Category Archives: DVD Releases

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The Dark Knight Rises Tops Box Office For A Second Week

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The Dark Knight Rises topped the Box Office Report for the second weekend in a row since its release. The Dark Knight Rises dropped in sales Friday, partially due to the Olympics according to ComingSoon, but grossed an estimated $64.1 million on Saturday.

Internationally, the film has made $248.2 million for a worldwide total of $537.3 million.

It wasn’t an easy week for box office newcomers though, as both Adam Sandler’s That’s My Boy and the musical Rock of Ages failed to reach the top 12.

20th Century Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift took second place again, dropping 35% in its third weekend, and earning $13.3 million. It has earned $564.8 million globally.

Another newcomer, The Watch, took third place this weekend, earning 13 million in 3,168 theaters. The comedy, which stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and British comic Richard Aoyade, earned just over $4,100 per site.

The fourth installment of the dance franchise Step Up Revolution came in second place Friday with $4.8 million, but fell to fourth place for the weekend with $11.8 million. So far, the film has earned less than its predecessor, Step Up 3D, which opened to $15.8 million two years ago.

Seth MacFarlane’s comedy Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, came in fifth place. It has earned $193.6 million in five weeks.

Another superhero took spot number six this weekend. The Amazing Spider-Man earned $6.8 million, bringing the film to a total of $654 million worldwide.

Disney-Pixar’s Brave came in seventh place with $4.2 million, and Magic Mike dropped to eighth place iwth $2.6 million.

Oliver Stone’s crime drama Savages took ninth place with $1.8 million, and Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom rounded out the top 10 in its 10th week.

For a more in-depth look at the box office results, visit http://www.comingsoon.net/boxoffice/.

Lionsgate Acquires Time and Again

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Lionsgate recently announced that is has acquired the film rights to Jack Finney’s illustrated novel “Time and Again.”  The project will be directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs. Smith).  Liman will also produce the project alongside his Hypnotic partner Dave Bartis.

Published in 1970, the romantic time-travel novel tells the story of Simon Morley, a Manhattan illustrator who enlists in a secret government experiment which transports him to 1882 New York. While there, he falls in love and must choose between living in the present or the past.

Sleep. And when you awake everything you know of the twentieth century will be gone from your mind. Tonight is January 21, 1882. There are no such things as automobiles, no planes, computers, television. ‘Nuclear’ appears in no dictionary. You have never heard the name Richard Nixon? Did illustrator Si Morley really step out of his twentieth-century apartment one night — right into the winter of 1882? The U.S. Government believed it, especially when Si returned with a portfolio of brand-new sketches and tintype photos of a world that no longer existed — or did it?

The book sold 27,000 copies in hardcover, and more than 200,000 copies over the years, according to Variety.

“From Time to Time,” the novel’s sequel, was published in 1996, one year after his death. The sequel left room for a third and final installment that will never be written due to the author’s death.

Erik Feig, Mike Paseornek, Gillian Bohrer and Jeyun Choi will oversee the project for Lionsgate, according to Variety.

This is not the first time the book has been eyed for adaptation. In the mid-1990s, Robert Redford began developing the project after Paul Newman introduced him to the book.  Tom Thayer, former president of Universal Television, attempted to adapt the work into a network miniseries.

While numerous filmmakers have considered the job, it has yet to be completed by anyone.

Throughout his career, Liman has proven himself to be a versatile director, with projects ranging from indie flicks (Swingers and Go) to action (The Bourne Identity and Mr. and Mrs. Smith), and even science fiction  with 2008’s thriller Jumper.

Liman is currently working on Warner Bros.’ All You Need is Kill, which will star Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.

Warner Bros. Considering Creating A Prequel For The Shining

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In a controversial move, Warner Bros. is considering the possibility of releasing a prequel to The Shining, Stanley Kubrick’s highly regarded 1980 horror classic based on the novel written by horror specialist Stephen King.

There is no word yet on whether King will be involved, though he has stated he is penning a sequel.

The original novel, “The Shining”, was released in 1977. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song “Instant Karma!”, which contained the line “We all shine on…”. It was King’s third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King as a preeminent author in the horror genre.

The cult classic film version was originally released in 1980. The book was also later adapted into a television mini-series in 1997.

King also stated that the novel was heavily influenced by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death and The Fall of the House of Usher, and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. The story has been often compared to Guy de Maupassant’s story “The Inn”.

Hollywood writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis and her partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt are on-board to produce, according to a report by Los Angeles Times.

Kalogridis, according to Los Angeles Times, already has experience with the horror genre, as she wrote Shutter Island for Martin Scorsese two years ago. She also wrote and executive produced James Cameron’s Avatar.

The film would take place before Jack Torrance brought his family to the eerie Overlook Hotel, and would focus on the events that made the hotel “haunted,” (because with Kubrick, you never really know).

A representative for WB said the project is in very early stages, and is not even formally in development. Still, many fans are already voicing strong opinions on the matter, many against tampering with Kubrick’s work.

