DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 24th, 2012

January 24th, 2012

There are three first run releases of note this week, including an Awards Season player, 50/50; the latest installment in a perennial horror franchise, Paranormal Activity 3; and big budget family film, Real Steel. Of those three, 50/50 is the best and a contender for Pick of the Week. Other contenders include Godzilla: The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and Wings on Blu-ray. However, I'm going with a late arrival: Moneyball on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: The Whistleblower

January 23rd, 2012

The Whistleblower opened in limited release in early August, which is not exactly prime real estate for such a film, especially a film that has some Awards Season buzz prior to its release. It missed the $10,000 mark during its opening, but did hold on long enough to get to $1 million in total. With so many Oscar hopefuls playing in theaters, and a few hitting the home market recently, will this film be able to stand out? More...

Per Theater Chart: What a Weekend!

September 27th, 2011

Weekend earned nearly perfect reviews, but I'm still surprised by its box office strength as it earned $27,245 in one theater during its opening weekend of release. The Man Nobody Knew was next with $15,411, also in one theater. Machine Gun Preacher also topped expectations with an average of $11,283 in four theaters, but its reviews suggest it won't last long. Pearl Jam Twenty earned an average of $10,245 in ten theaters over the weekend, and including the special showing it had earlier in the week, it already has close to $400,000. More...

Per Theater Chart: Apes Conquer Crowded Field

August 9th, 2011

Just as it led the overall box office chart, Rise of the Planet of the Apes led the per theater chart with an average of $15,024. Gun Hill Road was in second place with an average of $12,609, which put it just ahead of El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's haul of $12,149 in its lone theater. Bellflower's amazing reviews helped it earn an average of $11,140 in two theaters. The final member of the $10,000 club was The Guard with an average of $10,209 in 19 theaters. It should still find room to expand while reaching at least one major milestone is likely. More...

Will Limited Releases be Perfect or Magical?

August 5th, 2011

While a number of new limited releases this week, only one has generated some advance buzz, The Whistleblower. There is also only one release with overwhelmingly positive reviews, Bellflower. Had the film with the most buzz also been the movie with the best reviews, it would have been the clear choice for best bet. As it is, I don't know if there's any film on this week's list that will escape the art house circuit. More...