Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Picks Apr. 10 For The Home Entertainment Debut Of Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

When a theatrical release pulls in $325 million in its domestic rollout … expect a series of sequels if it is the first of its kind, especially if it is based on a “superhero” DC line of comics.   Such was the case of director David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad as it piled up box office receipts in the stratosphere!   Cha-Ching, a film franchise is born! 

So it came as something of a surprise when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced this past week that Apr. 10 will be the street date for a three-SKU helping of Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay.   What?   A direct-to-video follow up to a blockbuster theatrical hit?

For fans of the series the release of Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay came not as a surprise at all (it was actually teased at last year’s Comic-Con in San Diego), but for mere mortals, you have to get past the headline of the release announcement to discover that this is an animated feature release — a new entry in the studio’s popular DC Universe Animated Original Movies series, which begin with the launch of Superman: Doomsday a decade ago.

As to SKU configuration, there will be a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and a stand-alone DVD edition.

Direction is by Sam Liu, who is no stranger to the DC world of animation with such feature releases as Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, All-Star Superman and Batman: Year One (and more) all being directed by Liu.

Christian Slater voices Deadshot, while Vanessa Williams delivers the voice of Suicide Squad founder Amanda Waller.   Others in the cast include Tara Strong, C. Thomas Howell, Billy Brown, Liam McIntyre, Kristin Bauer van Straten and Gideon Emery. 

As to bonus goodies, screenwriter and co-producer Alan Burnett (two-time Emmy-winner — Batman: The Animated Series and TaleSpin, plus numerous writing credits for DC animated features) and executive producer James Tucker (Batman vs. Two-Face, Justice League Dark, etc. as supervising producer) provide commentary.

Additionally, there are three featurettes — “Outback Rogue: Captain Boomerang,” “Nice Shot, Floyd!” and “The Power of Plot Devices, MacGuffins and Red Herrings” — and a sneak peek at the next DC Universe project, The Death of Superman.

In other release news from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment this week, the film vaults have been cracked open for the DVD debut on Feb. 6 of director John Francis Dillon’s April of 1931 film release of The Finger Points.   While the film stars Richard Barthelmess (two-time Oscar nominee — The Patent Leather Kid and The Noose — which found him competing against himself and only one other actor in the 1929 Oscar presentation … Emil Jannings, who won) as a corrupt “big city” reporter (he solicits bribes from the local mobsters to keep things on the hush-hush after his newspaper refuses to pay his hospital bills for an earlier beating), this pre-code film production is of particular interest because of two of its other cast members.

They are, Clark Gable as gangster Louis J. Blanco, who would finally get a breakout role the following year (1932) in Red Dust opposite Jean Harlow, and Fay Wray, as Barthelmess’ love interest, who had yet to journey to Skull Island (King Kong in 1933).

Also heading home for the first time on DVD on Feb. 6 are Chances (1931, directed by Alan Dwan and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Anthony Bushell and Rose Hobart); I Like Your Nerve (also from 1931, with direction by William McGann and teaming Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. with future Best Actress Oscar-winner, Loretta Young (The Farmer’s Daughter in 1947)) and Goodbye Again (1933, director Michael Curtiz adapts the 1932 stage play by Rhodes Scholar Allan Scott (Oscar-nominated for his So Proudly We Hail! script in 1943) and George Haight (who would later produce the “Whistling” films starring Red Skelton), which stars Joan Blondell and Warren William).

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Selects Mar. 20 For The Home Entertainment Launch Of Pitch Perfect 3 And Feb. 27 For Darkest Hour

Universal Pictures can make “Bellas of Barden” movies forever — like 007/James Bond … it is the film franchise that keeps giving and giving and giving!!!

The latest, director Trish Sie’s Pitch Perfect 3, has pulled in $100.5 million in domestic multiplex ticket sales … worldwide the three films in the series have pulled in over a half-a-billion dollars on a combined production budget of under $100 million, that’s green baby, lot’s of green!!!   Expect the next comedy adventure to arrive in theatres sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.

In the meantime, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment announced this past week that Pitch Perfect 3 will be available on Mar. 20 as a three-SKU helping of home entertainment products.   Lined up for consumers to select from are a stand-alone DVD edition, a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack or a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack selection.

For the record, the ARR is a swift-to-market 88 days.

