DVD Releases of the Week: Adam Sandler's 'Blended', 'Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return' Aim To Regain Audiences
From Adam Sandler's 'Blended' to 'Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return', several movies that once graced the big screen will be released on DVD this week.
Latin Post.com breaks down the hottest DVDs to take home this week:
Blended
The biggest release of the week is undoubtedly the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore release. The comedy about a man and woman who find themselves stuck together at a resort for families after a bad blind date, flopped this past summer and opened to terrible reviews. The movie tried to relive the success of Barrymore-Sandler duo's previous outings "50 First Dates" and "The Wedding Singer."
However, "Blended" only made $48 million and showed that Sandler and Barrymore are no longer big sellers. Perhaps on DVD and Blu-ray, the comedy will have better luck especially with a lack of big titles coming out in the next two weeks and with no comedies in theaters.
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return
The animated feature about Dorothy's return to Oz to try to save her old friends the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Glinda, attempted to bank on the popularity of the Oz Franchise. However, the new distributor Clarius failed and made $8 million.
The animated film genre has struggled throughout the summer as the movies have lacked original ideas. This movie lacked any A-list stars and looked extremely cheap. The Clarius release will likely be ignored on DVD, especially with better looking animated films on the market.
The Double
Based on the Dostoevsky novella, the new Richard Ayoade release will likely be an art house and cult classic in the coming months. The feature, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska, tells the story of a clerk in a government agency who finds his unenviable life takes a turn for the horrific with the arrival of a new co-worker who is both his exact physical double and his opposite. The film played at the Toronto Film Festival where it score rave reviews. While the movie did not score a big box office, Magnolia has been promoting the film's DVD and Blu-Ray release.
Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas
Music Box Films will release the festival favorite after a mediocre theatrical run. The drama starring Mads Mikkelsen tells the story of a horse dealer by the name of Michael Kohlhaas whose life changes when a lord treats him unjustly and he raises an army and puts the country to fire and sword in order to have his rights restored.
The movie competed at the Cannes Film Festival for the Palme D'Or, but scored mixed reviews due to its length and pacing. "Age of Uprising" will most likely appeal to art house audiences and foreign film lovers.
Young and Beautiful
Last year, Francois Ozon's latest film premiered at Cannes and became one of the most controversial at the festival. The new feature released by IFC Films tells the story of Isabelle who takes up a secret life as a call girl, meeting her clients for hotel-room trysts. Throughout, she remains curiously aloof, showing little interest in the encounters themselves or the money she makes. The film's explicit sexuality and profanity dissuaded audiences from seeing it and reviews were mixed. Ozon fans will likely enjoy the feature, as well as limited art house audiences.
The Love Punch
Ketchup Films will release the latest romantic comedy starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson. The new movie tells the story of a divorced couple who scheme to recover the retirement money that was stolen from them. The feature scored terrible reviews, and with lack of a marketing campaign, it will likely be buried by other romantic comedies.
Other new releases include "The Dance of Reality," a re-release of the 1994 "Queen Margot" and "A Promise" starring Rebecca Hall. The Tribeca hit "Trust Me" will also be released through Starz Media.