Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Looks To June 5 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of A Wrinkle In Time

Interesting.   As Arte Johnson’s Laugh-In Wolfgang character was fond of saying, “Veeeery Interesting.”

No, not the news this past week that director Ava DuVernay’s film adaptation of the Madeleine L'Engle 1962 novel, A Wrinkle In Time, will be heading to the home entertainment marketplace on June 5, but that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment went to an outside PR agency to make the announcement.

After the recent debacle with the launch of Black Panther, where both the online Disney Store and Marvel.com (and Target … and Best Buy with their special editions) were out ahead an official announcement release from Walt Disney Studios Entertainment, the studio appears to have recruited an outside PR agency to restore order.

Honestly, we can’t remember the last time — if ever — Disney has turned to outside professional help to get a press release for a new product launch.   It is always an in-house affair, so it is news in and of itself.

In any case, A Wrinkle in Time, arrives on June 5 with a swift-to-market ARR of 88 days and a disastrous domestic box office take of $93.7 million.   While the ink might run red at the studio film production, the home entertainment will have no problem release-wise at their level.   

Consumers don’t give a rat’s rip about studio accounting, they just know that A Wrinkle in Time is something they’ve heard about and will gravitate to on June 5 to snap up 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and stand alone DVD product offerings (and Target and Best Buy special editions are also in the mix).

Walt Disney Studios usually get their theatrical hits right, especially when the production budget is in the stratosphere, but A Wrinkle in Time just was a flop … and that’s that.   The quick to market turn of just 88 days sort of signals that … move on.

As to bonus goodies, there is a tag-team commentary option that includes director Ava DuVernay (Selma, Middle of Nowhere and Oscar-nominated for her 2016 documentary titled 13^th), producer Jim Whitaker (The Finest Hours, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Friday Night Lights, etc.), writer Jennifer Lee (as a screenwriter, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph … and, Oscar-winner for her direction of Frozen), film editor Spencer Averick (previously worked with DuVernay on both 13^th and Selma), production designer Naomi Shohan (The Lovely Bones, I Am Legend, American Beauty, etc.), first AD Michael J. Moore (AD credits include Battleship, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Friday Night Lights … among others) and VFX supervisior Rich McBride (Oscar-nominated for The Revenant … A Wrinkle in Time could very well earn McBride his second Oscar nomination).

Additionally, there are deleted scenes (with optional commentary by DuVernay), a blooper reel, a featurette titled “A Journey Through Time” and a pair of music videos — DJ Khaled and Demi Lovato team for “I Believe” and Chloe x Halle delivers “Warrior.”