Want to know what’s coming soon to digital and what to watch right now on Vudu? Here is your weekly guide to the latest releases:
What are the latest new releases to watch right now?
Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is now available on Vudu following its theatrical release. But here’s a surprise twist: in addition to the theatrical version of the new horror sequel, the digital release also come with a special extended cut that adds an extra eight minutes to the runtime. That may not seem like much, but the changes are at the beginning and the ending, the latter of which is said to change the movie — and the franchise — entirely.
Both versions follow-up the 2019 original, which was inspired by the escape room phenomenon where a group of friends enter into a space and have to solve a puzzle game in order to exit before the clock runs out. Of course, this being a horror movie, the escape rooms here are deadly traps for six strangers thrown together. Tournament of Champions brings back the two survivors from the first movie to experience an even larger game while attempting to uncover the truth about who’s behind the whole thing.
The Protégé is also now available on Vudu. The well-reviewed action movie stars the incredible Maggie Q (Mission: Impossible III) as the world’s greatest assassin, Samuel L. Jackson as her mentor, and Michael Keaton as a mysterious hitman she becomes involved with during a revenge-driven quest. Martin Campbell, who helmed two of the best James Bond movies, Goldeneye and Casino Royale, is the director, so you know it’s a thrilling watch.
And for the little ones, PAW Patrol: The Movie is also now available on Vudu. The animated feature continues the adventures of the titular crew of canines, including Marshall, Chase, Zuma, Rubble and Skye, plus Ryder, the ten-year-old boy who leads the team. For their first big-screen mission, the PAW Patrol heads to the city to thwart an evil plan by Mayor Humdinger, and they receive help from a new pup: a dachshund named Liberty. Family entertainment doesn’t get more delightfully wholesome than this.
What movies and TV series are great to pair with that new release?
The obvious movie to watch with Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is the first Escape Room movie. But there are plenty of horror movies centered around games and traps, from the William Castle classic House on Haunted Hill to the iconic and successful Saw franchise (get all nine movies in a bundle). Don’t overlook such cult favorites as Cube and Battle Royale. I also think YA franchises The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner would pair well with the Escape Room movies, as would any of the installments of the Final Destination series.
For both The Protégé and PAW Patrol: The Movie, the best choices are television series. Of course, the latter is really best paired with the PAW Patrol cartoon, of which there are 15 seasons available on Vudu. For the former, the show you need to watch is Nikita, the latest TV adaptation of Luc Besson’s 1990 action film, as it also stars Maggie Q as an assassin. And if you want more women assassin movies, I recommend the original Nikita movie, plus Atomic Blonde, Hanna and Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
What are some great movies to to buy for Hispanic Heritage Month?
National Hispanic Heritage Month began last week, and Vudu has a sale highlighting relevant movies through September 28. Beloved titles include the biopic Selena, the crowd-pleasing drama Stand and Deliver and the Disney animated feature The Emperor’s New Groove. And speaking of Disney animated features, you’ll want to pick up Pixar’s Coco and pair it with Jorge Gutierrez’s The Book of Life, a similar animated film produced by Guillermo del Toro. If you want to keep the animation flowing, you can also buy Rio and Rio 2 together as a double-feature bundle.
I recommend pairing Pedro Almodóvar’s Oscar-winning masterpiece All About My Mother with Sebastián Lelio’s Oscar-winning drama A Fantastic Woman, which features an unforgettable performance by Daniela Vega. Also, go ahead and grab Almodóvar’s Talk to Her and Volver, as well. Then head down to Brazil with Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s excellent crime film City of God and follow it with the original version of Miss Bala. Sports lovers will want to score the soccer drama Rudo y Cursi, starring Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna, and the baseball drama Sugar, about a Dominican teen with an American dream.
Other essentials include the Frida Kahlo biopic Frida, the young Che Guevara biopic The Motorcycle Diaries, Pablo Larrain’s truth-based drama No and the romantic drama Like Water for Chocolate. I also suggest grabbing the underrated Robert Rodriguez action movies Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Alita: Battle Angel, the latter produced by James Cameron. For the kids, there’s also Rodriguez’s Spy Kids franchise, collected in a three-movie bundle, and for the adults, there’s his R-rated sorta-spin-off Machete. If you’re going to watch that, you need to also watch the recent documentary about its star: Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo.
In addition to the sale, Vudu is also spotlighting more Hispanic movies, including family films recommended by Rotten Tomatoes. Those include the animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba, the documentary Underwater Dreams and the highly entertaining new musical In the Heights. And from Vudu’s curation of essential Spanish-language films, I have to mention Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone and Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory as well as Cronicas, Sin Nombre and Maria Full of Grace.
Are we celebrating any big movie and TV anniversaries this week?
