DVD Releases of the Week: Will Smith's 'Focus,' 'McFarland USA' and Kristen Stewart's 'Camp X-Ray' Among New Releases
This week a number of February films will be released on DVD and on demand. Among these films are Will Smith's latest "Focus," the animated film "SpongeBob," the Wachowski siblings' "Jupiter Ascending" and Kristen Stewart's Sundance film "Camp X-Ray." These films will offer an alternative to "Entourage," "Spy" and the horror flick "Insidious 3."
"Focus" - Back in February Will Smith proved that he is no longer the big box office draw with his latest film "Focus." Now, the movie, which also stars Margot Robbie, will be released on home video, with Warner Bros. doing its utmost to find new audiences. The latest thriller tells the story of veteran con man Nicky whose plans are thrown for a loop when a woman from his past shows up. When the film was released, reviews were mixed and audiences were also not very excited. "Focus" made $53 million after many analysts thought it could reach the $100 million mark given Smith's star quality. It will be interesting to see if home video will bring another audience to the film.
"SpongeBob Squarepants 2: Sponge out of Water" - One of the most successful animated films of the year comes out. The new SpongeBob film tells the story of SpongeBob and his nemesis Plankton, who must team up when a diabolical pirate above the sea steals the secret Krabby Patty formula. The film opened to rave reviews in February and became an instant hit, making over $100 million. The film was one of the big surprises as SpongeBob was popular 10 years ago and since then its popularity has died down. Nevertheless, Nickelodeon played onto the nostalgia to obtain fans of the show as well as new audiences. With no animated films currently in the marketplace, this will be a popular choice for families.
"Jupiter Ascending" - The new Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis film tells the story of a young woman who discovers her destiny as an heiress of intergalactic nobility and must fight to protect the inhabitants of Earth from an ancient and destructive industry. The movie opened in February to terrible reviews and has been mocked as the worst film the Wachowski siblings have made. The film was also a financial disaster and is unlikely to obtain a huge following on DVD. Additionally, with so many big blockbusters in theaters, this will definitely be ignored.
"McFarland USA" - Nicki Caro's latest film tells the story of a cross country coach in a small California town who transforms a team of athletes into championship contenders. The Disney flick opened to rave reviews and became an instant box office hit. Starring Kevin Costner, this drama will definitely attract Costner fans as well as the Latino community. It could also expand into the sports community as it is based on a true story.
Other releases this week include the festival hit "Spring" and as the Kristen Stewart war drama "Camp X-Ray." The film premiered at Sundance and also marked a return for Stewart into the Indie film world. Her performance received rave reviews.
Radius-TWC will release "Monsters: Dark Continent," the sequel to the indie hit.