As to bonus features for this Beca (Anna Kendrick), Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the rest of the Bellas funfest, there are five featurettes — “Competition Crescendo,” “Don't Mess with Rebel,” “The Headliner: DJ Khaled,” “The Final Note: John and Gail” and “Just Because He's a Bad Guy” — and the music video titled “Freedom! '90 x Cups.”

Exclusive to the Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD SKUs are deleted scenes, a gag reel and extended versions of Evermoist’s “How a Heart Unbreaks,” Young Sparrow and DJ Dragon Nutz’s “You Got It” and Saddle Up’s “Ex's and Oh's.”

Plus there are four production featurettes — “A Cappella Action,” “The Women of Pitch Perfect 3,” “The Final Performance” and “Hollywood of the South” — and two new musical performances — a duet featuring Fat Amy and Fergus Casino and the The Bellas’ serve-up “See You Smile.”

 

Also added to the home entertainment release calendar this past week by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is director Joe Wright’s Best Picture nominee, Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman in a tour de force performance as British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The street date for a both DVD and Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack editions will be Feb. 27.   This late February street date (timed to take advantage of the Oscar hype — telecast is on March 4) yields an ARR of 95 days and domestic box office receipts currently stand at $40.8 (and growing).

Gary Oldman has to be the Best Actor frontrunner for the Oscar for his amazing performance here … he’s already won the SAG and Golden Globe awards in this category.   The competition is pretty weak, with Daniel Day-Lewis turning in a muddled farewell performance in Phantom Thread, Denzel Washington some how got nominated for his work in a film that no one saw, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Daniel Kaluuya is in the group for the over-rated Get Out and Timothée Chalamet rounds out the quintet for his performance in Call Me by Your Name.   

Four of the five films in the Best Actor category are also competing in the Best Picture category … Roman J. Israel, Esq. did not make the cut. 

The Oscars have turned into an absolute mess of late, with politics and political correctness run amok, so nothing is guaranteed from this sorry voting membership group that makes up the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences these days.    Moonlight over La La Land, really?   

As to bonus nuggets, director Joe Wright (Atonement, The Soloist, Pride & Prejudice, etc.) provides commentary and there are two featurettes — “Into Darkest Hour” and “Gary Oldman: Becoming Churchill.”

20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment Tabs Mar. 13 For A Three-SKU Home Entertainment Helping Of Director Carlos Saldanha’s Ferdinand

20^th Century-Fox Home Entertainment has nothing but problems these days!   First, everyone over on the Fox lot is looking at the on-rushing Disney tidal wave (buy-out), which will be bad.   Fox is creative, Disney is a machine … there is a difference.

The other problem that plagues 20^th Century-Fox Home Entertainment these days is … where do you put all of the Best Picture nominees? 

They have to find homes for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (the likely Best Picture winner), The Shape of Water (a strong contender) and Spielberg’s over-rated, The Post.

Oh yes, we almost forgot that they also have another Best Pictures contender, director Carlos Saldanha’s Ferdinand, which is competing in the Best Animated Feature Film category.   It’s probably hopeless as Disney’s (actually Pixar) juggernaut, Coco, is a prohibitive favorite to take home the gold.

So with so many irons in the fire, this week it was Ferdinand that got its marching orders with a Mar. 13 release date for a three-SKU array of home entertainment products — DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack and 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Packs selections.

The ARR is a zippy 88 days and ticket sales currently stand at a solid $79.2 million.

As to bonus goodies, there is the music video titled “Home” (by Nick Jonas) and an eye-popping ten production featurettes — “Ferdinand's Guide to Healthy Living,” “A Goat's Guide to Life,” “Ferdinand's Team Supreme,” “Spain Through Ferdinand's Eyes,” “Confessions of a Bull-loving Horse,” “Creating the Land of Ferdinand,” “Anatomy of a Scene: The Bull Run,” “Learn to Dance with Ferdinand,” “Ferdinand's Do-It-Yourself Flower Garden” and “Creating a Remarka-Bull Song.”

For the period ending January 19, 2018 ... New DVD and Blu-ray selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database.

For the period ending January 19, 2018 ... New DVD and Blu-ray selections added to the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report's database.