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the horror remake Thirteen Ghosts (a.k.a Thir13en Ghosts) and the premiere of the sci-fi series Star Trek: Enterprise. Meanwhile, the Bette Midler-Goldie Hawn-Diane Keaton comedy The First Wives Club, the Bruce Willis-led Prohibition-set action movie Last Man Standing, the Anthony Hopkins-as-Pablo Picasso artist biopic Surviving Picasso and the delicious indie film Big Night all turn 25. Also, the phenomenally popular and Oscar-nominated fish-out-of- water comedy “Crocodile” Dundee and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer as well as the iconic alien-focused TV sitcom ALF turn 35.
Going back further, the Best Picture-winning Olympics drama Chariots of Fire and the crime drama True Confessions, starring Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall, both turn 40 years old this week. Also, John Schlesinger’s Sunday Bloody Sunday turns 50 while the Paul Newman pool shark classic The Hustler turns 60. The musical An American in Paris and the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still were both released 70 years ago this week. And the Buster Keaton comedy Sidewalks of New York is now 90.
More recent titles with anniversaries include Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep, the must-see punk documentary American Hardcore and the superhero TV series Heroes, which all turn 15. Also, the sports drama Moneyball, the Taylor Lautner action movie Abduction, the French comedy The Intouchables, the clubbing documentary Limelight and the TV sitcom New Girl all celebrate their 10th anniversary. And M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Split, the animated feature Storks, the Western remake The Magnificent Seven and the popular TV series This Is Us are all already 5 years old!
Can you recommend some more great movie deals on Vudu?
In honor of Broadway opening back up this month, Vudu has a Back to Broadway deal including tons of musicals, most of them originally based on stage productions. They’ve got the classics The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady, the jukebox musicals Mamma Mia! and Rock of Ages, and movies of musicals adapted from earlier movies, such as Little Shop of Horrors and Hairspray. The sale also does include non-musical adaptations of stage dramas, such as Fences and Barefoot in the Park. My personal favorites include the films of Grease, The Music Man, Annie, Brigadoon, Chicago and the Neil Simon comedy The Odd Couple.
Vudu also has a sale on movies starring Saturday Night Live cast members, past and present, including Norm Macdonald, who recently passed away. In his memory, you can find him in Billy Madison, The Animal and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo. Other essentials include the Austin Powers trilogy, the Vacation four-movie bundle, The Blues Brothers, Bridesmaids, Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, Anchorman, Old School, Happy Gilmore, Obvious Child, mother! and Uncut Gems.
Speaking of notable screen performers, the latest Actor’s Spotlight showcases movies and TV shows starring Rosario Dawson, Oscar-nominees Tom Hardy and Vera Farmiga and current James Bond, Daniel Craig. My best recommendations for each are: 25th Hour and Shattered Glass for Dawson; Bronson and Locke for Hardy; Up in the Air and the series Bates Motel for Farmiga; and in addition to his four-film 007 collection, Knives Out and Logan Lucky for Craig and his scene-stealing Southern accents.
Finally, Vudu’s latest decade-spanning sale is offering more than 100 movies from the 1980s for just $8 each. Here are some double features I recommend: Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial with John Carpenter’s The Thing; Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket with Brian De Palma’s Casuaties of War; Big with The Last Starfighter; The Outsiders with Red Dawn; The Breakfast Club with Three O’Clock High; The Natural with Major League; and Broadcast News with Scrooged.
Which must-see movies are coming soon to Vudu?
M. Night Shyamalan’s Old is coming to Vudu early next month. The hit thriller follows a family to a resort, which directs them to the aforementioned locale, where they and a number of strangers rapidly age over the course of the day. As you can guess, with this being a Shyamalan movie, there is a crazy twist ending involved, but you’ll never guess what that twist is. But also like a Shyamalan movie, it’s about so much more than that conclusion. See for yourself when it’s released digitally on October 5.
What are the 10 most popular movies on Vudu?
The top movies on Vudu over the last seven days were led by Candyman, Nia DaCosta’s sequel to the 1992 horror movie of the same name. The Jordan Peele-produced follow-up arrived on Vudu last Friday as a “Theater At Home” premium rental. Other newcomers to the list include James Gunn’s DC comic book movie The Suicide Squad, which also debuted on Vudu last Friday, and the horror sequel The Forever Purge. The crazy new Nicolas Cage movie Prisoners of the Ghostland also hit the chart but not in the top 10 — it debuted in 15th place.
See the full top 10 list below.
1. Candyman
2. F9: The Fast Saga
3. The Suicide Squad
4. Black Widow
5. The Forever Purge
6. Jungle Cruise
7. Don’t Breathe 2
8. The Boss Baby: Family Business
9. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
10. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
