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R.I.P. Warner Premiere, Sequels In Doubt
Warner Bros. has shut down Warner Premiere, its straight-to-video division. The label was launched at the height of the DVD boom in the mid-2000s, when consumers rabidly bought movies made specifically for the format. Warners cited the declining DVD market and the current transition to digital in a statement released Monday.
Franchise potential is now in doubt as among the more high-profile offering produced by Warner Premiere were 2008’s Lost Boys: The Tribe and 2010’s Lost Boys: The Thirst, and the original horror movies Trick ‘r Treat and The Hills Run Red. We’ve confirmed that the long-gestured Beetlejuice sequel is safe as it has moved into Warners.
This makes complete sense strictly from a major studio’s business perspective. Yet from the mind of an indie filmmaker, you look at this and laugh – this is what happens when you overspend on a direct-to-video title. There’s no reason we need a $4-6 million dollar Lost Boys sequel that looks like it was made for a dollar.
Premiere was the breeding ground for half-assed scripts, rushed productions and lackluster product. Good riddance I say…
Get ready for double the fun, protagonists, and body count when Ready or Not 2: Here I Come explodes on streaming next week.
Just in time for the fireworks, the sequel makes its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on July 2.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett are back, along with Samara Weaving, for more hide and slay mayhem.
Picking up moments after the all-out attack from the Le Domas family in the first Ready or Not movie, Grace (Weaving) discovers she’s reached the next level of the nightmarish game — and this time with her estranged sister Faith (Kathryn Newton) at her side. Grace has one chance to survive, keep her sister alive, and claim the High Seat of the Council that controls the world. Four rival families are hunting her for the throne, and whoever wins rules it all.
That means a higher body count and even more explosive carnage. Just how much? A whopping 325 gallons worth, the directors previously told BD.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood, Kevin Durand, Olivia Cheng, Varun Saranga, and Daniel Beirne also star.
I wrote in my review for Bloody Disgusting, “More is more in Ready or Not 2. Bigger stakes, larger playing field, a higher (and more gruesome) body count, and even double the protagonists. It’s all designed to deliver maximum crowd-pleasing fun.”
The horror-comedy sequel is written by Guy Busick and R. Christopher Murphy.
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