BLU-RAY TUESDAY: 'Epic' Goes on Pint-Sized Blu-ray Adventure, 'Scary Movie V' Rehashes 'Paranormal' Parody

Caught in a summer where schooled monsters and an army of Minions laid claim to the animated box office, Blue Sky Entertainment's Epic takes the adventure home to Blu-ray. Epic leads this week's new releases which also include: Scary Movie V, Amour, Scooby Doo: Stage Fright, Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Second Season and Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Third Season.

Based on William Joyce's children's book, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs, Epic follows a teenage girl (Amanda Seyfried) magically transported to the unseen world of little people living in her own backyard. Together with the help of Leafmen soldiers, a slug and a snail, she must protect a pod from evil forces in the forest. Epic is distributed on Blu-ray by 20th Century Fox in various formats including the standard Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet combo pack as well as a 3D edition. However, Target is releasing an exclusive 24-page Digibook.   

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Butler' Serves Up Shocking Upset Over Violent 'Kick-Ass' Sequel

In what was one of the most unpredictable weekends of the summer, let alone the year, Lee Daniels' The Butler denied Kick-Ass 2 from living up to its name and taking the top spot this weekend at the box office.

After various legal disputes over the title and scheduling changes, there's been plenty of buzz surrounding The Butler. Oprah Winfrey has also been diligently promoting the period piece, which she also stars in. The Butler plays up the "based on a true story" characteristics attributing to the 30-plus year tenure of a White House butler.

Foul-mouthed superhero sequel, Kick-Ass 2 debuted with a disappointing fourth place start, opening just over $13 million. The weak opening shocked many moviegoers and analysts after the first film's audience grew on home media and was expected to translate strong for the sequel. The Steve Jobs bio-pic, Jobs and Harrison Ford's Paranoia also opened over the weekend; neither of which snagged a spot in the Top 5.

'Elysium' Redresses Current Social Issues as Provoking Futuristic Action Drama

Max (Matt Damon) takes a stand against the socially divided system of the near-future. 

With only two feature films under his belt, what exactly should you expect from a Neill Blomkamp movie? First of all, there's always the dystopian element, leaving Earth or at least part of it in unlivable shambles. Add to that some sort of heavy-hitting message crammed in that affects contemporary society. District 9 was disguised as an alien flick full of immigration and overpopulation issues.

Blomkamp's latest sci-fi film, Elysium, does the same tackling both health care and social segregation. Little over a hundred years in the future, the entire population is divided by social class. The wealthy continue to live a life of luxury on the sole artificial space habitat orbiting the planet and all their health issues are taken care of after a few minutes in a restoration pod. Those not so lucky still live in the ruins of Earth, struggling day to day to survive.

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: 'Olympus Has Fallen' Leads Week's Blu-ray Assault, 'Muppet Movie' Re-Released for Near Anniversary

Before Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx teamed up to survive an full-fledged assault on the White House in Roland Emmerich's explosion-fest, White House Down, another film with the same exact plot hit theaters this past spring. Olympus Has Fallen leads this week's new Blu-ray releases which also include: The Muppet Movie (The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition), Once Upon a Time: The Complete Second Season, The Big Wedding and What Maisie Knew.

Much like Emmerich's White House Down, Gerard Butler takes on the Channing Tatum role, playing a Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President of the United States (Aaron Eckhart) after the White House is under siege by North Koreans. Olympus Has Fallen is released on Blu-ray by Sony Pictures as a Blu-ray, DVD, UltraViolet combo pack and is directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day).

'Percy Jackson' Sequel Cranks Up Modern-Day Mythological Adventure

If you're still waiting for the next Harry Potter phenomenon to launch on the big screen, your patience will be tested a bit longer. Back in early 2010, Chris Columbus (ironically the director of the first two Potter films) helmed Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - the first installment of the Rick Riordan series of the same name that mashed Greek mythology with a contemporary setting. While Percy Jackson wasn't exactly a blockbuster ($88 million domestic), there's still a crowd out for a sequel.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is the second installment lined up in the franchise as demigod Percy (Logan Lerman) believes himself to be a one-adventure wonder after procuring Zeus' missing lightning bolt. But as fate would have it, Percy and his get caught up in chasing after the fabled Golden Fleece somewhere in the Sea of Monsters or the Bermuda Triangle as it's known to mortals.  

