Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selects May 23 For The Release Of DVD And Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Editions Of Writer/Director Jordan Peele’s Get Out

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment did something very clever this past week that relates to how films are announced sequentially to the home entertainment marketplace.   

It goes like this, if you have a really big film — one that pulled in something like $157 million in box office receipts — you don’t want to announce it at the same time, for the same release date, with other less fortunate films.   The “little guys” disappear in that news wave.

So two weeks ago, Universal’s PR department sent out news that Matt Damon’s CGI monster flick, The Great Wall, would be available on May 23.   The ticket sales in the domestic market were $45 million, which was something of a disappointment when you consider the film’s budget and Damon’s “marquee” value.

This week, for the same date — May 23 — Universal announced writer/director Jordan Peele’s mixed-genre blockbuster, Get Out, which will be available as both DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack product offerings.

For the record, the ARR for that date comes in at 88 days and domestic ticket sales currently stand at $156.7 million.   Not bad for a reported production budget of under $5 million.

Get Out is basically a horror film, wrapped in a mystery, with a wicked sense of humor, that manages to cover racial issues without being overly preachy … that’s a very slick tightrope act for a first-time director to navigate.   But Jordan Peele is no ordinary “first time director,” he’s the Peele of the Key and Peele creative team and he has been doing comedy, writing and acting for years … in short, Jordan Peele knows his stuff.

Example, comedy is all about timing and when you have been as successful as Key and Peele, then you KNOW timing.   Get Out is an unnerving tale that serves up perfectly timed jolts … the creepiness builds and builds as ordinary things and events take on an ominous tone as the film progresses to its terror-climax.  

Bonus features include commentary from filmmaker Jordan Peele, plus there is the   — a creative talent this savvy will be back as the director for more films, if he wants, period.   He provides commentary for this alternate ending, as well a series of deleted scenes.   Rounding out the bonus goodies are the featurette titled “Unveiling the Horror of Get Out” and a Q&A session with Peele and members of the cast.

much-discussed original ending, which Peele sensed was wrong for the film commercially