Writer/Director Adrien Beau's Gothic Vampire Tale The Vourdalak Will Be Available On Blu-ray And DVD From Oscilloscope Laboratories On Apr. 8

Oscilloscope Laboratories announced this past week that writer/director Adrien Beau’s gothic — and very stylish — vampire tale, The Vourdalak, will be arring in the domestic physical media marketplace on Apr. 8 as both DVD and Blu-ray production offerings.

The film made its debut at the Venice Film Festival in early September of 2023, worked the festival circuit and was subsequently acquired for domestic distribution by Oscilloscope.   A brief arthouse showcase happened in June of last year … the ARR works out to 284 days.

There is nothing like being robbed by highwaymen and left abondoned in the woods that might put someone at a disadvantage in dealing with the locals.   Such is the fate of a French Marquis — on a mission for the King of France — by the name of Jacques Antoine Saturnin d’Urfe (Kacey Mottet Klein — Being 17, Sister, Home), who, after some wandering, comes across one such “local,” who tells him to get lost … but he might find some help at the nearby Gorcha farm.

So off d’Urfe goes, wandering once again in the woods.   Without giving the plotline (no spoilers) away, let’s just say he would have been far better off getting lost again.   

It seems that the Gorcha family has been in a blood feud with the Turks (all this takes in 18th Century in Eastern Europe), who have been raiding farms and villages in the area.   There’s a vampire “myth” (curse, call it what will) at play as well.  The eldest son, Jegor (Gregoire Colin), has been advised by his father that if he isn’t back safe at home in six nights (off to fight the Turks) don’t let him in … he’s become a Vourdalak!!  

Jegor doesn’t believe in such fairy tales.   To complicate matters even further — in a house where each meal is an adventure — the wayward Marquis has taken a fancy to Sdenka (Ariane Labed) — Jegor’s sister — and makes his best try at seduction. 

Let’s just say that the “family meals” get a lot more interesting the longer this French emissary remains with this clan in the woods.

The Vourdalak, a gothic horror delight, is presented in French with English subtitles.
Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette and two short films from writer/director Adrien Beau — Les Condiments Irréguliers and La Petite Sirene.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Gets It Right With Director J.C. Chandor's Kraven The Hunter By Being Able To Walk And Chew Gum At The Same Time While Others Fail

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment gets it right and some of the other “players” in Hollywood (metaphorically speaking) these days should take note.

Case in point is the asset management of director J. C. Chandor’s Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the title character, a Marvel Comics anti-hero creation.
Wait.  This film “bombed” at the box office, so why is it special in terms of “asset management?”

Here’s why!!  The film has a reported production budget in the $120 million range and you could argue that its existence in the cinematic universe was a mistake … a studio blunder.   That’s a given.

But once it was put into production do you just give up?

OK, so you have a film that will likely lose money, do you toss in the towel?  No, you take a poorly dealt hand and make the most of it.   

First, Sony nursed Kraven the Hunter into the box office winner’s circle (in terms of consumer profile) by generating $25 million in ticket sales.

Second, a premium VOD window was opened on Jan. 14 (32 days into the film’s theatrical run), which creamed the non-cinema fans lust for this Marvel creation.

And on Mar. 4 a full-spread physical media launch capped it off, which will yield an ARR of 81 days.

Now compare that full-plate distribution model to, oh say, Netflix’s launch of the far superior Russo Brothers’ The Gray Man.   

What was the box office?   

When did the physical media launch take place?  

How about none and never?

Sony can walk and chew gum at the same time, while some in the new “Hollywood” haven’t quite mastered that.

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

Bonus features include a blooper reel, outtakes, deleted and extended scenes and two featurettes — “Kraven's First Hunt: The Direction” and “Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast.”

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Picks Apr. 1 As The Street Date For Writer/Director Peter Hastings' Dog Man And Director Jonathan Eusebio's Love Hurts

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment joins the Apr. 1 physical media party with the release of DVD and Blu-ray editions of writer/director Peter Hastings’ film adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s graphic novel series, Dog Man.

The ARR is a swift-to-market 60 days and the domestic box office take was $78.7 million.

We say “join” the party on Apr. 1 as the studios have seemingly all settle on that date (no spreading things around?) with such high profile releases like Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King and A Complete Unknown, Sony Pictures’ One of Them Days, Lionsgate’s Flight Risk and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Companion.

Wildly popular with kids, Pilkey’s Dog Man series gets the full animation treatment as his famous “hybrid” character takes on the sinister Petey, a cat with plans to clone himself!