 

DVD Releases: 

 

Acorn Media

01/16/18 — Released Alibi and Commander: The Complete Series (7 disc set)

Arcana

01/16/18 — Released Mr. Pearl: Svengali

BBC Home Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season Four (2 disc set) and Him

Barlates Body Blitz

01/16/18 — Released Barlates Body Blitz Express Mat Series

CBS Home Entertainment (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Jane the Virgin: Season Three (5 disc set)

Championship Productions

01/16/18 — Released Ball Handling with a Purpose, Best of Club Volleyball: Passing & Serving, Best of Club Volleyball: Team-Oriented Ball Control Drills, Blueprint for Success: Building a High School Program, Building a Better Shooter, Building an Aggressive Adjacent Defense, Controlling Opponents with the Short Serve, Finishing at the Rim, Latest Developments in Freestyle Wrestling & Year-Round Strength Training for Wrestling (2 disc set), Planning Practice & Drills to Achieve Success and Techniques and Tactics from the Neutral Position & Optimal Nutrition and Safe Weight-Cutting Practices for Wrestlers (2 disc set)

Chrome Dreams/Sexy Intellectual

01/16/18 — Released David Bowie: Floating in a Tin Can - The Missing Years, 1968-1972

Cinedigm Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Gangster Land and Loving Vincent (ARR of 116 days; box office: $6,478,819)

Classicflix

01/16/18 — Released Raw Deal

Coaches Choice/Healthy Learning

01/16/18 — Released College Agility and Accuracy Drills for Lacrosse, Dynamic Warm-Up and Agility Drills for Lacrosse, Offensive System, Part 2: Situational Offense, Starting a Girl’s and Women’s Lacrosse Program: Formations, Plays and Drills and Track & Field Coaching Methods: Planning a Training Season

Criterion Collection

04/10/18 — Sets Ingrid Bergman’s Swedish Years (6 film set: The Count of Old Town, Walpurgis Tonight, Intermezzo, Dollar, A Woman's Face, June Night) (Swedish) (6 disc set)

04/17/18 — Sets Awful Truth and Color of Pomegranates (Armenian)

04/24/18 — Sets Dead Man and Virgin Suicides (2 disc set)

DreamScape Media, LLC

01/16/18 — Released Big in Bollywood and Lady Luck

Farsight Presentations (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Tunguska Complexity

FilmRise (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Pornocracy

Films2C

01/16/18 — Released SILA

GKids, Inc.

01/16/18 — Released Cat Returns (Japanese), My Neighbors: The Yamadas (Japanese) and Whisper of the Heart (Japanese)

Gorilla Tree Film Co. (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Devil's Acid

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Almost Friends and Break Night

High Octane Pictures, LLC (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Carnivore: Werewolf of London

I-Cine

01/16/18 — Released Nhung Ke Ba Hoa (15 disc set) and Tro Ve Tuoi 20 (10 disc set)

Icarus Films

03/13/18 — Sets The Assistant (French)

Kino Lorber

01/16/18 — Released Cemetery Club, Kills on Wheels (Hungarian) (ARR of 88 days; box office: $15,856), Redemption of the Devil and Taking of Beverly Hills

Lionsgate Home Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Cook Off!

Lotus Five Star

01/16/18 — Released Nibunan (Tamil)

MPI Home Video

01/16/18 — Released 100 Men

Mua Hong Music Productions

01/16/18 — Released Sen Nhay Song Ca: The Best of Remix (2 disc set), Song Ca Bolero: Khuu Huy Vu & Luu Anh Loan and Tuyet Pham Lien Khuc: Nhung Chuyen Tinh Do Dang (2 disc set)

National Geographic Video (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released National Geographic: Air Force One and National Geographic: The Story of Us (2 disc set)

PBS Direct

01/16/18 — Released Caillou: Caillou's Kitchen, Real Mad Men of Advertising and Secret of Tuxedo Park

PR Studios/GI Studios

01/16/18 — Released Planet of Storms (Russian)

Paraclete Press

01/16/18 — Released Reclaiming Life: Faith, Hope and Suicide Loss

Paramount Home Media

03/06/18 — Sets The Good Wife: Season One (3 disc set)

Passion River

01/16/18 — Released I Voted?

