Four new movies are opening nationwide this holiday weekend:

a-good-day-to-die-hardExpected to top the weekend box office is the action thriller sequel A Good Day to Die Hard directed by John Moore and starring Bruce Willis and Jai Courtney. The film’s music is composed by Marco Beltrami (3:10 to Yuma, Scream) who previously scored the last film in the series, Live Free or Die Hard. Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score. For audio clips and the full album details, visit our soundtrack announcement. For a recent interview with Beltrami about his work on the film and his other recent projects, visit Film Music Magazine.

safe-havenAlso opening wide is the romantic drama/thriller Safe Haven directed by Lasse Hallstrom and starring Josh Duhamel, Julianne Hough, David Lyons, Cobie Smulders and Noah Lomax. The film’s original score is composed by Deborah Lurie who previously worked with Hallstrom on the Nicholas Sparks adaptation Dear John and An Unfinished Life. A soundtrack album featuring the film’s songs, as well as one score track has been released by Relativity Music Group and Republic Records. Check out our previous article for the full details. Relativity has also released a separate soundtrack featuring Lurie’s score. For audio clips and more information, click here.

beautiful-creaturesAnother wide release this week is the fantasy romance Beautiful Creatures directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, Thomas Mann and Emma Thompson. The British rock band thenewno2 has composed the film’s original music. WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the band’s score. To listen to audio clips, check out the full album details and learn more about the film, visit our soundtrack announcement. For a video interview with the composers at the red carpet premiere in Hollywood last week, visit YouTube.

escape-from-planet-earthThe final wide release of the week is the animated feature Escape from Planet Earth directed by Cal Brunker and featuring the voice talent of Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Rob Corddry, James Gandolfini and Craig Robinson. The film’s original music is composed by Aaron Zigman (The Notebook, Bridge to Terabithia) who has scored his first animated film. For audio clips and more information about the soundtrack and film, visit our previous article. For a short video interview with Zigman at the film’s premiere in Hollywood, visit Trailer Addict.

shanghai-callingOpening in limited release is the romantic comedy Shanghai Calling written and directed by Daniel Hsia and starring Daniel Henney, Eliza Coupe, Bill Paxton, Geng Le, Zhu Zhu and Alan Ruck. The film’s music is composed by Christopher Carmichael and Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Time Machine). A soundtrack album featuring the score has been released on Badelt’s own label and is now available to download on Amazon. To learn more about the film, visit the official movie website.