. 21, 1984, the advertising screamed “DAVID HESS … star of Last House on the Left is loose again … DON’T GO IN THE PARK!”  The ad also carried a warning: “Due to the shocking nature of this film no one under 18 will be admitted.”   

Deodato used the pseudonym Roger D. Franklin for the directing credit.

Deodato had just wrapped Cannibal Holocaust, which ran into all sorts of legal hurdles after its initial release in Italy (a series of obscenity convictions) and didn’t surface in the United States (June of 1985) until after the success of House at the Edge of the Park.  

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey, @dvdblurayreport
Hess had become an overnight sensation after his performance as Krug in Wes Craven’s August of 1972 sensation, Last House on the Left, and was recruited by Deodato to play the serial killer maniac Alex.   Location shooting was completed in New York City, with the bulk of the filming done in Rome (interiors, etc.).  

To American audience, “House” was first, followed by “Cannibal” … the magic of theatrical distribution (and legal issues)!

Bonus goodies include commentary featuring Cinema Arcana’s Bruce Holecheck, who is joined by “Ultra Violent” editor Art Ettiger.

Also included are five featurettes — “The Man Who Loved Women,” “Lights On,” “Life a Prairie Dog,” “External Beauty & Internal Ugliness” and “House Sweet House.”

 

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Arrow Video Tabs Jan. 6 For The 4K Ultra HD Release Of Director Andrew Davis' Under Siege

@dvdblurayreport, Ralph Tribbey, DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, opens up its 2026 physical media release campaign on Jan. 6 with a new 4K restoration (from the original camera negative) of director Andrew Davis’ 1992 all-action terrorist thriller, Under Siege.
 
Steven Seagal absolutely nails the role of Casey Ryback, “ship’s cook” aboard the USS Missouri, which has been hijacked by terrorists William Strannix and Ernest Daumer (Tommy Lee Jones, Colm Meaney) — with the help of Commander Krill (Gary Busey) — during a fake birthday celebration for the ship’s captain.   The Missouri is to be decommissioned and only carries a skeleton crew, which is easily overwhelmed and imprisoned … those that resisted were killed!
 
Ryback teams up with the “entertainment,” Playboy Playmate Jordan Tate (played by real-life Playmate Erika Eleniak), and sets about to re-take control of the ship from Strannix and Krill, who are after the Missouri’s store of Tomahawk missiles.
 
Both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Limited Editions” will be available on Jan. 6, 2026.  
 
Bonus goodies include a newly-prepared commentary with filmmaker Andrew Davis (Above the Law, The Fugitive, A Perfect Murder, etc.), who is joined by screenwriter J.F. Lawton (Pretty Woman, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory).
 
There are also four new featurettes — “I’m on a Boat (with a Bomb),” “One of the Guys,” “A Tight Ship” and “The Introvision Files.”

Emma Stone Leads Alien Invasion In Universal Pictures Home Entertainment's Full-Spread Physical Media Launch Of Director Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia On Dec. 23

@dvdblurayreport, Ralph Tribbey, DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
Director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, the English language remake of Korean filmmaker Jang Joon-hwan’s 2003 alien-invasion tale Save the Green Planet!, will get a full-spread physical media launch on Dec. 23 courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

The ARR is a swift-to-market 60 days and the domestic box office take currently stands at $17.4 million.

Planned for distribution are stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray product offerings, plus a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack purchasing option. 

Included as a bonus is “The Birth of the Bees: The Making of Bugonia.”




Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights Gets A 4K Ultra HD Launch From Warner Bros. Home Entertainment On Dec. 16

Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights Gets A 4K Ultra HD Launch From Warner Bros. Home Entertainment On Dec. 16
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has selected Dec. 16 as the 4K Ultra HD debut date for writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, starring Mark Wahlberg as up and coming porn star Dirk Diggler and Burt Reynolds as filmmaker Jack Horner, who chooses art over commerce when it comes to making his targeted-for-adults productions.

Dirk (aka: Eddie Adams) has “talent, which Horner spots and cultivates into stardom.   At the time of the story (1977), adult films have become mainstream (think: Deep Throat, Devil in Miss Jones, etc.) and the forthcoming battle was over film versus video — Horner was having nothing to do with the “cheap” way to make adult films — and this would be a defining moment for the “genre.” Dirk, on the other hand, is too young and stupid to avoid the pitfalls of fame (drugs) … in the end they both have to find their way to the other side.
 
Ironically, Reynolds received his only Oscar nomination for his performance here as adult filmmaker Jack Horner.
 
Bonus features include two commentary options — one featuring Anderson and the second is a cast-mix that includes the likes of Mark Wahlberg (Dirk Diggler), Heather Graham (Rollergirl), Julianne Moore (Amber Waves), John C. Reilly (Reed), Don Cheadle Buck), Luis Guzman (Maurice), William H. Macy (“Little Bill”) and Melora Walters (Jessie St. Vincent).
 
Other goodies included here are additional scenes, the extended featurette titled “John C. Reilly Files: Outtakes and Extended Sequence” and two panel sessions at the 2023 American Cinematheque gathering.


Monday, November 17, 2025

Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another Ready For Physical Media Launch On Jan. 20, 2026 Courtesy Of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

@dvdblurayreport, Ralph Tribbey, DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment looks to January of 2026 for the full-spread physical media launch of writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel, “Vineland,” which was retitled for the silver screen as One Battle After Another.

 
The street date will be Jan. 20, 2026, which yields an ARR of 116 days.  Domestic ticket sales currently stand at $67.8 million.
 
Scheduled for distribution in the New Year are stand-alone purchasing options for the DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats, plus a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack SteelBook edition.
 
Bonus features are limited to the 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack SteelBook and are currently a work-in-progress being orchestrated by Anderson.