Tag: var-zone

Also on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD: ‘The Fifth Estate,’ ‘Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa,’ ‘Metallica: Through the Never.’ Rush        

Despite earlier hits, a direct-to-dvd flub pushed the filmmaker to Hollywood’s back bench. He’s back in a big way with ‘Ride Along.’ Tim Story calls it “director’s jail.”        

Also reviewed: J.C. Chandor’s ‘All Is Lost’ starring Robert Redford, Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’ starring Cate Blanchett, Lake Bell’s ‘In a World …’ Captain Phillips        

Sequels “Despicable Me 2” and “Fast & Furious 6” were again the two bestselling DVD and Blu-ray titles for the week that ended Jan. 4, according to Rentrak

Annual digital sales of movies and TV shows surpassed $1 billion for the first time in 2013, helping offset a plunge in DVD revenue. LAS VEGAS — Joann Killeen had never before purchased a digital video, but she took the plunge this holiday season.

The minions have continued their winning streak. For the third week in a row, Universal Pictures’ animated sequel “Despicable Me 2” was the best-selling DVD and Blu-ray title, according to Rentrak, while “Fast & Furious 6,” also from Universal, was again the first runner-up.        

“Despicable Me 2,” Universal Pictures’ animated family mega-hit, was the top-selling DVD and Blu-ray title for the second week in a row , holding off new arrivals including “The Lone Ranger,” “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” and “Elysium.”        

Finance and distribution firm Red Granite Pictures raises money from a pool of investors in the Middle East and Asia, and finances movies on a one-off basis.        

The sixth movie in the “Fast & Furious” series burned rubber in the home video market, but it couldn’t top the minions of “Despicable Me 2.”        

Some of the year’s biggest movies, both at the box office and for awards contention, have their roots in the printed word, whether in novels, nonfiction books or journalism. Here’s a look at these movies and their literary sources: