Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Looks To Nov. 3 For The Full-Spread Physical Media Rollout Of Writer/Director David Robert Mithcell's The End Of Oak Street

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be shipping a full spread of physical media product offerings for writer/director David Robert Mithcell’s time warp summertime sci-fi thriller, The End of Oak Street, on Nov. 3.

The DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD stand-alone SKUs surface in the physical media marketplace with an ARR of 81 days … the domestic box office total currently stands at $52.2 million.

The digital window for The End of Oak Street opens on Sept. 15.

Bonus goodies, which are exclusive to the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD editions, are a trio of featurettes — “Banding Together: The Making of The End of Oak Street,” “Every Creature Tells a Story: The Dinosaurs of Oak Street” and “The Spinosaurus Attack: Driving Fear on Oak Street.”

Arrow Video Sets Oct. 20 For The 4K Ultra HD Debut Of Director Richard T. Heffron's Futureworld

It’s 4K Ultra HD time for director Richard T. Heffron’s summer of 1976 sci-fi entry, Futureworld, the much-travelled follow-up to Westworld.   Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has selected Oct. 20 as the 4K debut date (a Blu-ray purchasing option will also be available on that date).

Writer/director Michael Crichton’s 1973 release of Westworld, despite its budget limitations — the luxury of looking back exposes the film’s flaws and weaknesses which were overcome by solid storytelling and Yul Brynner’s iconic performance — was a huge hit and then MGM studio chief, James T. Aubrey, wanted to green light a sequel.  With his departure in October of 1973, his slate of potential film productions was wiped clean by Frank Rosenfelt, and suddenly Futureworld was without a home.

No problem, Aubrey shoved the project in his briefcase on the way out the door and shopped it around as the producer of the film … eventually landing at American International Pictures.  Richard Benjamin got sidetracked in the shuffle and Peter Fonda entered the arena along with Blythe Danner ... and Yul Brynner was recruited to reprise his role as "The Gunslinger."

Arrow has a brand new film commentary featuring film historian Daniel Kremer (Adventures in Auteurism, Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films, etc.) and the newly-minted featurette titled “Future Present” (featuring Paul N. Lazarus III, Aubrey’s co-producer on Futureworld).   There is also a vintage Johnson Space Center (where the film was shot) featurette titled “NASA: Science Fact and Fiction.”

 

 

Paramount Home Entertainment Tabs Sept. 22 For The Full-Spread Physical Media Launch Of Director Michael Tiddes' Scary Movie

Paramount Home Entertainment has set a full-spread physical media launch of director Michael Tiddes’ Wayans Family re-launch of the Scary Movie franchise on Sept. 22.

Simply titled Scary Movie, the film shinned during its domestic theatrical run with $108.3 million in box office receipts.   The ARR comes in at 111 days.  

Planned for distribution are stand-alone SKUs for the 4K UHD HD, Blu-ray and DVD formats.   The digital window opened up on July 21 and sure enough, the “Helper” community was busy pushing Blu-ray editions of their very own on July 22 ... that's a sixty-day head start on the legitimate physical media.

Bonus goodies are four featurettes — “Scream Together,” “Fresh Meat,” “Wayans World” and “Scene Discussion.”

 

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Preps 4K Ultra HD Edition Of Director Frank Oz's 1986 Little Shop Of Horror For Delivery To Fans On October 6

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has tabbed Oct. 6 as the street date for the 40th Anniversary Edition release of director Frank Oz’s re-imaging of the 1960 Roger Corman classic, Little Shop of Horrors, which had been reworked by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for their 1982 off-Broadway play (moved two months into its run to the Orpheum Theatre, which was still off-Broadway, but a better venue … it was a smash).

Oz recruited Rick Moranis for the role of Seymour (Jonathan Haze in the original), Ellen Green reprised her off-Broadway performance of Audrey (Jackie Joseph in Corman’s version), Vincent Gardenia was Mushnik (Mel Welles) and Steve Martin drew the role of the crazed dentist (John Herman Shaner).

This marks the 4K Ultra HD rollout of the film (a collector’s SteelBook edition will also be available as a buying option).  The 4K Ultra HD presentation includes both the original theatrical cut and the 2012 restored “Director’s Cut” of the film.   

When the film was shown to test audiences, the original ending ran counter to the fun and upbeat songs that dominate the film, so the studio “asked” Frank Oz to give them a “happy ending.”   He did.   View for yourself — with the 4K Ultra HD edition — both the theatrical cut and the original “Director’s Cut” … you really get two films with this presentation from Warner Bros.

The film opened during the Christmas season of 1986 against some stiff competition, which included the Eddie Murphy fantasy/action/comedy The Golden Child, the latest installment in the Star Trek series, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and director John Landis’ Three Amigos, which found Steve Martin competing against himself.

Since it was a pre-1997 theatrical release, Little Shop of Horrors fell into the theatrical catalog category and did not make its debut on DVD until May 23, 2000.

Bonus goodies for the 4K Ultra HD edition include two newly produced featurettes — “To Feed or Not to Feed: For the Love of Little Shop” and “Mean Green Mother – Creating Audrey II” — vintage commentary from filmmaker Frank Oz, outtakes and deleted scenes (with optional commentary), two vintage featurettes and the director’s cut ending with optional commentary by Oz.

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)

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

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.

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

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.  

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.”