In a fairly quiet week for new releases, the latest season of HBO's popular fantasy series "True Blood" is among the most prominent new titles hitting DVD and Blu-ray, with feature drama "Beautiful Creatures" also hoping to find its audience after struggling in theaters.
Other movies getting launched this week in the home market include Steven Soderbergh's corporate thriller "Side Effects," Arnold Schwarzenegger's action flick "The Last Stand" and Jason Statham-starring "Parker." Al Pacino's crime-comedy "Stand Up Guys" will also make its way onto DVD and Blu-ray, though an extremely limited theatrical run makes it unlikely that it will have much success in the home market either.
First aired back in 2008, "True Blood" didn't take long to become one of HBO's most popular shows as it captured the fan frenzy surrounding vampires. But unlike the PG-13 "Twilight" series that was amped up by younger teen audiences, "True Blood" was able to appeal to adults thanks to HBO's ability to show uncensored material, giving it a completely different take on the vampire genre.
Anna Paquin stars as Sookie Stackhouse, a southern belle in a small town who gets caught in the middle of sinister plots involving not just vampires but werewolves, shape-shifters and demons. With the sixth season of "True Blood" set to air in mid-June after "Game of Thrones" wraps up, fans can start catching up with season five starting this week.
Also hoping to find audiences this week is fantasy drama "Beautiful Creatures," starring Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert and Oscar nominee Viola Davis. Hoping to find a similar audience as "Twilight," "Beautiful Creatures" hit theaters right around Valentine's Day, though its target crowd mostly skipped it in favor of romantic drama "Safe Haven" and "A Good Day to Die Hard."
"Beautiful Creatures" would end up with just $19 million in domestic revenue, a very low number for a fantasy film with a $60 million production budget. "Beautiful Creatures" has less direct competition this week, though it could still struggle to find much of an audience on DVD and Blu-ray.
Another title with minimal upside in the home market this week is "Side Effects," the latest from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Even with an all-star cast that includes Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Channing Tatum and some decent critical reviews, "Side Effects" didn't do much damage at the box office, racking up only $32 million domestically and not gaining an international release.
In the vein of sly Soderbergh thrillers like "Contagion" and even "Traffic," "Side Effects" is a case study of a society completely addicted to anti-anxiety medications, leading to dire consequences when one woman gets more than she bargained from her most recent prescription.
Movie fans looking for a different experience this week could turn to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "The Last Stand," which marks his first feature role since returning to acting. Though "The Last Stand" was far from a smash hit, it also gathered some critical praise as it hit theaters back in mid-January. Schwarzenegger stars as a no-nonsense border town sheriff who ends up the last man standing in front of a dangerous criminal fleeing the United States.
After his break from acting to be the governor of California, Schwarzenegger is right back on the action scene with several upcoming releases and will reteam with Sylvester Stallone later this year for action movie "Escape Plan," which is slated to hit theaters in September.
Competing directly with Schwarzenegger this week is Jason Statham's "Parker," though poor box office numbers and unfavorable reviews make it a tough sell on DVD and Blu-ray. Like many of his other roles, Statham stars as a tough guy-type on a mission to take down a crew of thieves that left him for dead. Jennifer Lopez and Nick Nolte also co-star in a film from Taylor Hackford ("Ray," "The Devil's Advocate").
"Stand Up Guys" is another new title taking aim at mostly adult audiences, but it doesn't look like it will have much of a shelf life after barely even getting released in theaters. Even with Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken starring, R-rated "Stand Up Guys" never got much of a theatrical release, hitting just 670 venues at its widest point and earning less than $4 million in the process. "Stand Up Guys" could do slightly better in the home market thanks to its popular cast, though it will likely still struggle to compete with "The Last Stand" and even "Parker."
Next week, in a very slow part of the release calendar, thriller "Dark Skies" is the most prominent new title hitting DVD and Blu-ray, with comedy "Dorfman in Love" also getting its release. Movie fans can also check out a couple of older titles, including a new special edition set of "Cleopatra," the Criterion Collection of Mike Leigh's "Life is Sweet" and a special edition Blu-ray version of "Rolling Thunder."
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.