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TOP OF THE POPES
WARNER LEADS APRIL BOX OFFICE GROWTH
A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
TRINITY REBRANDS
50 YEARS OF SLADE IN FLAME… HOW DOES IT FEEL?
NEW LIGHT SHED ON ECLIPSE
ARROW REVEALS JULY SLATE…
…AND MORE FOR CRITERION TOO
MIKEY ARRIVES – MORE THAN 30 YEARS AFTER OUTRAGE
SHINING A LIGHT ON WICK
UNKNOWN FACTS PROPEL DYLAN RELEASE
UP POMPEII!
DEGI REVEALS LATAM DETAILS
DRAGON OFFERS UP A MOMENT
SPOTTED OUT AND ABOUTSUPPORT THE RAYGUN
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK 
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It was a good week for… Conclave still riding high, and another boost for UK box office in April…
It was a bad week for… US president Donald Trump's threat of 100 per cent film tariffs caught everyone by surprise, but will they beocme a reality?…
We have been watching… We caught up with the Blu-ray of A Complete Unknown and its excellent director's commentary, as well as Marvel's Thunderbolts* …
As the conclave to decide the next Pope begins this week – May 7 is the scheduled starting date – the fictional film of the same name continues to fascinate the public and draw in new and repeat viewers. As noted here on the newsletter last week, Black Bear’s Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini, has enjoyed a resurgence since Pope Francis died, adding to its considerable success already in 2025. It’s already spent 17 weeks on the chart, hitting the number two slot on three separate occasions, and finally made it to number one I last week’s Official Film Chart. What's more, its sales rose by a massive 600 per cent week on week, propelling it to number one. Furthering his comments here last week, the Official Charts’ CEO Martin Talbot said: "As the nation has been mourning the sad death of Pope Francis, it has clearly also been keen to understand the process of appointing his successor – the result being a big surge of sales of Conclave over the past week. The six-fold increase in digital and physical sales is extraordinary, making it a worthy Number 1 in the Official Film Chart.”
More good box office news: with A Minecraft Movie and Sinners leading the way, giving Warner a one-two atop the box office, April’s theatrical receipts were more than 65 per cent up on 2024’s figures for the first month of the second quarter, with more than $100 million taken at cinemas. Moreover, after a relatively quiet March, the year is now back on track and figures for 2025 so far are 13 per cent up on last year. Still ruling at the box office is Sinners, Warner’s non-franchise biggie, which has now earned more than £10 million at UK cinemas as part of a global haul of $236 million. Given its action and horror content, as well as the reaction and word of mouth for it, this is a home entertainment banker, while Warner’s other mega-blockbuster is, of course, A Minecraft Movie, which continues to shatter assorted records for video game to movie adaptations…
Meanwhile current box office sensation and the biggie over the Bank Holiday weekend was the latest Marvel outing, Thunderbolts*, which opened to just under £6 million (not including the Monday May Day takings), which, given the weather at the end of last week and into Saturday, was no mean feat. Having caught the film at the multimedia screening last week, along with our teenage corespondent, we’re happy to report (as most of the reviews have) that this is something of a return to form for Disney’s comic book and superhero arm. After recent patchy and middling outings, which have been, at best, solid and decent enough, this feels like something approaching the Marvel heyday – lots of fun, some great effects, loads of action and set pieces, strong performances and, perhaps best of all, strong underlying themes and messages. What’s more, it sets a whole chain in motion, teasing forthcoming releases such as The Fantastic Four: First Steps, due in July, and next year’s biggie Avengers Doomsday. And, of course, a return to form also means decent box office and home entertainment numbers too…
Sales and distribution company Trinity Creative Partnership is marking its 10th anniversary this year with a new corporate rebranding to recognise the changing nature of the business and its relationship with its labels and partners. It will now be known as Trinity Content Partners, which recognises its growth asa a global business stretching beyond its UK roots, and how it “now reaches viewers around the world, with an ever-growing portfolio of content”. The company said it further recognises its relationship with its clients and its ability to help them reach the widest audience possible and m maximise financial return. CEO Adam Lacey said: “Home entertainment delivery and consumption is constantly changing, and we are seeing massive growth in our business from direct partnerships with content owners, supporting them financially, logistically, creatively and commercially. Partnership is key here; we share the responsibilities and opportunities that the film owners create. We have expanded our borders and now trade directly with channels, platforms and retailers worldwide meaning better deals, faster payment and direct feedback.” MD Andy Lyon added: “Trinity is our brand identity, but Content Partners explains in a far clearer way what we stand for today and into the future. It might be a subtle change, but we want to be clear to all content owners around the world that we represent a unique distribution relationship, an equal responsibility partnership to ensure the widest audience reach and maximum financial return.”
To the BFI on the Southbank in London, where the organisation’s home entertainment arm was officially launching Slade In Flame, marking the 50th anniversary of the launch of the 70s chart-toppers’ feature film, the current theatrical re-release and the all-singing, all-dancing Blu-ray due out on May 19. We’ve already talked about the film at length here and in Film Stories (there’s a four-page interview with director Richard Loncraine in the current issue of the magazine ahead of the release penned by The Raygun’s Tim Murray), but it looks a treat on the big screen and, with an exemplary PR campaign behind it, is shaping up to be a strong seller on disc. The event was introduced by critic Mark Kermode, a huge fan of the film (his quote about Slade in Flame being the “Citizen Kane of British pop movies” adorns the artwork) and he noted how it was a film that has “found its following and grown into its audience”. A riotous Q&A followed the screening, with the band’s Noddy Holder (Don Powell and Davie Hill were also in attendance), star Tom Conti and director Loncraine, with all offering up some remarkable and very funny reminiscences about the film and its production And Kermode’s addendum to his famous quote – stating that Citizen Kane is like the Slade In Flame of movies – brought the house down. The film is at cinemas from May 1, and, somewhat ironically, and showing its growth in stature over the years, it opens on more screens than it did half a century ago, with the Blu-ray to follow on May 19.
Sticking with the BFI, and The Raygun’s Tim Murray interviewed the organisation’s Vic Pratt, one of the duo behind the Flipside home entertainment imprint about Eclipse, the latest Blu-ray release under that banner, and its discovery for the next issue of Shindig magazine. Eclipse was rediscovered on the recommendation of actor Tom Conti, who, while being interviewed by Pratt about another BFI release, Heavenly Pursuits, asked Pratt about a long-lost film of his, Eclipse. A bit of digging, plenty of work and some two years later, Eclipse became the latest release on the label (it came out a couple of weeks ago). Pratt outlined some of the issues with trying to find films (and accompanying materials) and how some studios were increasingly reluctant to license product to boutique labels and the likes. He said: “There are various ones either you can’t track them down or the people who own them have unrealistic ideas about how much they’re worth. We’re thriving in our small way, we’re doing very well as a boutique label but the days of films on physical media making a mint are over. It’s important, often you know where the material is, but the licensing is never going to happen. It happens a lot with the studios, their books are pretty much closed unless you’ve get a big chequebook or maybe they’re not even doing physical media at all.”
One studio that is prepared to work with independent, boutique labels is Paramount, with the major recently inking a deal that will see more than 20 titles from its impressive vaults being given the Arrow Video treatment. The indie’s latest reveal, unveiling its July titles, has see the second release from the deal set to land. Here’s the company’s Dean Lawson on the titles due in the seventh month of 2025. He said: “We’re bringing a robust array of releases to July with Joe Carnahan’s gritty crime thriller Narc kicking off the month, marking the second of our 20+ film Paramount UK deal. Following that is the darkly funny home invasion indie thriller, Crumb Catcher. We head back to the 80s for Stallone’s crime-curing action spectacular, Cobra, presented in a brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films. Years before Nordic Noir took the TV world by storm, there was the nail-biting thriller Nightwatch, which we have collected with its sequel Nightwatch: Demons Are Forever. Rounding out the month are two 4K UHD upgrades, staples of the label, and, horror classics, Zombie Flesh Eaters and The Stuff. We have even more exciting releases to come in the remainder of the year and can’t wait to share them.”
