#Maleficent is dominating the home video sales chart http://t.co/rppW3vIDhz pic.twitter.com/54qf3MYyej
— Variety (@Variety) November 14, 2014

variety

‘Maleficent’ Captures Top Spot on Home Video Sales Charts, Unseats ‘X-Men’

November 13, 2014 | 08:48AM PT

Thomas K. Arnold

Editorial Director, Home Media Magazine

 

Three new releases and an extended edition of a recent hit captured the top four spots on the national home video sales charts for the week ending Nov. 9, ending the three-week reign of 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” as the country’s top-selling disc.
“X-Men” finished the week at No. 5, ceding the No. 1 spot on both Nielsen VideoScan sales charts to Walt Disney Studios’ newly released “Maleficent,” the live-action powerhouse ($241.3 million box office) that stars Angelina Jolie as the notorious villain from Disney’s 1959 animated classic, “Sleeping Beauty.”
Paramount’s live-action retelling of the “Hercules” legend, with Dwayne Johnson in the title role, debuted at No. 2 on both the First Alert chart, which tracks combined Blu-ray Disc and DVD sales, and the Blu-ray Disc-only chart.
A third new release, Walt Disney’s animated sequel “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” bowed at No. 3 on both charts, while an extended edition of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” from Warner, captured the No. 4 spot.
This is the first time in recent memory that the top five on both sales charts are identical.
Nielsen data shows that of the four top-selling new releases, “The Hobbit” fared best on Blu-ray Disc, with the high-definition disc version accounting for 75% of total unit sales. But the three other films also generated the majority of their sales from Blu-ray – 54% for “Maleficent” and 53% each for “Hercules” and “Planes” – while in its fourth week of release “X-Men” generated 56% of its total unit sales from Blu-ray Disc.
Again, this is the first time that all five top sellers sold more copies on Blu-ray Disc than they did on standard DVD.
On Home Media Magazine’s rental chart for the week, Warner’s “Edge of Tomorrow” vaulted to the top of the charts now that its 28-day holdback from Netflix and Redbox is over. Paramount’s “Hercules” – not subject to any such delay – debuted at No. 2, while “A Million Ways to Die in the West,” from Universal Studios (which also holds back new releases from the two key rental channels for a month) finished the week at No. 3.
Rounding out the top five were the previous week’s top rental, Universal Studios’ “Neighbors,” at No. 4 and Walt Disney Studios’ “Maleficent” bowing at No. 5.

Thomas K. Arnold is editorial director of Home Media Magazine, http://www.homemediamagazine.com.

Top 20 Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart for the week of 11/9/2014:
1. Maleficent (new)
2. Hercules (new)
3. Planes: Fire & Rescue (new)
4. Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
6. Mr. Peabody & Sherman
7. Step Up All In (new)
8. Frozen
9. Transformers: Age of Extinction
10. America
11. A Most Wanted Man (new)
12. Sleeping Beauty
13. Sex Tape
14. Earth to Echo
15. The Christmas Candle (new)
16. Godzilla
17. The Purge: Anarchy
18. Despicable Me 2
19. The Fault in Our Stars
20. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Yes, it's true: I might be the biggest non-female, non-gay, non-parent fan of Maleficent in the world. It just happened. No idea.
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 10, 2014

The toddler-age Aurora in Maleficent looks exactly like Brad Pitt.
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 10, 2014

Of all the fantasy elements found in Maleficent, the thing I find most difficult to accept is that Elle Fanning is Sharlto Copley's kid.
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 10, 2014

I've been staring at a blinking cursor for about seven minutes. Might be time to stop for the day. And maybe watch Maleficent again.

— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 10, 2014

Somehow I've seen Maleficent two times in three days.

— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 9, 2014

I hereby predict that Angelina Jolie will be nominated for an Oscar for Maleficent. Somebody favorite this in case I turn out to be right.

— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) November 9, 2014

Maleficent

Light up the glittering assemblage of your room with Maleficent themed lanterns! http://di.sn/gup

I would vote for Angelina Jolie if she ran for president. Adamantly.
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) March 28, 2014

Where in the world is Angelina Jolie? Today it's Sarajevo: http://t.co/R2stD3tuLp
— People magazine (@peoplemag) March 28, 2014

JOB WELL DONE

Angelina Jolie stands out from the crowd on Friday as she heads into a building in Sarajevo to meet with members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, before visiting with Bosnia war victims.

jared

KFP2 L.A. Premiere

Photos: Zimbio

Weinberg Reviews KUNG FU PANDA 2

We're all different types of movie freaks, of course, but generally what we all want from a big, flashy summer movie is:

1. Action (or at least energy)

2. Humor (or at least wit)

3. Heart (or at least character)

4. Spectacle (in one form or another)

Lately, the superhero movies have been cornering the market on the aforementioned commodities, but right behind (or slightly ahead) are the animated features. You can nitpick about which ones are lame, lazy, or forgettable, but it's also hard to deny that we're presently living through an animated feature renaissance, one that happened naturally once the novelty of the high-tech digital toys started to wane ... and the true artists started using these dazzling tools as new-fangled paintbrushes. In other words, the technical side of computer animation is at an all-time high, and fortunately we have outfits like Pixar, Dreamworks, and (yes) several others delivering an impressive handful of high-quality "cartoon" movies that manage to pull off that incredibly valuable trick:

Capably appealing to kids while giving the parents something fun to watch at the same time.

Hardly a novel concept, but it's always great to see when another new example pops up: This summer's Kung Fu Panda 2 is, quite simply, one of the most beautifully amusing animated features in quite some time. "Amusing" because it's simply funny, and "beautifully" because, as usual from Dreamworks, the animation is nothing short of brilliant across the board. From the character designs to the eye-tickling architecture of a fantasy world, and from simple landscapes to elaborate action scenes -- Kung Fu Panda 2 is (much like its predecessor) a wondrous feast for the eyes, if nothing else.

Fortunately there is much else: Jack Black at his most charming and goofily sedate; a truly eclectic voice cast full of new pals and old; a pair of slightly trite but perfectly palatable "morality lessons" for the younger audience members; lots of humor that's pitched both inside (for the parents) and silly (for the young and the young at heart); a simple (even familiar) plot concoction that doles out story points at a brisk clip and doesn't skimp on the action ...

Ah, yes! The action sequences! One of the most important ingredients of the summer movie. And, frankly, I don't care if the source is a kick-ass superhero, a drunken pirate, or a bumbling panda: solid action is solid action. Kung Fu Panda 2 offers scrapes, chases, escapes and explosions at a very generous clip, slowing down only to give its slick menagerie some jokes (or plot development) to deliver, and then it's off to another flashy moment of crash 'n' smash. (A silly chase sequence involving a fake dragon is rather inspired, and it illustrates that there still IS a way to do slight "potty humor" with a small dash of class and creativity.)

Kung Fu Panda skeptics can either catch up on the original this weekend or just dive into the sequel cold. Part 2 is a stand-alone adventure that presents a quest, some redemption, much loyalty, some sacrifice, and a frankly awesome peacock of a villain, who is voiced just flawlessly by Gary Oldman. Kung Fu Panda 2 is a comedy, obviously, but the franchise has also shown real commitment to also offering actual "adventure tales" both times out. Ian McShane was a memorable villain in the first chapter; Oldman might be even better in Part 2. Angelina Jolie provides the voice of a hard-fisted tigress; Dustin Hoffman returns as a wise master; and while the rest of the cast is relegated mainly to one-liners and bouts of plot jargon, there's still fun to be found in the contributions of Seth Rogen, David Cross, Jackie Chan, and Lucy Liu. (You'll also find new allies voiced by Dennis Haysbert, Victor Garber, and Jean-Claude Van Damme!)

Infinitely more likable here than in most of his live-action films, Jack Black seems to be really settling in with the silly-yet-heroic Po character, and it's nice to see that the screenwriters have written him as decidedly less naive (but no less clumsy) this time around. It's a small touch, really, but if we're to join this "Kung Fu Panda" on further adventures, it's nice to see that he's actually growing up as the franchise moves forward. As an animation buff who was slow to warm up to the first Kung Fu Panda, I'm happy to note just the opposite is true on the sequel: Kung Fu Panda 2 is everything you need in a summertime flick. Bring the kids if you must, but you'll probably enjoy it more without them.