Rarefilmsandmore.com (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Das Madchen vom Pfarrhof (German), Liebesbriefe (German), Suvorov (Russian), Treasured Earth (Hungarian), Un Eine Nasenlange (German) and Verlobung am Wolfgangsee (German)

Serpent Films (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Classic Sci-Fi & Horror: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Driller Killer, Naked Massacre), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Assignment Outer Space, Battle of the Worlds), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Attack of the Eye Creatures, Curse of Bigfoot), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Beast from the Haunted Cave, The Killer Shrews), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Buck Rogers: Planet Outlaws, Cat Women of the Moon), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 film set: Curse of the Swamp Creature, Yongary), Classic Science Fiction: Two Retro Classics (2 silent film set: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916), The Lost World (1925)), Two Great Western Classics (2 film set: Fighting Deputy, Fighting Stallion) and Two Great Western Classics (2 film set: Water Rustlers, Man of the Frontier (aka: Red River Valley))

Silent Hall of Fame (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Endless Slapstick. Larry Semon: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 6 (5 silent short films: Gall and Golf (1917), Hindoos And Hazards (1918), Golf (1922), The Agent (1922), A Simple Sap (1928)) 

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Crooked House

Synergetic

01/16/18 — Released Gunhill Road: Every 40 Years

The Sprocket Vault

01/16/18 — Released Charlie Chase: At Hal Roach - The Talkies, Volume 1: 1930-1931 (18 short films: The Real McCoy, Whispering Whoopee, All Teed Up, Fifty Million Husbands, Fast Work, Girl Shock, Dollar Dizzy, Looser Than Loose, High C's, Thundering Tenors, The Pip from Pittsburg, Rough Seas, One of the Smiths, The Panic Is On, Skip the Maloo!, What a Bozo!, The Hasty Marriage, La Señorita de Chicago) (2 disc set)

Thuy NGA, Inc.

01/16/18 — Released Paris by Night: Divos (2 disc set)

TomCat Releasing

01/16/18 — Released 911: Officer Down (aka: L.A. Beat)

20^th Century-Fox Home Ent.

01/16/18 — Released 9/11 (with UltraViolet Digital Copy) (ARR of 130 days; box office: $170,000)

UMN, LLC

01/16/18 — Released Inside Metal: The Rise of L.A. Thrash Metal

Uncork’d Entertainment (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Alien Reign of Man, Anti Matter, Cold Moon and Cute Little Buggers

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

01/16/18 — Released Extraordinary

01/23/18 — Sets Thank You For Your Service (ARR of 88 days; box office: $9,437,885)

03/06/18 — Adds The Man Who Invented Christmas (ARR of 102 days; box office: $5,671,802)

03/13/18 — Sets I, Tonya (ARR of 95 days; box office: $10,767,204)

03/27/18 — Sets Mr. Robot: Season Three (3 disc set)

Vinegar Syndrome

02/27/18 — Sets Night Caller and Peekarama (2 film set: Sessions of Love Therapy, 101 Acts of Love)

Vision Films (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Created Equal and Dying King: The Shah of Iran

WWE

01/16/18 — Released WWE: Clash of Champions 2017

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released 4 Kid Favorites: WWE Tag Team Collection (4 film set: Scooby-Doo!: WrestleMania Mystery, The Flintstones & WWE StoneAge Smackdown, Scooby-Doo and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon, Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania) (2 disc set), Be Cool, Scooby Doo! Season One, Part Two (2 disc set), Girls' Night In (2 film set: Miss Congeniality, Miss Congeniality 2) and Looney Tunes Let Loose (2 film set: Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run, Tweety's High Flying Adventure; plus Taz-Mania: Taz on the Loose (7 episodes)) (2 disc set)

03/13/18 — Sets Justice League (ARR of 116 days; box office: $227,522,271)

Wild Eye Releasing

03/27/18 — Sets The Butchering

Wild Eye Releasing (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released 2047: Virtual Revolution, Antihuman and My Little Sister

Blu-ray Releases: 

 

 

CBS Home Entertainment (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Jane the Virgin: Season Three (5 disc set)

Cinedigm Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Gangster Land and Loving Vincent

Cinedigm Entertainment (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released So B. It

Classicflix

01/16/18 — Released Raw Deal

Criterion Collection

04/17/18 — Sets Awful Truth and Color of Pomegranates (Armenian)

04/24/18 — Sets Dead Man and Virgin Suicides

Films2C

01/16/18 — Released SILA

FilmRise (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released From Nowhere and Pornocracy

FUNimation

01/16/18 — Released Berserk: Season 1 (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack), Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: Season 1 (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack) and Morose Mononokean (2 Blu-ray/2 DVD Combo Pack)

GKids, Inc.

