Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Godzilla vs. Kong debuted at No. 1 on Redbox’s disc rental chart the week ended June 20. The monster movie earned $100 million at the domestic box office.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman remained No. 1 for a fifth week in a row on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions. The Liam Neeson actioner also remained No. 6 on the disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks.
The previous week’s top disc, Lionsgate’s City of Lies, slipped to No. 2 on Redbox’s disc rental chart and No. 9 on the Redbox On Demand chart.
The No. 3 disc rental and No. 2 On Demand title was the Redbox-exclusive Rogue Hostage.
No. 4 on both charts was Lionsgate’s Voyagers, a new sci-fi movie about an expedition to colonize a distant planet using a group of young men and women bred for intelligence and obedience who uncover disturbing secrets about the mission and begin to explore their most primitive natures. It earned $3.1 million at the domestic box office.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Tom & Jerry came in at No. 5 on both the disc rental and digital charts.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended June 20:
Godzilla vs. Kong — Warner
City of Lies — Lionsgate
Rogue Hostage — Redbox
Voyagers — Lionsgate
Tom & Jerry — Warner
The Marksman — Universal
Raya and the Last Dragon — Disney
The Little Things — Warner
H.P. Lovecraft’s The Deep Ones — Distribution
The Courier — Lionsgate
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended June 20:
Lionsgate’s City of Lies debuted at No. 1 on Redbox’s disc rental chart the week ended June 13, and was No. 5 on the Redbox On Demand chart as well.
Produced by Saban Films and based on the book LAbyrinth by Randall Sullivan, the film follows the investigation into the infamous murder of iconic rap artist Notorious B.I.G. Johnny Depp stars as a determined LAPD detective who teams up with a journalist (Forest Whitaker) in search of the truth.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Tom & Jerry came in at No. 2 on both the disc rental and digital charts. It had been the top disc rental two of the previous three weeks.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman remained No. 1 for a fourth week in a row on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions. The Liam Neeson actioner also remained No. 3 on the disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks.
The No. 4 disc rental and No. 3 On Demand title was the Redbox-exclusive Rogue Hostage, about a former marine who must save an immigrant child from a dangerous criminal who has taken hostages inside a neighborhood store owned by a controversial congressman. The cast includes John Malkovich, Holly Taylor, Michael Jai White and Tyrese Gibson.
The No. 5 disc rental was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.
No. 4 on the Redbox On Demand chart was Vertical Entertainment’s Four Good Days, a drama starring Mila Kunis, Glenn Close and Stephen Root, about a mother helping her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended June 13:
City of Lies — Lionsgate
Tom & Jerry — Warner
The Marksman — Universal
Rogue Hostage — Redbox
Raya and the Last Dragon — Disney
The Little Things — Warner
The Courier — Lionsgate
Chaos Walking — Lionsgate
Assault on VA-33 — Paramount
The Croods: A New Age — Universal/DreamWorks
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended June 13:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Tom & Jerry returned to the No. 1 spot on Redbox’s disc rental chart the week ended June 6. The live-action/animation hybrid family comedy based on the iconic cat and mouse duo was had originally debuted at No. 1 before slipping to No. 2 in its second week. It also entered the Redbox On Demand chart at No. 3.
The previous week’s top rental, Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, slipped to No. 2 on the disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman remained No. 1 for a third week in a row on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions. The Liam Neeson actioner also remained No. 3 on the disc rental chart.
The No. 4 disc rental and No. 7 On Demand title was Lionsgate’s The Courier, a Cold War drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
Warner’s crime drama The Little Things was No. 5 on the disc rental chart and No. 9 on the Redbox On Demand chart.
No. 2 on the Redbox On Demand chart was director Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man, an actioner from MGM that stars Jason Statham as a cash truck guard whose mysterious past raises questions.
No. 6 on the disc rental chart and No. 4 on the digital chart was Lionsgate’s Chaos Walking, a sci-fi thriller starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley.
