The writers’ strike that lasted into early 2008 actually limited the number of tentpole films studios could produce for this summer, not that anyone could discern that by looking at Hollywood’s front-loaded 2009 schedule, which saw three fanboy epics, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator Salvation open on successive weekends in May.  In 2008 there were just two such films, Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, debuting at either end of May and both films earned over $300 million, something that 2009’s early season fanboy films are very unlikely to accomplish. While overall ticket sales for May are up over 2008, it comes at a certain cost to the closely-spaced individual films.

 

There was a similar May logjam in the DVD aisles where the two surprise hits of early 2009, Taken and Paul Blart Mall Cop have dominated DVD sales.  These two unlikely powerhouses have not only cannibalized sales from each other and from Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie, but they likely put a crimp in sales of Academy Award-winning films such as The Curious Case of the Benjamin Button and The Wrestler.  After a first quarter during which DVD sales slipped a substantial 10%, the potent slate of May releases has slowed the decline in DVD sales considerably, though there is little doubt that the individual titles might have done somewhat better if they hadn’t been released in such proximity.

 

While Paul Blart has earned slightly more in theaters than Taken ($146 million to $144 million), Taken has performed better on DVD, especially on Blu-ray.  With a superb performance from Liam Neeson and breakneck pacing throughout, Taken is a non-stop thriller with great California and Paris location work that simply looks great on Blu-ray.  In addition to lots of cool commentaries and a digital copy of the film, the BD version includes the “Extended Cut” of the film, a solid “making-of” featurette, a great short demonstrating how the action scenes are shot for maximum effect, and a Black Ops field manual that explains how Neeson’s character acquired his special skills.

 

One of the films whose sales have been hurt by the glut of May titles is Bryan Singer’s underrated Valkyrie, which is based on the plot by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) to kill Hitler and shorten World War II.  Like Taken, Valkryie is doing particularly well on Blu-ray with nearly 18% of its sales in hi-def format.  One look at the breathtaking African front sequences is enough to validate the Blu-ray format, which captures every bit of the action.  In addition to an absolutely superb transfer of the film, the Blu-ray disc includes a digital copy of the film and over 3 hours of fascinating behind-the-scenes footage.

 

Another film that has done exceptionally well on Blu-ray, which accounts for 12% of its sales, is David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has been released under the Criterion Collection’s imprint, and reflects the high quality, cinephile Criterion approach throughout.  With great features including interviews, commentaries, and priceless explanations of the film’s ingenious special effects, the 2-disc Benjamin Button Blu-ray is one of the best BD releases of all time.  As a film the genre-melding Benjamin Button, which mixes science fiction, history, and romance into a swirling epic adventure, is likely to grow in stature over time, and this Blu-ray version should become a solid catalog seller in the best Criterion tradition.