01/16/18 — Released Cat Returns (Japanese) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack), My Neighbors: The Yamadas (Japanese) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) and Whisper of the Heart (Japanese) (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Gravitas Ventures (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Almost Friends and Break Night

Harmonia Mundi

01/16/18 — Released Wagner: The Flying Dutchman (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Kino Lorber

01/16/18 — Released Cemetery Club, Kills on Wheels (Hungarian), Taking of Beverly Hills and Trouble Bound

Severin Films, LLC

01/16/18 — Released Beast Must Die

Uncork’d Entertainment (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released 13th Friday, Anti Matter, Cold Moon and Cute Little Buggers

Universal Pictures Home Ent.

01/16/18 — Released Extraordinary

01/23/18 — Sets Thank You For Your Service (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

03/06/18 — Adds Man Who Invented Christmas (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

03/13/18 — Sets I, Tonya (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Vertical Entertainment

01/16/18 — Released Beyond Skyline

Vinegar Syndrome

02/27/18 — Sets Mary! Mary! (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack), Penitentiary 2 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) and Prey (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack)

Warner Bros. Home Ent.

03/13/18 — Sets Justice League (Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy) and Justice League 3D/2D (2 disc set) (with UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Warner Bros. Home Ent. (MOD)

01/16/18 — Released Flight of the Dragons

02/13/18 — Sets Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III

 

Vinegar Syndrome Announces Its Feb. 27 DVD And Blu-ray Release Calendar

It should have received a theatrical run back in the late 1970s, but, sadly, it didn’t and eventually went the direct to video route in 1984 and then disappeared for another 20 years.

We are talking about the UK-produced sci-fi thriller, Prey, directed by Norman J. Warren (Horror Planet, Bloody New Year, etc.) and starring Barry Stokes (Enemy Mine) as a shape-shifting alien on a mission to survey humans as a potential source of food!   His mission gets a little sidetracked when he becomes fascinated with a lesbian couple played by Sally Faulkner and the late Glory Annen.

The reason we bring this up is that Vinegar Syndrome announced this past week that Prey is getting a 2K restoration from the original 35mm negative and will be available for genre fans to savor on Feb. 27 as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.

Bonus features include commentary from Norman J. Warren and Sally Faulkner,  a trio of featurettes — “Directing the Prey,” “Becoming the Prey” and “Producing the Prey.”

Also on the Feb. 27 release calendar from Vinegar Syndrome is Jamaa Fanaka’s 1982 hit sequel, Penitentiary II, starring Leon Isaac Kennedy as former convict Martel “Too Sweet” Gordone.

This is a 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative and Penitentiary II will be available as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack.

Bonus features include commentary from filmmaker Jamaa Fanaka and two production featurettes — “In the Raw” and “Too Sweet on the Outside.”  

It should be noted that Jan. 30 is the street for the original, Penitentiary … Vinegar Syndrome will be serving-up a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack — it is a 4K restoration also featuring commentary from filmmaker Jamaa Fanaka and other bonus goodies.

Also on the Feb. 27 release calendar as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack release is director Bernard Morris’ 1976 shoot-on-film adult classic Mary! Mary!, starring the legendary John Leslie (over 300 film credits before his untimely death of heart failure in 2010), with co-stars Constance Money (The Opening of Misty Beethoven) and Sharon Thorpe (she also teamed with John Leslie in filmmaker Anthony Spinelli’s 1978 adult film, SexWorld).

Vinegar Syndrome has lined up a 2K restoration of Mary! Mary! from the original 35mm camera negative!

And speaking of adult filmmaker Anthony Spinelli, his 1975 adult-thriller, Night Caller, has been given a new 2K restoration by Vinegar Syndrome and will be available on Feb. 27 as a DVD product offering.

And last, but not least, the company’s popular “Peekarama” DVD line of products will see its next entry on the 27^th with the double feature release of Sessions of Love Therapy (1970, featuring Rene Bond, Sandy Dempsey and Suzanne Fields) and 101 Acts of Love (1971, starring Lindis Guinness).