The 2018 sci-fi thriller A Quiet Place, from Paramount, slid to No. 5 on the digital chart.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended June 6:
Tom & Jerry — Warner
Raya and the Last Dragon — Disney
The Marksman — Universal
The Courier — Lionsgate
The Little Things — Warner
Chaos Walking — Lionsgate
Trigger Point — Screen Media
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally — Redbox
The Croods: A New Age — Universal/DreamWorks
Above Suspicion — Lionsgate
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended June 6:
Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon climbed to No. 1 on Redbox’s disc rental chart the week ended May 30. The animated fantasy, which debuted as the third-ranked disc rental a week earlier, has earned $51.7 million at the domestic box office.
That pushed Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Tom & Jerry down a spot to No. 2 on Redbox’s disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman remained No. 1 on the Redbox On Demand chart for a second week in a row, while slipping to No. 3 on the disc rental chart. The film stars Liam Neeson as an Arizona rancher who agrees to take a young migrant boy to his family in Chicago despite being pursued by drug lords.
No. 2 on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions, was director Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man, an actioner from MGM that stars Jason Statham as a cash truck guard whose mysterious past raises questions. It earned $22.7 million at the domestic box office.
No. 4 on the disc rental chart and No. 3 on the digital chart was Lionsgate’s Chaos Walking, a sci-fi thriller starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley that earned $13.3 million from U.S. theaters.
Warner’s crime drama The Little Things was No. 5 on the disc chart and dropped to No. 6 on the Redbox On Demand chart.
The 2018 sci-fi thriller A Quiet Place, from Paramount, rose to No. 4 on the digital chart in advance of its sequel finally arriving in theaters.
No. 5 on the digital chart was Vertical Entertainment’s Four Good Days, a drama starring Mila Kunis, Glenn Close and Stephen Root, about a mother helping her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.
Newcomers to the disc chart include No. 7 Hunted, from RLJE Films and Shudder, a horror film about a woman who fights back against two men pursuing her in the woods; and No. 9 American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally, a Redbox-exclusive about a woman who is put on trial for broadcasting Nazi propaganda during World War II.
New to the digital chart is No. 10 Endangered Species, from Lionsgate, in which a family on safari in Kenya becomes stranded in a wilderness park at the mercy of rhinos, leopards, hyenas and poachers.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended May 30:
Raya and the Last Dragon — Disney
Tom & Jerry — Warner
The Marksman — Universal
Chaos Walking — Lionsgate
The Little Things — Warner
Above Suspicion — Lionsgate
Hunted — RLJ/Shudder
Wonder Woman 1984 — Warner
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally — Redbox
The Croods: A New Age — Universal/DreamWorks
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended May 30:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Tom & Jerry debuted at No. 1 on Redbox’s disc rental chart the week ended May 23. The live-action/animation hybrid family comedy based on the iconic cat and mouse duo was released on Blu-ray and DVD May 18, but didn’t appear on Redbox’s On Demand chart.
There, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman remained No. 1 for a second week in a row, while slipping to No. 2 on the disc rental chart. The film stars Liam Neeson as an Arizona rancher who agrees to take a young migrant boy to his family in Chicago despite being pursued by drug lords.
The No. 3 disc rental was Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, the new animated fantasy that made $48 million at the domestic box office.
Warner’s crime drama The Little Things was No. 2 on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions, and dropped to No. 4 on the disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks.
No. 3 on the digital chart was Vertical Entertainment’s Four Good Days, a drama starring Mila Kunis, Glenn Close and Stephen Root, about a mother helping her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.
The No. 5 disc rental was Lionsgate’s Above Suspicion, a crime drama based on true events that stars Emilia Clarke as a woman who falls for an FBI agent who recruits her as an informant during his investigation of a crime ring in her small town in Kentucky. It slipped a spot to No. 4 on the digital chart.
A24’s Minari, about a Korean family that moves to Arkansas, entered the On Demand chart at No. 7.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended May 23:
Tom & Jerry — Warner
The Marksman — Universal
Raya and the Last Dragon — Disney
The Little Things — Warner
Above Suspicion — Lionsgate
The Father — Sony Pictures
The Vault — Paramount
Wonder Woman 1984 — Warner
Every Breath You Take — Redbox
The Croods: A New Age — Universal/DreamWorks
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended May 23:
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman debuted at No. 1 on the NPD VideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks combined Blu-ray Disc and DVD unit sales, the week ended May 15.
