DVD Releases 2014: Will 'Veronica Mars' Succeed on Home Video After Box Office Fail?
On May 6, a number of movies hit the Blu-Ray and DVD marketplace. Here is a rundown of what movies you and your family can enjoy from the comfort of your living room.
"Veronica Mars" - Rob Thomas' Kickstarter project was one of the most anticipated films of this year after having successfully raised $5 million. The movie reunited the cast from the TV series and tells the story of Veronica Mars who gets pulled back to her hometown in time for her high school reunion in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who's involved in a murder mystery. The movie premiered at the SXSW Film festival where it garnered rave reviews. However, when it opened in March the movie failed to charm the box office. The reason for its lack of success? Warner Bros. released it both on VOD and in theaters simultaneously. Most of the Kickstarter fans and contributors also got the movie for free as a gift for funding it. When the movie hits home video it will be hard to garner a following especially when it was unable to do so outside of its fan base in theaters.
"Still Mine" - A year after its theatrical release, Michael McGowan's film hits home video. The movie starring James Cromwell, Genevieve Bujold and Ronan Rees, tells the story of an elderly couple's fight against local authorities in rural New Brunswick to build their final home. The movie was a huge success at the box office as it only opened in 41 theaters and made $1.1 million. "Still Mine" was also a critical hit and scored a 93 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes; both Cromwell and Bujold were praised for their performances. With many marriage dramas doing well in the past few months, such as "Le Week-End" and "Before Midnight," "Still Mine" is likely to continue its successful run on home video platforms.
"The Art of Steal" - Radius TWC has had a hard time selling its movies theatrically. The latest failure was Jonathan Sobol's film. The movie starring Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel and Matt Dillon tells the story of Crunch Calhoun, a semi-reformed art thief who agrees to get his old gang back together to pull off one last heist. The movie opened in March in 60 theaters, but only managed to make $61,000. The result was a short two-week theatrical run. However, it did open on VOD, but no numbers were reported. Critically, the film scored mixed reviews with most critics complaining that the film was formulaic and borrowed too much from other films. The movie is likely to gain an audience on home video especially from Dillon and Russell fans.
"Generation War" - Music Box Films will release the German war film that was billed as something similar to "Band of Brothers." The movie depicts the lives of five young German friends forced to navigate the unconscionable moral compromises of life under Hitler. The movie was released in January but received mixed reviews for its four-and-half-hour run time. It also failed to capture indie audiences as it only made $91,595. With such a long run time and with the modern audience's short attention span, it is unlikely this movie will be successful on DVD or Blu-Ray.
"Simon and the Oaks" - Two years after its release The Film Arcade will finally offer the movie on home video. The movie opened in 17 theaters in 2012 and managed to make $150,000. The Swedish film premiered at the Berlin, Seattle and Palm Springs Film Festivals where it scored rave reviews. It also scored 13 Swedish Oscar nominations where it won two awards. However, when it premiered in the U.S., the movie scored mixed reviews. The film currently has a 53 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes.
"After the Dark" - The science fiction/young adult movie genre adds another film to its collection. John Huddle's movie, which stars James D'Arcy and Bonnie Wright, tells the story of a philosophy teacher who challenges his class of 20 graduating seniors to choose which 10 of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race in the event of a nuclear apocalypse. The movie opened last May, but distributor Phase 4 Films did not report its box office revenue. The British Sci-Fi movie is likely to struggle on home video with little promotion and marketing. Additionally, the Young Adult novel adaptation has a reputation of polarizing audiences, and even if this movie has good reviews, it will likely bomb.