The news certainly raises some questions. Do you think it will it be possible for filmmakers to step out of Kubrick’s shadow? Or are you dreading the possible prequel altogether?

Kevin Zeggers Cast In City of Bones Adaptation

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Actor Kevin Zeggers has been cast as Alec Lightwood in the upcoming film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones. 

City of Bones is the first novel in the series, The Mortal Instruments. 

Alec Lightwood is the brother to Isabelle Lightwood, who is set to be played by Jemima West. Alec also has feelings for Jace Wayland and later Magnus Bane.

Zeggers joins main characters Lily Collins as Clary Fray and Jamie Campbell-Bower as Jace Wayland. Also cast is Lena Headey, Jared Harris, Kevin Durand, and Robert Maillet.

City of Bones follows teen Clary Fray, who discovers she is a descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, an order of half-angel warriors who protect the world from demons. The rest of the characters include her best friend Simon, who is in love with her, while she has feelings for fellow shadowhunter Jace Wayland, who also may or may not be her brother, and siblings  Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, with Alec Harboring feelings for Jace as well.

Screen Gems is producing the adaptation with Harald Zwart directing.

The film is scheduled for release on August 23, 2013.

A Look At The Snow White And The Huntsman DVD Release

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Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin, will be released on Blu-ray, On Demand and Digital Download as and Extended Edition on Sept. 11.

The Combo Pack includes an extended version of the film not shown in theaters, as well as a digital download of the film, compatible with iPhone, iTunes, iPad, iPod, iPod touch, Android or online retail partners including UltraViolet (a service that allows consumers to collect movies and TV shows in a cloud to stream and download to TV’s, computers, tablets and smartphones).

The Blu-ray and DVD bonus features include:

  • A New Legend is Born
  • Feature Commentary with director Rupert Sanders, visual effects supervisor Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and co-editor Neil Smith

Bonus Features Exclusive to the Blu-ray:

  • Reinventing the Fairy Tale
  • Citizens of the Kingdom
  • The Magic Of “Snow White and the Huntsman”

Around the Kingdom: 360° Set TourUniversal’s Second Screen: Viewers can control, interact with and explore the film with features on a networked tablet or computer, in sync with the movie on the television screen. During the film, users can access:

      • Flick View: Move content from the tablet to the TV screen, and compare storyboards, animatics, and other bonus material with a “flick” of the fingers.
      • Behind the Scenes (Picture in Picture)
      • Around the Kingdom: 360° Set Tour
      • Virtual flip books
      • Cast of Characters
      • UltraViolet
      • Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the full-length movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronics and portable devices including computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android and more.
      • pocket BLU App for smartphones
      • Advanced Remote Control: A new way to operate Blu-ray players.
      • Video Timeline: Users can bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
      • Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
      • Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
      • Keyboard: an intuitive keyboard for data entry
      • BD-LIVE: Access the BD-Live Center through an Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content and more.

The Dark Knight Rises Unsurprisingly Leads Box Office

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Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises reached the top of the box office charts over the weekend despite the deadly shootings in Aurora, Colo. at the Friday midnight screening.

Warner Bros., followed by all major studios, decided to withhold box office estimates throughout the weekend out of sensitivity to the families of the Aurora victims, but released the report Monday.

The third and final installment in Nolan’s Batman trilogy earned $160.9 million from 4,404 theaters. This is the best opening ever for a 2D title, beating The Dark Knight’s $158.4 million opening, and the third largest overall domestically, behind Marvel’s The Avengers at $207.4 million and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows- Part 2 at $169.2 million.

The film earned $75.5 million on Friday, $44.9 million on Saturday and $40.2 million on Sunday. It earned $88 million from 17 international markets for a worldwide total of $249 million after one weekend.

IMAX screens contributed $4.8 million overseas, according to ComingSoon.

Trailing the Caped Crusader in the box office report is Ice Age: Continental Drift (last week’s #1), which dropped 56.2 percent in ticket sales and earned $20.4 million. The sequel has earned $88.8 million after two weeks.

The film’s worldwide total is now at $529.3 million. Rounding out the top three is another superhero flick, Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man. Spidey dropped 68.6 percent in its third weekend, earning $10.9 million.

To see ComingSoon’s entire report, click here.

Chris Hemsworth In Consideration For Robopocalypse

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Chris Hemsworth is in consideration to star in Steven Spielberg’s Robopocalypse, the award-winning director’s new techno-thriller. Hemsworth has steadily gained recent popularity with his roles in Thor, The Avengers, and Snow White and the Huntsman.

The Disney-Fox-Dreamworks project will be released worldwide on April 25, 2014. The script for the film is based on Daniel H. Wilson’s novel about the human race’s attempt to survive an apocalyptic robot uprising, according to Deadline.com.

The novel is also quite accurate regarding the mechanics presented within the story. The author has a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, and many of the robots in the novel were inspired by real-world robotics research. Sources like Robert Crais and Booklist have compared the book to the works of Michael Crichton and Robert Heinlein.

There is no official offer for Hemsworth yet, and the actor would be Spielberg’s first casting for the film.