The film, which stars Liam Neeson as an Arizona rancher who agrees to take a migrant boy to Chicago despite being chased by drug lords, was No. 2 on the Blu-ray Disc chart.
The No. 1 Blu-ray, and No. 2 on the overall disc chart, was Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Justice Society: World War II, a direct-to-video animated adventure that finds the modern-day Flash going back in time to meet an earlier team of superheroes.
Overall, Justice Society sold 62% as many copies as Marksman, but Blu-ray Disc formats accounted for 41% of total Marksman sales, compared with 75% for Justice Society. As Justice Society was widely released only on Blu-ray, that means a Walmart-exclusive DVD edition accounted for 25% of its total unit sales indicating how much influence the retailer still has over the disc market. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version accounted for 17% of total Justice Society unit sales (meaning 58% was the regular Blu-ray).
The previous week’s top seller on both charts, Warner’s crime drama The Little Things, dropped to No. 3 on the overall disc chart and No. 5 on the Blu-ray chart.
No. 4 on both charts, down two spots from the previous week, was Warner’s Wonder Woman 1984 in its seventh week on shelves. That gives the character of Wonder Woman two spots in the top five, as she also plays a major role in Justice Society.
The No. 3 Blu-ray seller, and No. 8 on the overall disc chart, was the 2004 horror film Saw, getting a boost from Lionsgate’s new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc version, which accounted for almost the entirety of the title’s weekly sales.
Similarly, Universal Pictures’ new 20th anniversary re-release of 2001 animated hit Shrek, with a new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in addition to Blu-ray and DVD re-issues, pushed it back onto the both charts at No. 6. The 4K edition accounted for 73% of its total sales, with the regular Blu-ray adding 9%.
Among catalog re-releases from specialty distributors, the new Criterion Collection edition of 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High was the No. 11 Blu-ray Disc seller, while Shout! Factory’s new Blu-ray of the 1976 King Kong remake was No. 22 on the Blu-ray chart.
Universal Pictures’ The Marksman moved into the No. 1 spot on the “Watched at Home” chart the week ended May 15.
The latest actioner from Liam Neeson had been No. 3 a week earlier following its April 27 digital sellthrough release, but moved into the top spot following its May 11 bow on Blu-ray Disc and DVD. In the film, Neeson plays an Arizona rancher who agrees to take a young migrant boy to his family in Chicago despite being pursued by drug lords. It earned $15.6 million at the domestic box office.
Aside from the reshuffling for the top spot, the top five remained the same on the weekly Watched at Home chart, which tracks transactional video activity (both digital and on DVD and Blu-ray Disc, but not premium VOD or disc rental) compiled from studio and retailer data and presented by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
The previous week’s top title, Warner Bros.’ crime drama The Little Things with Denzel Washington, dropped to No. 2, while Warner’s superhero sequel Wonder Woman 1984, which had topped the chart for five weeks prior to slipping to No. 2 a week ago, slipped again to No. 3. Universal’s animated hit sequel The Croods: A New Age moved up a spot to No. 4, switching places with Best Picture Oscar winner Nomadland, from Disney-owned Searchlight Pictures, which dropped to No. 5.
Warner’s direct-to-video Justice Society: World War II, based on the DC Comics characters, returned to the chart at No. 6 following a May 11 Blu-ray and 4K release (with a DVD-only release exclusive to Walmart). It dropped off the chart a week ago after debuting at No. 16 two following an April 27 digital release.
Making its debut on the chart was Universal Pictures’ Land, the feature directorial debut of Robin Wright, who also stars as a woman who retreats from society to live in wilds of the Rockies following an unfathomable event. It was released on VOD, Blu-ray and DVD May 11, after being available for digital purchase since April 27.
Another newcomer to the chart was Lionsgate’s Above Suspicion, a true crime drama starring Emilia Clarke as a woman living in a small Kentucky town who falls in love with a married FBI agent after agreeing to become an informant. It debuted at No. 13 after a May 7 digital release.