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Futuristic Commentary 'Elysium' Leads Overcrowded Weekend, Falls Short of 'District 9' Debut

Four new releases debuted in a heavily crowded frame this past weekend, but it was Neill Blomkamp's futuristic social commentary Elysium that emerged victorious with its $30 million opening. 

Elysium stars Matt Damon as a dying factory worker in the year 2154, who's only chance of survival is to find a way aboard a luxurious space colony where the wealthy are provided with the finest health care of the future. Elysium is supplied with a more prominent cast and larger budget than Blomkamp's 2009 directorial debut, District 9, but while Elysium secured the top spot at the box office this past weekend, it failed to match the director's previous opening.

The other three new releases, We're the Millers, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters and Planes fought over the remaining spots in the Top 5, leaving last week's #1, 2 Guns barely hanging on to the final spot at the box office.

'Cars' Spin-Off 'Planes' Nosedives Into Straight-to-Video Oblivion

Crop duster Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) prepares for the Wings Around the Globe competition.

Little over a month ago, Disney received plenty of heat towards their underwhelming big budget interpretation of The Lone Ranger, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Originally intended to a direct-to-video release with its sequel to follow in 2014, Planes flies into theaters to capitalize on the studios lucrative Cars brand. Perhaps this spin-off would have been better off grounded for a home media release.

The first image in the animated film reiterates in big bold letters that Planes happens in the world of Cars if the borrowed character designs weren't already a dead giveaway. Forget Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater as they're nowhere to been or heard from. The duo hailing from Radiator Springs get swapped out by second-rate replacements who find their adventures up in the air.

Thor and Loki Forge Uneasy Alliance in Marvel's 'Thor: The Dark World' Trailer

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) team up with Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to take on a greater universal evil.

With exactly three months remaining until Marvel fully unveils its second chapter of Phase Two, the studio in conjunction with YouTube's Geek Week released the second trailer for Thor: The Dark World online this Wednesday.

The latest trailer for Thor: The Dark World bears too much resemblance to the initial trailer attached to Marvel's own Iron Man 3 a few months back, leaving many comic book fans still left in the dark about many of the film's details. But honestly, by no means is it a cheap move by Disney and Marvel to keep plenty of their cards close to the chest. When November 8th rolls around, the more surprises Marvel dishes out the better as long as there's nothing to polarize audiences like one certain turn of events in Iron Man 3.

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: 'Oblivion' Blasts Home on Blu-ray with Metalpak and Other Retail Exclusives

Tom Cruise just keeps missing the elusive century mark with his three latest outings (his most recent $100 million hit being 2011's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), however audiences have the opportunity to check out his dystopian futuristic film Oblivion this week on Blu-ray. Also set to release this week are The Place Beyond the Pines, Mud, The Borgias: The Complete Third Season and several Disney classics. 

In Oblivion, Jack Harper (Cruise) is the one of the few drone repairman stationed on 2077 Earth alongside his communications partner and romantic interest, Victoria (Andrea Riseborough). However after a routine checkup turns south, Harper begins to realize that all that he's known may not exactly be the truth.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Washington, Wahlberg Action Flick Outguns 'Smurfs' Sequel in Weekend Frame

Normally it's the evil wizard Gargamel's job to cause despair for the Smurfs, but not this weekend as Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg's bested the little blue people from the top spot with their latest action flick, 2 Guns. 

In 2 Guns, Washington and Wahlberg get caught up in robbing millions of dollars from a Mexican drug cartel, but while the formulaic action plot catapulted the film to the top spot of this weekend's box office, its $27 million opening is also the lowest #1 of the summer. 