Bonus features include commentary from Hastings, a collection of eight deleted and extended scenes, a pair of “tutelage” features — “Howl to Draw Flip-O-Rama Style” and “Howl to Make Doughnuts for Dogs” — and two featurettes — “Meet the Pack” and “The Making of Dog Man: A Sarah Hatoff Exclusive.”

Also heading home as a full-spread physical media launch on Apr. 1 is first-time director Jonathan Eusebio’s action/comedy, Love Hurts, starring Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once … and way back in 1984 as “Short Round” in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom) as a mild mannered real estate agent with a “hidden” past. 
The ARR is an insanely quick 53 days and the box office gross was $14.5 million.

Planned for distribution are stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray editions, as well as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack purchasing option.

Bonus features an alternate ending, deleted and extended scenes and a trio of production featurettes — “The Ke to Gable,” “The Heart of Love Hurts” and “Stunts Hurt.”

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Joins The Apr. 1 Physical Media Onslaught With The Full-Spread Physical Media Launch Of Writer/Director Drew Hancock's Companion

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment has also selected Apr. 1 as the street for the full-spread physical media launch of writer/director Drew Hancock’s AI terror fest, Companion.

The ARR is a quick-turn to market with just a 60-day window since the film’s theatrical rollout.   The box office take currently stands at 20.1 million.

The physical media array will be stand-alone editions for DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD formats (no Combo Packs).

The premium VOD window hit on Feb. 18, just 18 days into the film’s theatrical run, which gives the “Helper” community six full weeks to push bootlegged Blu-ray editions of their own to unsuspecting genre fans.   

This all just seems too quick … 

Bonus features include three featurettes — “I Feel, Therefore I Am,” “Love, Eli” and “AI Horror.”

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Readies A Full-Spread Physical Media Rollout Of Director Mel Gibson's Flight Risk For Delivery On Apr. 1

Lionsgate Home Entertainment has selected Apr. 1 as the street date for a full-spread physical media launch of director Mel Gibson’s Flight Risk, starring Mark Wahlberg.

The ARR works out to just 67 days from its theatrical launch to the home entertainment marketplace.   The domestic box office gross currently stands at $28.9 million.

The film had a soft opening, but steadily built ticket sales through word of mouth to fly past the $25 million mark in box office receipts.   Historically that has been an important plateau to reach, because you need three factors at work to achieve that number.

A film needs screen count (seats), promotional dollars (awareness) and most importantly it needs an audience to spread the word after the opening weekend to maintain momentum (otherwise screen count and seats available drop quickly).   

Take any of these three factors out of the mix and the chances of a film reaching $25 million in ticket sales ranks somewhere between slim and none.

Of the 15,907 films released theatrically since 1997 (the launch year of the DVD format), only 15 percent have managed the feat.    

Planned for release are stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray editions, plus two 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack selections (with or without the SteelBook option).

Bonus features include the “making of” featurette titled “Risk Management - Making Flight Risk.”

Director James Mangold's A Complete Unknown Reaches The Physical Media Marketplace On Apr. 1 With The Release Of Blu-ray And 4K Ultra HD Editions

As we come up to the annual Oscar Awards telecast (this year on March 2) the big question (among several) will Timothée Chalamet win the Best Actor gold for his magnificent performance as Bob Dylan in director James Mangold’s film adaptation of Elijah Wald’s 2015 bio book, “ Dylan Goes Electric!,” A Complete Unknown.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be bringing A Complete Unknown home as both a stand-alone Blu-ray edition as well as a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack purchasing option on Apr. 1.

The ARR works out to 95 days and the domestic box office take currently stands at $72.4 million.

The premium VOD window opens on Feb. 25, which gives the Helper community five weeks to push illicit Blu-ray copies of their own to unsuspecting consumers (their format of choice for bandwidth, especially for a film such as A Complete Unknown … which clocks in at 141 minutes).

The film is nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for James Mangold (Cop Land, Identity, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), plus the aforementioned Timothée Chalamet, along with Edward Norton (as Pete Seeger) and Monica Barbaro (as Joan Baez) in the Supporting Actor/Actress categories respectively.

Bonus features include commentary by Mangold, plus the four-part featurette titled “The Making of A Complete Unknown.”

Eureka Entertainment Tabs Apr. 1 For The Release Of The Six-Film Blu-ray Collection Titled Mabuse Lives! Dr. Mabuse at CCC: 1960-1964

UK-based Eureka Entertainment, with domestic sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has locked into Apr. 1 for the debut of the four-disc, six-film Blu-ray collection titled Mabuse Lives! Dr. Mabuse at CCC: 1960-1964.