Also just announcing has been Criterion via Spirit, offering up details of its slate due in July this year. And, as ever, the latest additions to the Criterion Collection are ridiculously diverse, taking in 60s pop, classic cinema and a more recent outing. Running us through the titles, Spirit’s Tracy Niland said: “July sees some absolute corkers from Criterion! July 7 sees The Beatles making their debut not only with Criterion but also on 4K with a brand new restoration of A Hard Day’s Night coming out on both 4K and Blu-Ray. Both formats feature a choice of three different soundtracks, audio commentary, interviews with the boys themselves, a documentary and a host of other extras – essential viewing for fans of not just the band and the film but music lovers in general. One week later comes another comedy, this time from the late 30s with one of the greatest stars of cinema Claudette Colbert starring as an out of work American chorus girl stranded in Paris in Midnight. The script, part written by Billy Wilder, weaves a topsy-turvy Cinderella tale with a cynical bite. It’s a brand new 4k take lovingly restored, with a new commentary, documentary and the Lux Radio Theatre adaption of the film. Finally on July 28, a lost cinema classic that was buried by the release of Star Wars on release but has since found its audience and Criterion has done an amazing job restoring to 4K and presenting one of the best edge-of-your-seat thrillers in the history of Hollywood looking and sounding better (5.1 DTS-HD) than you could ever have hoped. William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, one of the films that signalled the dawn of New Hollywood in the late 70,’s this release also features documentaries, archive interviews, behind the scenes footage and a new discussion of the film between filmmaker James Gray and critic Sean Fennessey. July can’t come quick enough!”
Those with a long memory will remember what happened in the industry after the tragic murder of two-year-old James Bulger, as press furore (much of it manufactured by the tabloids, desperate to find a reason for a senseless killing) turned on video. Unsubstantiated claims about his killers having watched Child’s Play 3 led to a clampdown on horror films, as authorities briefly toughened up their guidelines as to what was and wasn’t acceptable. One of those to suffer was a film called Mikey, due for release by the Imperial/VPD imprint. An American horror about a young psychopath taking it out on his elders, from foster parents to the teachers and more. Timecodes and review copies were sent out, only to be pulled as the film was eventually refused a certificate; a similar fate befell Macaulay Culkin starrer The Good Son. Well, Mikey is at last due to get a UK release courtesy of boutique imprint Treasured Films, with its first ever release due on August 4. It will come complete with a raft of specially created extras and should draw a line under what was one of the last concerted tabloid campaigns waged against the video industry Commenting on the release, Treasured’s Tom Lee Rutter said: “It's mad to think it, but here we are in 2025 with a film that hasn't seen the light of day in this country since that initial furore, now badged with a 15 rating and fully uncut. Removed from the context it found itself in hot water in, it's actually a deviously fun film which would boggle the mind of a lot of youthful horror fans today that it could ever get the sort of outlaw reputation it did.”
The John Wick series has proved to be one of the most lucrative film franchises of the 21st century, with its commercial successes spanning four films, a TV series (The Continental) and video games with plenty more to come, including this year’s theatrical biggie Ballerina. It’s a fan and critical success story too, with its achievements covering both cinemas and, most notably, home entertainment, but it has come without having having tons of money thrown at it or a pre-existing history across other media (it’s not another comic book franchise is what we’re saying). And now, ahead of Ballerina landing at cinemas on June 6, there’s a documentary charting the franchise from its lowly beginnings through to its global success, Wick Is Pain. Available to buy and rent digitally, from May 9 and May 30 respectively, via Prime Video, Sky Store, Apple TV, YouTube, Virgin Store, Rakuten TV, Microsoft Movies & TV and EE TV, it tells the story of the “billion-dollar franchise that almost never happened”and features star Keanu Reeves among others.
“One of the things I tried very hard in the telling of this story to do was to avoid too many dates and facts and introductions and explaining why this scene is important,” said director James Mangold. Yes, we finally caught up with the excellent A Complete Unknown physical release from Fox via Elevation (out last week and, as The Raygun went to press, number one in the Official Film Chart) and the director’s commentary, which ranges from the anecdotal (he constantly refers to Timothée Chalomet, who plays the folk singer, as Timmy) to much more detailed comments about making a music biopic (he also helmed Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line, among others) It really is a belter of a commentary and makes the release even more desirable, “You watch [Dylan] audition, you watch him lay down his first record, you watch him beginning to start his career,” Mangold continued. “I’m not so much telling you what each scene is, even though all these moments happened, I’m trying to let you fall into this story as if it’s a movie and not make it a kind of educational piece filled with factual nuggets which frankly other mediums are better at delivering. What movies are great at delivering is character, intimacy, point of view and also just the central beauty of recreating a time that doesn’t exist any more and one that when I watched it and when I looked forward to making the film was one that I missed. One of the ways I was trying to avoid being too historical, or a cliched biopic was trying not to involve myself in dates, telling you how the records were selling, what’s on the charts, just let you live with the characters at different moments on this timeline and see how the story between them all is developing.”