Family film, The Smurfs 2 fell short of not only the top spot, but also the #2 spot even finding itself behind last week's superhero champion, The Wolverine. Opening this past Wednesday, the Smurfs sequel burned nearly $10 million of its gross before the weekend started, leaving its 3-day total about half of the first film's $35 million opening weekend. 

'Smurfs' Sequel Slightly Improves Over Previous Hybrid Adventure

Smurfette (Katy Perry) warms up to her evil captors Vexy (Christina Ricci) and Hackus (J.B. Smoove).

Brace yourself for the return of even more blue beings back on the big screen for a sequel that manages to outperform its predecessor. But don't get too excited if you were expecting the sequel to James Cameron's Avatar. It's not, just another round of Smurf adventures in The Smurfs 2.

Two years have passed since the Smurfs last thwarted their arch-nemesis Gargamel (Hank Azaria) in the heart of Times Square, but that brief setback hasn't stopped the bumbling villain from concocting yet another dim-witted plot to take over the world. This time around, his Naughties, evil gray Smurfs, kidnap his reformed creation Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry) from Smurf Village, forcing her to reveal the ingredients of a powerful Smurf formula.

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' Seeks Vengeance with Steelbook, Extended Cut Exclusives

Without much resistance Cobra took command over the White House this past spring, now the villainous organization has its sights on the home media market as G.I. Joe: Retaliation makes its way to Blu-ray this Tuesday. Also scheduled for release are Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 4 and Star Trek: The Next Generation - Redemption.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation is the sequel to 2009's cartoonish G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, featuring old and new Joes who have been targeted by the terrorist organization Cobra, who have infiltrated and assumed absolute control over the United States government. Roadblock (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson), Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) are a few of the Joes who survived Cobra's extermination and band together to seek vengeance on the evil group.

'Wolverine' Sequel Claws Its Way to Middle of X-Men Pack

Adamantium-clawed Logan (Hugh Jackman) confronts his own mortality in Japan in The Wolverine.

The quality of the X-Men movies hasn't been the most consistent over the franchise's decade-plus run. When the series belts out rock solid installments such as X2 and X-Men: First Class, they're not just superior superhero films, but rank amongst the best of the their respective years. But then again, the franchise also includes X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Feel free to erase those two from canon.

Much like 2009's X-Men Origins, The Wolverine is a standalone feature that focuses solely on Hugh Jackman's adamantium-clawed loner, Wolverine. Set one year after The Last Stand, Wolverine is summoned to Japan to fulfill the dying wishes of Yashida, an industrial tycoon whose life he saved during the Nagasaki attacks. Yashida offers Wolverine an opportunity to strip away his immortality and put an end to eternal suffering.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'The Wolverine' Attacks Top Spot Despite Weaker X-Men Franchise Opening

There was no surprise that The Wolverine would claw its way to the top spot at the box office this weekend, however the standalone mutant film starring Hugh Jackman debuted weaker than every other X-Men film in the franchise with the exception of the first film from 2000.

The Wolverine transports adamantium-clawed superhero halfway around the globe to Japan to reunite with an industrial tycoon whose life he saved during World War II. Despite being based on a popular 80's X-Men arc, a $55 million opening for The Wolverine is startling for a franchise that has boasted higher numbers in the past.   

Last week's top film, The Conjuring and previous two-week champion Despicable Me 2 continued to hold strong in the face of competition. The James Wan scare fest closes in on a successful $100 million run, while Illumination Entertainment's animated spy flick became to second film of 2013 to cross $300 million domestically.

'The Conjuring' Frightens Away Guts and Gore For Retro Ghost Hunting

Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) confronts the evil entity tormenting a Rhode Island family.

For a while there, director James Wan failed to generate the same level of genre-changing thrills that his breakout slasher Saw had in 2004. Dead Silence and Death Sentence weren't exactly resume highlights, however Wan returned to the horror scene in early 2011 with his terrifying supernatural thriller Insidious, which gave  audiences a second wind of Wan's contemporary mastery of the genre, and in return scared the living daylights out of them as hefty thank you. Wan now continues to spread his wings into the supernatural once more with The Conjuring.