In 1921 Norbert Jacques introduced Dr. Mabuse, a “super villain” in his novel, “Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler,” to the literary world.   None other than Fritz Lang would bring Jacques’ character to the screen the same year in the two-part epic silent film, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge.    Lang would also direct the first sound film about Jacques’ character, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse in 1933 (also starring Klein-Rogge) … and that would be it for nearly three decades.

In post-war Germany, Polish-born Jewish survivor Artur Brauner formed Central Cinema Compagnie-Film (CCC for short) with the intent of making movies about the horrors of the Nazis in Germany, but soon found that there was little demand for such “entertainment” (commercially-speaking).   So he turned his focus elsewhere.

By 1960 CCC had become successful and so Brauner had the idea of teaming up with “exile” filmmaker Fritz Lang to make yet another Dr. Mabuse film.   It is this series of CCC-produced films that Eureka Entertainment has assembled.

The six films that CCC produced began with The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, with Wolfgang Priess starring as Mabuse, in 1960 … Lang directed.   Both director and star would re-team the following year for The Return of Doctor Mabuse. 

Priess would do four additional films … The Invisible Dr. Mabuse (1962), The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (aka: The Terror of Doctor Mabuse) (also 1962), Dr. Mabuse vs. Scotland Yard (1963) and the series would wrap up with The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse in 1964 (using archived footage of Priess as Mabuse).

Eureka gives fans both the original German language versions, as well English-dubbed for all six films.

Of note, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse was released in the domestic market in 1960 in German, with English subtitles and re-released in 1966 theatrically as an English-dubbed version.

The Return of Doctor Mabuse also arrived in 1966 as an English-dubbed theatrical release.   
The third film in the series was released both in 1965 and again in 1966 as English-dubbed theatrical releases in the domestic market — The Invisible Dr. Mabuse and The Invisible Horror respectively.

The same pattern was followed for The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1965) and retitled as The Terror of Doctor Mabuse in 1966.

The last two films in the series skipped a theatrical run and were issued as English-dubbed television films.

Bonus features for Eureka Entertainment’s Mabuse Lives! Dr. Mabuse at CCC: 1960-1964 include commentaries for all six films, a 2002 video session with Preiss and two featurettes — “Mabuse Lives at CCC” and “Kriminology.”

Radiance Films Looks To Apr. 8 For The Release Of The Blu-ray Collection Titled Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers By Alain Corneau

UK-based Radiance Films, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, will be releasing the three-film, three-disc Blu-ray collection titled Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau on Apr. 8.

Included in the collection are Police Python 357, A Hell of A Woman and Choice of Arms.

If you recognize director John Farrow’s 1948 film noir adaptation of Kenneth Fearing’s 1946 novel, The Big Clock, starring Ray Milland, then Police Python 357 will ring many bells.   Not only is this 1977 film a well-produced adaptation (updated with flair by Corneau), but the casting of Yves Montand and Simone Signoret is nothing short of brilliant.   Police Python 357 did not reach the arthouse circuit domestically until 1980.

The combination of filmmaker Corneau and actor Montand would repeat in the 1981 (1983 for domestic arthouse consumption) with the complicated heist thriller, Choice of Arms, which teams Montand with international stars Catherine Deneuve and Gerand Depardieu.

The third film in the series is A Hell of A Woman (aka: Série Noire), which opened theatrically in France in 1979, arthouse circuit in the United States in 1982 and then was reissued by Rialto Pictures in 2019.

The film is a screen adaptation of Jim Thompson’s 1954 novel about a door-to-door salesman (played by Patrick Dewaere (Going Places, The French Detective, Hotel America, etc.) who comes across a teenager (Marie Trintignant) who has been forced into prostitution by her aunt (Jeanne Herviale).   His solution, with lots of twists and turns, is to kill the aunt and free the girl … the bodies pile up as he sets about to achieve his goal.

All three films in the Hardboiled: Three Pulp Thrillers by Alain Corneau Blu-ray collection from Radiance Films on Apr. 8 are presented in French with optional English subtitles.

Bonus goodies include commentary on Police Python 357 by film historian Mike White, a collection of archival video sessions with the likes of Corneau, Marie Trintignant, Patrick Dewaere, Deneuve, Montand and Depardieu, the feature-length documentary titled Série Noire: The Darkness of the Soul and the featurette titled “Shooting Choice of Arms.”