The martial arts action comedy The Paper Tigers will debuted at No. 18 after being released on VOD May 7. An homage to feel-good martial arts films such as The Karate Kid, the film follows three dedicated kung fu disciples who grow up into washed-up, middle-aged men. When their master is murdered, they must juggle their dead-end jobs, dad duties and old grudges to avenge his death. It arrives on Blu-ray and DVD June 22 from Well Go USA Entertainment.
Also making its first appearance on the Watched at Home chart was 2018’s Venom, which entered the chart at No. 11 after the trailer for its upcoming sequel, Venom: Let Their Be Carnage, was released May 10.
The Marksman (Universal)
The Little Things (Warner)
Wonder Woman 1984 (Warner)
Nomadland (20th Century)
The Croods: A New Age (Universal)
Justice Society: World War II (Warner)
Harry Potter: Complete 8-Film Collection (Warner)
News of the World (Universal)
Promising Young Woman (Universal)
Land (Universal)
Venom (Sony Pictures)
Yellowstone: Season 1 (Paramount)
Above Suspicion (Lionsgate)
City of Lies (Lionsgate)
Yellowstone: Season 3 (Paramount)
Girl in the Basement (A+E)
The Vault (2021, Paramount)
The Paper Tigers (Well Go USA)
Monster Hunter (Sony Pictures)
Minari (Lionsgate)
Source: DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group Includes U.S. digital sales, digital rentals, and DVD, Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD sales for the week ended May 15.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s The Marksman took over the No. 1 spot on both the Redbox disc rental chart and the Redbox On Demand chart the week ended May 16.
Liam Neeson stars in the film as an Arizona rancher who agrees to take a young migrant boy to his family in Chicago despite being pursued by drug lords. The Marksman arrived on Blu-ray Disc and DVD May 11 after becoming available for digital purchase April 27. It made $15.6 million at the domestic box office.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s The Little Things dropped to No. 2 on both charts. The psychological thriller stars Academy Award winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, and involves a pair of sheriffs tracking a serial killer in Los Angeles.
No. 3 on the disc rental chart, which tracks DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals at Redbox’s more than 40,000 red kiosks, was Paramount’s The Vault, a heist film starring Freddie Highmore as an engineer who aids a crew of master thieves attempt to steal the legendary lost treasure locked inside a mysterious,impenetrable fortress hidden under the Bank of Spain. The Vault is available on disc early at Redbox before its June 1 wide release. It was No. 10 on the Redbox On Demand chart.
Debuting at No. 3 on the Redbox On Demand chart, which tracks digital VOD and sellthrough transactions, was Lionsgate’s Above Suspicion, a crime drama based on true events that stars Emilia Clarke as a woman who falls for an FBI agent who recruits her as an informant during his investigation of a crime ring in her small town in Kentucky. It was released digitally May 7.
The Redbox-exclusive Every Breath You Take dropped to No. 4 on the disc rental chart. The film stars Michelle Monaghan, Sam Claflin and Casey Affleck in the story of a psychiatrist who finds his family life disrupted after his client commits suicide and he introduces her surviving brother to his wife and daughter.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Wonder Woman 1984 slipped to No. 5 on the disc rental chart.
DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age, from Universal Pictures, was No. 4 on the digital chart, and No. 8 on the disc chart.
The No. 5 digital title was Universal Pictures’ Land, the feature directorial debut of Robin Wright, who also stars as a woman who retreats from society to live in wilds of the Rockies following an unfathomable event. It was released for digital sale April 27, and on VOD, Blu-ray and DVD May 11.
Another newcomer, STX Films’ The Mauritanian, distributed by Universal Pictures, was No. 6 on the disc chart and No. 8 on the digital chart. Based on the book Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, The Mauritanian is true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
Top DVD and Blu-ray Disc Rentals, Redbox Kiosks, Week Ended May 16:
The Marksman — Universal
The Little Things — Warner
The Vault — Paramount
Every Breath You Take — Redbox
Wonder Woman 1984 — Warner
The Mauritanian — Universal/STX
The Virtuoso — Lionsgate
The Croods: A New Age — Universal/DreamWorks
Judas and the Black Messiah — Warner
News of the World — Universal
Top Digital (VOD + Sellthrough), Redbox On Demand, Week Ended May 16:
May 11 sees Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releasing its new animated superhero movie Justice Society: World War II on Blu-ray, while The Marksman leads a slew of new DVD and Blu-ray titles from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
The Marksman is an action-thriller starring Liam Neeson as an ex-Marine and hardened Arizona rancher whose desire to be left alone is upended when he witnesses an 11-year-old migrant and his mother fleeing from a band of assassins sent by a ruthless drug cartel. After being caught in a shoot-out, the boy’s mother begs him to take her son to the safety of their family in Chicago, so the pair hit the road and forge an unlikely friendship, while the cartel’s relentless assassins blaze a bloody trail after them. The film is available on Blu-ray Disc and DVD after earning $15.6 million at the domestic box office.