From the start, The Conjuring claims to be based on the undisclosed investigation of paranormal team Ed and Lorraine Warren, most notable for their involvement in the Amityville Horror case. The Conjuring, however, is set a few years before Amityville as the Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) investigate the disturbing events at house of the Perrons, a Rhode Island couple living with their five girls.

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: Danny Boyle's 'Trance' Leads Quiet Week For Blu-Ray New Releases

With no major studio releases set to street this Tuesday, audiences however can choose between a few new titles that only received limited exposure beyond the Toronto International Film Festival and a handful of independent markets.

Director Danny Boyle is prominently known for his use of vivid color palettes featured in 2008 Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire and 2010 Best Picture nominee, 127 Hours. His latest psychological caper, Trance is equally stylized while audiences delve deep into the mind of an art auctioneer (James McAvoy), whose memories are the key to locating a misplaced piece of art. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: 'Conjuring' Frightens the Masses During Overcrowded Weekend Frame

With four new releases launching onto the big screen this weekend, Despicable Me 2's impressive back-to-back run as the top film at the box office was set to end.

The Conjuring starring Patrick Wilson (Insidious) and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel) scared up a first place finish with an estimated $42 million, setting a horror record for  non-sequels, prequels or reboots. The Conjuring also is a career high for director James Wan (Saw, Insidious).

Dropping to the second place, Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me 2 continued to fend off the other three new releases, Turbo, RED 2 and R.I.P.D. with another $25 million added to its $276 million 3-week run. Despicable Me 2 is now the highest grossing animated film from the past three years.

'Turbo' Idles in Pursuit of Predictable Underdog Roads

Turbo (Ryan Reynolds) convinces his brother (Paul Giamatti) that his new powers are for the better.

Back in 2010, DreamWorks Animation was undeniably at the top of their game with acclaimed Viking adventure, How to Train Your Dragon. Flash forward three years later and while fairy-tale Avengers and caveman road trips haven't been complete busts, Rise of the Guardians and The Croods haven't sealed the deal in becoming long-term franchises. And don't think for one second a super-fast snail racing in the Indianapolis 500 is the solution either.

That's right, one of the slowest creatures imaginable right in the middle of the most famous race in NASCAR. Is Turbo an example of "Bizarro world" at its finest or is DreamWorks Animation randomly choosing plot points out of a hat? In actuality, Turbo's quite derivative in the way the underdog story unfolds.

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: 'Evil Dead' Reboot Scares Up Various Exclusives, '42' Hits Home Run on Blu-Ray

Jackie Robinson, Sylvester Stallone and the Evil Dead are as remotely different from one another as possible, but all three go head-to-head on home media as 42: The Jackie Robinson Story, Bullet to the Head and Evil Dead street this week on Blu-Ray.

42 was released in theaters this past April just in time for the start of the 2013 Major League Baseball season and now finds itself on Blu-Ray precisely for the league's All-Star game. 42 is Jackie Robinson's biography onscreen detailing his initial year playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first player to break the color barrier in the sport in 1947. 

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Raunchy 'Grown Ups' Sequel Edges Out 'Pacific Rim; 'Despicable Me 2' Repeats

The Minions from Despicable Me 2 may have conquered the box office for a second week in a row, but the most asked question coming out of the weekend was how Adam Sandler's toilet humor antics attracted a slightly larger audience than giant robots clanking metal with Godzilla.

Grown Ups 2 and Pacific Rim clashed head-to-head for the #2 and #3 spots over the weekend, however Adam Sandler's comedy emerged victorious with $42.5 million to Pacific Rim's $38 million. Grown Ups 2 and Pacific Rim appeal to two completely polarizing demographics, but both films still fell short of Despicable Me 2's second weekend haul, opening close to $45 million.

Despicable Me 2 continues its assault on the summer box office, breaking the $200 million milestone in 12 days of release. Only Toy Story 3 and Shrek 2 reached $200 million a few days faster with both finishing above $400 million at the box office.