DVD Releases 2014: Mark Wahlberg's 'Lone Survivor' and Diogo Morgado's 'Son of God' Lead New Releases
On June 3, a number of feature films will enter the home video marketplace attempting to expand their audiences. The following is a list of the new releases that audiences will be able to enjoy from their homes.
"Lone Survivor" - Peter Berg's war drama is the biggest releases of the week. The movie, which stars Mark Wahlberg, tells the story of Marcus Luttrell and his team who set out on a mission to capture or kill notorious Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. When the movie was released nationwide, it had a tremendous opening that many had not expected and over-performed. The film grossed $125 million and later went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards. The movie was also one of the few Iraq movies to resonate with audiences; others Iraq films such as "Rendition," "Lions for Lambs" and even the Oscar winner "The Hurt Locker" all flopped at the box office. Wahlberg is currently a popular star especially with "Transformers" coming in a few weeks. It is likely that his fans will gravitate towards the movie and it could potentially become a huge home video release.
"Robocop" - The year has had a number of tent-pole titles that have underperformed. This week Jose Padiha's reboot of the Robocop franchise will be released after flopping. The new film starring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Abbie Cornish tells the story of Alex Murphy, a loving husband, father and good cop, who is critically injured in the line of duty and the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. When it opened in February, the sci-fi flick scored negative reviews and only made $58 million with a $100 million budget. The movie comes out on DVD and digital platforms at a time when audiences are inundated with special effects driven movies. It could be an alternative to these flicks but given how much better the original films were and the fact that there are better sci-fi movies on DVD, this could easily be ignored.
"Son of God" - The faith-based film has been one of the most popular movie genres this year and is continuing to garner audience. This week, Christopher Spencer's Christian movie tells the story of Jesus from his humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion and ultimate resurrection. The movie obtained negative reception and was criticized for having been edited from the History Channel's "The Bible" series. However audiences appeared at cinemas to see the movie. It ended up making $59 million and became the seventh highest grossing Christian film. "Son of God" is likely to continue to resonate, especially with no new Christian film out at the moment and with "Heaven is for Real" losing steam at the box office.
"The Pretty One" - Back in February, Dada films released this Tribeca Film Festival selection. The movie, starring Zoe Kazan and Jake Johnson, tells the story of Laurel who takes advantage of a tragedy and reinvents herself as her idolized twin sister, Audrey. The movie was featured in a number of festivals but never stood out. With negative reviews, no marketing and no big stars, the film made $13,000 at the box office and only played for three weekends. It is unlikely the movie gets a bigger audience on home video, especially with the lack of buzz.
"Alexander" - It has been ten years since Oliver Stone introduced his overlong epic about the King of Macedonia. The movie, which was hailed as one of the worst epics in modern history, will get an Ultimate edition celebrating its 10th anniversary. It will not only include the original theatrical edition, but also a new director's cut. While audiences disliked the movie back in 2004, if the director's cut is any good, it could generate interest.