New DVD Additions
Monday, March 3, 2025
New DVD • Blu-ray • 4K Ultra HD Additions For Period Ending December 31, 2024
New DVD Additions
ABMI TV (MOD)
4 Blue Catfish (MOD)
Kino Lorber
Saturday, March 1, 2025
Writer/Director Adrien Beau's Gothic Vampire Tale The Vourdalak Will Be Available On Blu-ray And DVD From Oscilloscope Laboratories On Apr. 8
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.
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.
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.
Friday, February 28, 2025
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
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.
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?
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.”
Thursday, February 27, 2025
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
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.”
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
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.”
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Lionsgate Home Entertainment Readies A Full-Spread Physical Media Rollout Of Director Mel Gibson's Flight Risk For Delivery On Apr. 1
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
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.”
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