Two new movies are opening nationwide this week:
Expected to top the weekend box office is the caper comedy Focus written and directed by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa and starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro and Gerald McRaney. The film’s original music is composed by Nick Urata (Paddington, Ruby Sparks) who previously scored the director’s I Love You Phillip Morris and Crazy, Stupid, Love. WaterTower Music has released a soundtrack album featuring the songs from the film by Bruno Hovart, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Sofa Surfers, Iggy & The Stooges, Doris & Kelley, Barbara Lewis & more. For the full album details and to learn more about the film, check out our previous news article.
Also opening wide is the horror thriller The Lazarus Effect directed by David Gelb, produced by Jason Blum and starring Mark Duplass, Olivia Wilde, Evan Peters, Donald Glover and Sarah Bolger. Sarah Schachner (Assassin’s Creed: Unity) has composed the film’s original music. Relativity Music Group has released a soundtrack album featuring Schachner’s score earlier this week. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details and for more information about the Blumhouse production.
Opening in limited release is the drama Maps to the Stars directed by David Cronenberg and starring Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams, Evan Bird and Sarah Gadon. The film’s original music is composed by Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Aviator, The Silence of the Lambs) who previously collaborated with Cronenberg on film including The Fly, Naked Lunch and A History of Violence. The composer’s label Howe Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the score from the movie. Check out our soundtrack announcement for the full album details. Maps to the Stars is being released stateside by Focus World.
Opening in New York and Los Angeles before expanding to other markets within the next few weeks is the British thriller ’71 directed by Yann Demange and starring Jack O’Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Martin McCann, Charlie Murphy, Sam Reid, Killian Scott, Corey McKinley and David Wilmot. David Holmes (Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen, Out of Sight, Analyze That) has composed the film’s original music. Touch Sensitive Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music when the film opened overseas last fall. Click here for the full album details and for more information about the film. ’71 is being distributed in the U.S. by Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate.
Another limited release this week is the action thriller Everly directed by Joe Lynch and starring Salma Hayek, Togo Igawa, Masashi Fujimoto and Hiroyuki Watanabe. The film’s original music is composed by Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Battlestar Galactica). Sparks & Shadows Records has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s, as well as performances by Raya Yarbrough and Brendan McCreary last month. Visit out previous news article for the full album details, to listen to audio clips and for more information about the Radius-TWC release.
Also opening in select cities is the horror thriller Out of the Dark directed by Lluís Quílez and starring Julia Stiles, Scott Speadman and Stephen Rea. Fernando Velazquez (The Impossible, Mama, The Orphanage, Hercules) has composed the film’s original music. No soundtrack album has been announced. Out of the Dark is set in South America and follows a young family whose new life turns from promising to terrifying when they are forced to confront ancient legends, ghosts and a haunting family secret. The thriller is being released stateside by Vertical Entertainment. For more information about the film, visit the official movie website.
Also opening in select markets is the Chinese 3D fantasy adventure Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal directed by Tianyu Zhao and starring Chen Kun, Li Bingbing, Winston Chao, Bao Bei-er, Yang Zishan and Jike Junyi. The film’s original music is composed by Javier Navarrete (Pan’s Labyrinth, Wrath of the Titans, Mirrors). Lakeshore Records will release a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music digitally next month and physically later in April. For the full album details and to learn more about the Chinese production, which is being released in the U.S. by Well Go USA, visit our soundtrack announcement.
Another limited release this weekend is the western The Salvation directed by Kristian Levring and starring Mads Mikkelsen, Eva Green, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eric Cantona and Jonathan Pryce. The film’s original music is composed by Kasper Winding (The Riot Club). Zentropa Musi has released a soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music last year. Visit iTunes to download the score. The Salvation is set in 70s America where a settler kills his family’s murderer and unleashes the fury of a notorious gang leader. The western premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was picked up by IFC Films for a release in select theaters and on VOD. To learn more about the film, visit IFC’s official movie website.
Already playing in select theaters since this past Wednesday is the indie comedy Wild Canaries written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine and starring himself, alongside Sophia Takal, Alia Shawkat and Jason Ritter. Michael Montes (Whipped, Ping Pong Summer) has composed the film’s original music. A soundtrack album featuring the composer’s music is now available digitally. To listen to audio clips and to check out the full album details, visit our previous article, where you can also learn more about the Sundance Selects release.
