Two new movies opened nationwide this past Wednesday:

penguins-of-madagascarOpening in most theaters this week is the animated feature Penguins of Madagascar directed by Simon Smith & Eric Darnell and featuring the voice talent of Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Chris Knights, John Malkovich, Benedict Cumberbatch, Annett Mahendru, Ken Jeong and Peter Stormare. The film’s original music is composed by Lorne Balfe (Megamind, The Dilemma). Relativity Music Group has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s score from the film, as well as a separate soundtrack featuring five holiday songs. Check out our previous news article for the details of both albums and to learn more about the film.

horrible-bosses-2Also opening wide this weekend is the comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2 directed by Sean Anders and starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz. Christopher Lennertz (Identity Thief, Ride Along) has composed the film’s original score. Visit Anatomy of a Film for a recent video interview with the composer about his work on the film. WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring selections of Lennertz’s score, as well as songs by The Clash, Katy Perry, Pitbull, The Heavy, Timbaland, NWA, Toto and more. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full details and to listen to audio clips.

imitation-gameOpening in Los Angeles and New York today before expanding nationwide next month is the drama The Imitation Game directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Mark Strong, Matthew Goode and Charles Dance. The film’s original music is composed by Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech, Godzilla, Unbroken, The Grand Budapest Hotel). Sony Classical has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music earlier this month. Check out our previous news article for the full album details and for more information about the drama. Also check out recent interviews with Desplat about his work on the film at DP/30, HeyUGuys and Red Carpet News.

babadookAlso opening in limited release is the Australian horror thriller The Babadook directed by Jennifer Kent and starring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman and Daniel Henshall. Jed Kurzel (The Snowtown MurdersSon of a Gun) has composed the film’s original score. No soundtrack album has been announced. The Babadook follows a single mother coping with her troubled son and the shadowy monster that has taken over their home. The thriller premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for domestic distribution by IFC Midnight. For more information about the film, which is also being released on VOD, visit the official movie website.

before-i-disappearAlso opening in select markets is the indie comedy drama Before I Disappear written and directed by Shawn Christensen who also stars in the film alongside Fatima Ptacek, Emmy Rossum, Paul Wesley and Ron Perlman. Darren Morze who previously scored Christensen’s Academy Award-winning short Curfew has composed the film’s original music. No word yet on a soundtrack release. Before I Disappear follows a man at a low point in his life gets a call from his estranged sister asking him to take his 11-year-old niece for the night. The dramedy premiered at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award, and is being released in theaters and on VOD by IFC Films. To learn ore about the film, visit the official movie website.