Justice Society: World War II
Warner’s direct-to-video Justice Society: World War II, based on the DC Comics characters, arrives on Blu-ray Disc and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray May 11, following an April 27 digital release. The 42nd entry in the DC Universe line of animated movies finds The Flash (voiced by Matt Bomer), prior to the formation of the Justice League, speeding back in time to find the Golden Age’s top superhero team, the Justice Society of America, locked in an epic battle against the Nazis. The disc release also includes the new DC Showcase animated short film Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth. Read a review here.
STX Films’ The Mauritanian arrives on Blu-ray Disc and DVD from Universal Pictures following a premium VOD run. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, The Mauritanian is based on the book Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi. It’s the true story of Slahi’s fight for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years. Alone and afraid, Slahi (Tahar Rahim) finds allies in defense attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) who battle the U.S. Government in a fight for justice that tests their commitment to the law and their client. Their controversial advocacy, along with evidence uncovered by a military prosecutor, Lt. Colonel Stuart Couch (Benedict Cumberbatch), uncovers shocking truths.
The drama Land, starring and directed by Robin Wright, arrives on Blu-ray and DVD May 11 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, following an April 27 digital release. From acclaimed actress Wright (Wonder Woman, “House of Cards”) comes her feature film directorial debut, the story of one woman’s search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee (Wright), in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew, and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter (Demian Bichir, The Hateful Eight, “Weeds”) brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.
The Saban Films feature Pixie comes out on DVD May 11 from Paramount Home Entertainment. The film is already available on digital and on demand. Olivia Cooke (Ready Player One) and Alec Baldwin (The Departed) star in this crime story set in Ireland. On a path to avenge her mother’s death, Pixie Hardy (Cooke) attempts a heist that will give her the means to leave her small-town life behind. When the plan goes horribly wrong, she’s forced to team up with a pair of misfits who are clearly in over their heads. On the run from an organized gang — criminal priests and nuns, led by Father McGrath (Baldwin) — the trio will scheme and swindle anyone they come across in this hilarious and thrilling adventure.
The Paraguayan horror film Morgue will comes out on digital, Blu-ray and DVD May 11 from Well Go USA Entertainment. In the supernatural thriller, after a harrowing accident, a down-on-his-luck security guard accepts a promising new gig at the local morgue. He gets locked in and eerie occurrences (and a not-quite-lifeless body) leave him to wonder: how much otherworldly rage does it take to wake the dead? A huge breakout hit in its home country, the film is — according to first-time writer/director Hugo Cardozo — based on real events.
The documentary Her Name Is Chef arrives on DVD May 11 from Virgil Films. It was released for digital sale April 27. The feature documentary explores the changing of gender roles in restaurant kitchens built around the tragic story of “Top Chef” fan favorite Fatima Ali. Her Name is Chef showcases the stories of six talented, inspiring, females of the kitchen. Each shares their triumphs in cutting through the clichés of the restaurant industry and explores how they broke down the doors to earn the title of chef. Host Leia Gaccione sits down with Elizabeth Falkner, Fatima Ali, Hillary Sterling, Esther Choi, Juliet Masters and Caroline Schiff.
Screen Media May 11 releases the romantic comedy Senior Moment, which stars William Shatner as a retired NASA test pilot often seen speeding around Palm Springs in his vintage Porsche convertible with his best friend Sal (Christopher Lloyd) in tow. His life changes when his license is revoked for drag racing and his car impounded. Forced to take public transportation for the first time, he meets his polar opposite Caroline (Jean Smart) and learns to navigate love and life again as he goes up against the state’s new DA to get back his license and car.
