After putting up some fairly big worldwide numbers, Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic "Noah" follows up its spring box office run with a home market release, with Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins and Jennifer Connelly starring. Also getting launched this week on Blu-ray will be "The Other Woman," a romantic comedy starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
There are also a few other new releases of the less commercially prominent variety, including documentary "Finding Vivian Maier," comedy "Cuban Fury" and historical drama "Half of a Yellow Sun." A few older titles will hit stores in special editions as well, including a 16-film set featuring the work of German director Werner Herzog and the Criterion Collection edition of "The Big Chill."
Originally known for art house favorites like "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Wrestler," director Darren Aronofsky gained significant international popularity in 2010 with smash hit "Black Swan," which cost $13 million to make and grossed more than $300 million worldwide. After that level of commercial success, Aronofsky turned down an offer to make a Wolverine movie to focus on "Noah," an ambitious biblical epic that cost $125 million to produce and took 14 months in post-production to complete.
Telling the biblical story of the Old Testament icon and his famous ark, "Noah" wasn't entirely accepted by the faith-based audiences that have turned several religious movies into blockbusters, grossing a fairly subdued $101 million in the U.S. But thanks to the international popularity of star Russell Crowe and a story well known around the worldwide, "Noah" had no problem reaching audiences outside of the U.S., helping it gross $359 million around the globe. Without any significant genre competition this week in the home market, "Noah" shouldn't have too much of a problem having some success outside of theaters as well.
Another movie that would like to duplicate its box office success is "The Other Woman," a romantic comedy that racked up a very strong $83 million in the U.S. and $194 million worldwide - very good overall numbers for a $40 million production. Starring rom-com regulars Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann, not to mention "Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and supermodel Kate Upton, "The Other Woman" tells the story of a group of women who team up on a wealthy socialite they catch cheating on them. Even with extremely negative reviews and so-so release timing, "The Other Woman" resonated with date audiences and should do so once again in the home market.
Aiming at a much different audience this week will be "Finding Vivian Maier," an acclaimed documentary about an underground street photographer who mainly worked out of New York City. Living most of her life as a nanny, Vivian Maier moonlit as a photographer and posthumously became a sensation when many of her photographs came into the public eye.
"Finding Vivian Maier" was celebrated by critics when it was released, though it reached only major markets during the middle of the spring and didn't have too much of a commercial impact. But with some critical acclaim and some positive word-of-mouth, "Finding Vivian Maier" should be able to appeal to niche audience starting this week on Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, art house crowds also might be interested in the enormous new Blu-ray set featuring the films of Werner Herzog. Best known to mainstream audiences for documentaries like "Grizzly Man" and "Encounters at the End of the World," Herzog became somewhat of an icon in the 1970s and 1980s thanks to films like "Aguirre: The Wrath of God," "Nosferatu: The Vampyre" and "Fitzcarraldo."
Celebrated for his existentialist themes and unique style of filmmaking, Herzog is renowned for being one of the most influential German directors of his era and still makes both documentaries and feature films. In addition to "Aguirre," his "Nosferatu" remake and "Fitzcarraldo," the new Blu-ray set will feature 13 other films, including "Heart of Glass," "Stroszek" and "Land of Silence and Darkness."
Also likely to pique the interest of a few film fans will be "The Big Chill," a popular 1983 comedy/drama that stars Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger and Kevin Kline. From director Lawrence Kasdan, also known for directing "Body Heat" and writing both "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Big Chill" follows the story of old college friends getting together following the death of a member of their formally close-knit group. "The Big Chill" would end up as one of the biggest hits of 1983, grossing a 2014-equivalent of $143 million in the U.S.
Next week, Shailene Woodley-starring teen adventure film "Divergent" will be the most prominent new Blu-ray release, as the latest franchise-starter from Lionsgate was a significant hit both domestically and abroad. Also hitting stores will be "Need for Speed," a panned action-thriller starring Aaron Paul of "Breaking Bad" fame. Later in the month, the major summer releases will start to hit stores on Blu-ray, with "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" hoping to once again reach action audiences starting on August 19th.
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