With only a few more days left in the holiday shopping season, writer/director Woody Allen's critically lauded "Midnight in Paris" is ready to hit shelves on Blu-ray and standard DVD, following up a very strong box office run earlier in the year. Aiming at a much different demographic this week will be "Dolphin Tale," a warmhearted family film that will likely end up as the perfect stocking stuffer for some of the little ones this holiday season.
Other titles getting launched this week include the Kevin Spacey-starring drama "Margin Call" and underrated action film "Warrior," which saw a limited release and struggled to find an audience in theaters despite strong critical support.
Though it's been a bumpy road for famed filmmaker Woody Allen in recent years, "Midnight in Paris" marked a return to form, as it was lauded for its fresh spin on familiar romantic comedy material. Blending Allen's typical existentialism and quotable dialog, "Midnight in Paris" not only was a hit with critics but ended up finding its audience in theaters as well.
With a production budget of just $17 million, "Midnight" racked up $56 million domestically and $143 million worldwide, making it Allen's biggest commercial hit since his Oscar-winning "Hannah and Her Sisters" in the mid-1980s.
Due to its combination of critical support and box office success, "Midnight in Paris" looks like a real competitor for the upcoming Oscars as well. Allen appears to be a shoe-in for getting at least a Best Original Screenplay nomination, which would give him his 15th nomination for that category alone.
Following up his success with "Midnight," Allen has already wrapped shooting on his upcoming "Nero Fiddled," a comedy starring Ellen Page and Jesse Eisenberg that will also mark his first acting role since 2006.
Though not quite reaching the same level of worldwide success as "Midnight in Paris," family film "Dolphin Tale" did well in theaters and should continue its success on DVD and Blu-ray.
Starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, "Dolphin Tale" tells the inspirational story of a boy who ends up forming a close bond with an injured dolphin. Following in the footsteps of "Free Willy," "Dolphin Tale" was a big hit domestically, earning $71 million in the U.S. with a production budget of only $37 million.
While both "Midnight in Paris" and "Dolphin Tale" had no problem finding their intended audiences, drama "Margin Call" wasn't able to transfer critical accolades into box office success, though it should pick up a bit on DVD and Blu-ray.
With an impressive cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons and Paul Bettany, "Margin Call" is a thriller set at a pivotal point of the financial meltdown in the U.S. Due to its grim subject matter, "Margin Call" was only able to secure a very small limited release, enough to push it to just $5 million domestically and $10 million worldwide.
Also struggling to find a commercial audience was the Tom Hardy-starring "Warrior," a PG-13 action-thriller about a down-and-out former boxer who teaches his son how to compete in mixed martial arts. Even with the current popularity of MMA and very positive buzz, "Warrior" never reached 2,000 total venues and ended up with a short, disappointing box office run for distributor Lionsgate.
Taking aim at a similar demographic will be "Colombiana," an action-thriller that had a difficulty finding much of an audience in the lull of late August and early September.
Zoe Saldana ("Avatar") stars as a cold-blooded assassin bent on revenge after her parents were murdered in her youth. From writer Luc Besson ("Taken," "The Fifth Element"), "Colombiana" received a lukewarm reception by the action-seeking demographic, helping it earn just $36 million despite a fairly large release of more than 2,600 total venues.
Those looking for an older title for a movie lover this holiday season might turn to "A Farewell to Arms," which is getting a special edition Blu-ray release this week. Despite being a fragment of Ernest Hemingway's classic WWI tale, "A Farewell to Arms" was nominated for four Academy Awards in the early 1930s and stars Gary Cooper in one of his more memorable roles.
With the holiday shopping season over, next week will see a decrease in notable new movie releases, though there will still be a few options for TV lovers.
In the style of "Paranormal Activity," thriller "Apollo 18" was a solid commercial hit when it reached theaters in September and "Final Destination 5" was another big worldwide success as well, continuing the incredibly lucrative Warner Brothers franchise.
From Showtime, the first seasons of both "The Borgias" and "Shameless" will be available on Blu-ray and DVD starting next week and fans of "Archer" will get a chance to grab the first season as F/X gets ready to launch season two in a few weeks.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.