View the official summary for Robopocalypse below, and follow this link to read an excerpt from the book.

“They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies…Now they’re coming for you. In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late.

When the Robot War ignites — at a moment known later as Zero Hour — humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years.”

Game of Thrones Star Heads To City of Bones

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Sony recently announced that “Game of Thrones” star Lena Headey has been added to the cast of the upcoming film adaptation, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Headey, currently playing the role of Cersei Lannister in the hit show, will be playing the role of Jocelyn Fray in the film.

Jocelyn is the mother of main character, Clary, a young women who joins the shadow hunters in an attempt to save her mother. Her disappearance is key to the story, though she won’t appear on screen for most of the movie.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is the big screen adaptation based on the first book of the young adult fantasy book series written by Cassandra Clare and set in present day New York City. It centers on Clary Fray, a seemingly ordinary teenager who discovers she’s a descendant of a line of Shadow hunters, a secret group of half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect the world from demons. When her mother disappears, Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters to find her. They introduce Clary to Downworld, the dangerous alternate of New York filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures.

Two other actors have also been added to the growing cast list. Jared Harris will play Hodge Starkweather. A teacher to the young shadow hunters. According to the author’s blog, “Hodge is also a really complicated character. He’s not entirely bad, not entirely good. He’s a brilliant man led down a bad path a long time ago and he can’t turn back, but he does love those kids he tutored … I think (Harris will) really nail Hodge’s moral dilemma.”

Godfrey Gao will be taking the much coveted role of Magnus Bane, a flamboyant hipster who is the illustrious High Warlock of Brooklyn.  Clare says of Gao’s casting, “Godfrey is, in addition to being all gorgeous and stuff, super-talented (his audition was awesome), loves the books, and is, like Magnus, ridiculously tall.”

The three new cast members join Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jace Wayland, Robert Sheehan as Simon, Kevin Durand as Pangborn, Jemima West as Isabelle Lightwood and wrestler Robert Maillet as Blackwell. The role of the villain of the story, Valentine has not yet been revealed in regards to casting.

Filming is set to begin next month with a release date for the film on August 23, 2013.

Gwyneth Paltrow To Star In Blood, Bones & Butter

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Gwyneth Paltrow is in negotiations to star in the independent film Blood, Bones & Butter, based on Gabrielle Hamilton’s 2011 foodie memoir. Paltrow, a well-known lover of food, is a fitting pick for such a role. In 2008, the actress launched her own website called goop.com, which regularly features healthy recipes from both the goop staff and contributors.

Last year, Paltrow also released her own cookbook, called My Father’s Daughter. It was met with much praise, though some critics noted that it would take a cooking novice “…$450 and five days’ shipping time to acquire the ‘essential’ ingredients of Gwyneth Paltrow’s pantry,” according to The Atlantic. “It would cost an additional $1,300 to upgrade a standard kitchen to one with all her ‘essential tools,’ such as earthenware bowls, butcher block countertops, Global knives, a Vitamix blender, and a Le Creuset Dutch oven. That’s before you get anywhere near the organic duck.”

In any case, it is clear that the actress has a passion for cooking, much like Hamilton, the subject of “Blood, Bones & Butter.” Hamilton is the owner and chef of New York’s Prune restaurant, and a trained writer with an MFA from the University of Michigan. In her memoir, Hamilton chronicles her unusual background. She is the youngest of five siblings born to a French mother and an artist father who made sets for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. She also details her unconventional trajectory to becoming a chef, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rodrigo Teixeira of RT Features will produce alongside Anne Carey (Adventureland) and her producing partner Mindy Goldberg (Junebug).

The upcoming film is being described as similar to Julie & Julia, the Meryl Streep-starring biography/drama/romance that became an unexpected box-office hit.

Paltrow is currently at work filming Iron Man 3.

Inside Look At The Marvel Universe Boxset

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Marvel has released a new trailer for its upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe box set. It shows viewers how all of the discs and extras are stored, as well as the surprises inside the back of the case.

Check out the video below:

The following content is included in the 10-disc set:

Marvel’s The Avengers (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

Released: May 2012

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson

“Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army.”

Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-Ray)

Released: July 2011

Starring: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving and Samuel L. Jackson

“After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending the USA’s ideals.”

Thor (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-Ray)

Released: May 2011

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman

“The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.”

Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-Ray)

Released: May 2010

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke and Gwyneth Paltrow

“Because of his superhero alter ego, Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends and new enemies.”

The Incredible Hulk (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

Released: June 2008

Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth

“Dr. Bruce Banner, thanks to a gamma ray experiment gone wrong, transforms into a giant green-skinned hulk whenever his pulse rate gets too high. Meanwhile, a soldier uses the same technology to become an evil version of the original.”

Iron Man (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)

Released: May 2008

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard

“When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.”

Bonus Disc- The Phase One Archives (Blu-ray)

Collectible packaging with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

The set will be released Sept. 25, but it can be preordered on Amazon now for $139.96.