DVD Season

According to Variety, the sequel to Sony's "Open Season" is going straight to DVD.



Though "Open Season" grossed just a so-so $85 million domestically and $105 million overseas, Sony felt the pic performed strongly in homevid and that, with a good follow-up story, it would help meet the goal of increasing SPA's output.

"We don't have a deep bench yet , so we're certainly looking to have more product available," said Sony Pictures Digital prexy Yair Landau. "We felt we had a really fun story and the marketplace wants more 'Open Season.'"

Sequel will focus on one of the original pic's supporting characters, Mr. Weenie, a domesticated dachshund who escapes to join the rebellion of forest animals.

While the idea of straight-to-DVD always scares the pants off of me, I liked the original film a great deal, and will probably wind up picking up the sequel, even if it does wind up being a Sony executive's turd stamped into the form of a DVD.

If anything, it will make for a great conversation piece.

More on Open Season 2 from Variety

Open Season On DVD Today!

Just wanted to remind everyone that "Open Season" hits DVD shelves today.

I enjoyed the film in theaters a great deal, so I made sure to pick up my copy at lunch today. As a side bonus-note-thing, if you purchase it at Best Buy (on sale for $16 bucks), you get a free plush toy of one of the characters from the film. I got the rabbit, not by choice, but because the woman working the counter at Best Buy looked like she probably could have ripped my spine out with one hand if I had asked for a different one.

Open Season DVD Info

DVD Active has all of the info on the January 30th "Open Season" DVD release.



Extras will include a filmmaker audio commentary, deleted scenes, a Voices Behind the Stars featurette, a Swept Away Scene Deconstruction, an Inside the Animals Studio feature, an "I Wanna Lose Control" music video, interactive games, and more.

I was disappointed to see that there is no planned short to be included with the film. I'll stick pick up the DVD, as it was a fun movie, but I would have loved a short starring the rabbits.

"Open Season" DVD Release Info from DVD Active

Weekend Box Office

Well there's only one animated feature left in the top 50 spots at the box office, and it's "Open Season."



According to Box Office Mojo, the film took in an additional $6.1 million this weekend, bringing its five week total up to $77.4 million. This also moves it up to the #21 spot for all-time top grossing computer animated films, behind "Robots" (#18 with $128.2 million), "Antz" (#19 with $90.8 million), and "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" (#20 with $80.9 million).

It's nice to see it slowly move towards the golden $100 million mark domestically, and worldwide it's already hit that mark. It should do pretty well in DVD sales as well, meaning that Sony will more than recoup their $85 million production budget, though I'm not sure how much was spent on advertising.

It's a good film, and has way more life than Sony's mo-cap films. If you haven't checked it out yet, you really should.

Box Office Mojo's Weekend Box Office Chart

Official "Open Season" Website

What You Should Do This Weekend

You want to know what I think you should do this weekend if you haven't already?

Go see this movie:



Now don't get yourself all worked up and think that I'm getting paid to plug the film or anything, because I most certainly am not. What I am is a fan of the film, and think that it was very good. Catch me in the right mood and I might even go so far as to say it was great.

There are far worse ways you could spend your time this weekend, so go hit your local picture show house, or better yet an IMAX theater and check out the film. If you don't find at least one thing in it to enjoy, at least you can munch on some popcorn and overpriced Goobers.

Goobers... that's a funny name.