Available for digital purchase starting May 11 is the comedic drama French Exit, starring Michelle Pfeiffer. It arrives on Blu-ray and DVD June 15 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Pfeiffer plays a penniless Manhattan socialite who cashes in the last of her possessions and resolves to live out her twilight days anonymously in a borrowed apartment in Paris.
Among catalog releases, the first-ever Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature, Shrek, celebrates its 20th anniversary with its debut in a 4K Ultra HD combo pack (including Blu-ray and digital) May 11 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The film will also be available separately on Blu-ray and DVD.
Indie distributor Shout! Factory’s horror imprint, Scream Factory, is releasing a collector’s edition of the 1976 King Kong remake for the first time in North America May 11. The updated ’70s version from producer Dino De Laurentiis and director John Guillermin features scheming oil company executive Fred Wilson (Charles Grodin) raiding an exotic island to harvest its resources despite the warnings of Jack Prescott (Jeff Bridges), a scientist who sneaks aboard their ship. The expedition also encounters an aspiring actress named Dwan (Jessica Lange in her first film role), who escaped from a wrecked yacht. Upon reaching the island, they discover the giant ape Kong, and use his infatuating with Dwan to capture him with the intent of bringing him to America and cash in by putting him on display. When Kong escapes and rampages throughout New York City, Jack and Dwan devise a plan for the beauty to subdue the beast at the top of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Scream Factory’s two-disc Blu-ray set will include both the 134-minute theatrical cut with a DTS-HD 5.1 audio and a newly restored DTS-HD 2.0 theatrical stereo track; and the extended 182-minute TV broadcast version with a new 2K scan of the additional TV footage from the internegative. Among several new extras, the theatrical cut disc will include a new audio commentary with film historian Ray Morton, author of King Kong: The History of a Movie Icon.
The Criterion Collection May 11 releases a new collector’s edition of 1982 comedy classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Blu-ray Disc and DVD. The new edition features a 4K digital restoration supervised by director Amy Heckerling, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. The restoration includes the inclusion of full frontal male nudity that had to be trimmed from the original theatrical release for the film to avoid an ‘X’ rating. The disc also includes a new interview with Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe, plus the TV cut of the film, in addition to several legacy extras.
Open Road Films’ The Marksman maintained its second consecutive weekend atop the pandemic domestic box office, taking in an estimated $2 million across more than 2,000 screens Jan. 22-24. The Liam Neeson drama dropped about 35% from its $4 million debut over the previous Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
While the usual list of Universal/Focus Features titles filled out the majority of Top 10 theatrical releases, led by The Croods: A New Age ($1.82 million across 1,800+ screens), the weekend headlines had more to do with Hollywood studios further pushing back major Q1 theatrical releases to later in the year.
With about 3,000 COVID-19 related daily deaths and almost 200,000 new infections, according to Johns Hopkins University data, studios realize any influx of moviegoers will still be tempered even as a vaccines roll out nationwide.
Universal/MGM announced they would now release Daniel Craig’s last James Bond role, No Time to Die, on Oct. 8, while Paramount Pictures rescheduled John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II from April to Sept. 17. Disney’s 20th Century Studios pushed back its theatrical releases The King’s Man, Bob’s Burgers and Ron’s Gone Wrong from March and April to September and October.
Disney remains on track to release Raya and the Last Dragon in theaters and on Disney+ concurrently on March 5. Marvel’s Black Widow with Scarlett Johansson is still slated to bow theatrically on May 7. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures delayed Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway to June 11; musical Cinderella to July 16; and Ghostbusters: Afterlife to Nov. 11. The studio, which remains loyal to the theatrical window, pushed Uncharted back to February 2022.
Sony also sold distribution rights to animated feature film The Mitchells vs. the Machines to Netflix.
Universal Pictures’ post-apocalyptic drama BIOS, starring Tom Hanks and Caleb Landry Jones, has been delayed to Aug. 13 from April 16.
“Given the uncertainty of the marketplace, a change of date is certainly better than a change of venue, so to speak from big screen to small screen,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNBC.