Just released by Sony Music across multiple formats, including Blu-ray and DVD, is the 4k remastered new version of Pink Floyd’s classic pre-Dark Side Of The Moon outing Live At Pompeii. It follows hot on the heels of an ongoing theatrical re-release for the sparkling new version, which, after amassing almost £700,000 at UK cinemas is set for more screenings which should further swell the coffers. In a statement, the band’s Nick Mason said “Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii is a rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period prior to The Dark Side Of The Moon.” Director of restoration for Pink Floyd Lana Topham added:“Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii, so the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment. The newly restored version presents the first full 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after.” Steven Wilson who mixed the sound in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos noted: “Ever since my dad brainwashed me as a kid by playing The Dark Side of the Moon on repeat, Pink Floyd has been my favourite band. They are my “Beatles", deeply ingrained in my musical DNA. I first saw Pompeii from a grainy print at a local cinema. It made an incredible impression on me with its untethered and exploratory rock music made by four musicians that seemed to epitomise the notion of intellectual cool. It was an honour to remix the soundtrack to accompany Lana Topham's incredible restoration of the film, which looks like it could've been filmed yesterday.”
The Digital Entertainment Group International, DEGI, has announced the latest in its ongoing series of reports looking into the state of the industry across different territories. The fifth in the series, produced in collaboration with BB Media, focuses on the digital entertainment business across LATAM. “This comprehensive overview,” the announcement noted, “exclusive to BASE and DEGI members, offers valuable insights into navigating the streaming landscape in LATAM, viewership trends of media and entertainment, content analysis in the region, piracy, advertising trends, and transactional business models.” It reveals, among other facts, that there are 814 streaming platforms across the region, 32 of which launched last year alone. DEGI head of insights Yasmin Nevard said: “LATAM is one of the most dynamic and swiftly evolving regions in the global entertainment sector. With Hollywood films still leading and older demographics increasingly adopting streaming services, these insights are crucial for DEGI members to adjust their strategies, attract new audiences, and foster growth in LATAM.” Fabric CDO Tom Gennari said: “This report offers DEGI members a clear view into how audiences across Latin America are engaging with content today. From the strong preference for Hollywood and local productions, to the growing viewership among Gen X and Boomers and the continued dominance of soap operas - especially in Brazil - these insights help decode what’s resonating across the region. Now as part of Fabric, BB Media continues to deliver exclusive, data-driven reports for DEGI that illuminate the shifting patterns in viewership, piracy, and emerging business models.”
The How To Drain Your Dragon franchise is returning this year in a DreamWorks live action remake (representing the studio’s first remake and its first live action outing too), due at cinema this summer. And a trio of stars from the film, Gerard Butler, Nico Parer and Mason Thames, have joined forces for the latest thrust in the Industry Trust’s ongoing Moments Worth Paying For campaign, extolling the virtues of copyright and seeing films legitimately in the cinema. Universal Pictures UK & Eire MD Kezia Williams said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the Industry Trust to celebrate the cinema release of How to Train Your Dragon. This stunning live-action reimagining of the iconic DreamWorks Animation franchise brings to life the spectacular world and beloved characters of Hiccup, Toothless and friends in a way that truly demands to be seen on the big screen. We’re thrilled that the film’s fantastic cast is helping to amplify the message, inspiring UK & Irish audiences to experience the full wonder of this story in cinemas.” BASE and Industry Trust chief executive Liz Bales said: “It’s great to see How To Train Your Dragon soar into cinemas in the latest Moments Worth Paying For campaign, reminding audiences across the UK and Ireland that nothing brings us together like the big screen. With an incredible cast delivering such a key message, the campaign powerfully highlights the magic of enjoying these amazing adventures at your local cinema. Thank you to Universal Pictures for their support in making this campaign possible, and to DCM, Pearl & Dean UK and Ireland, and members of the UK Cinema Association for their continued support and dedication to the big screen experience.” You can see the ad here https://youtu.be/Paw9bqqhKFY?si=SQptwz5xTf5Z2tnq  We spotted this huge Lilo & Stitch ad over west London way…
 The Raygun, is 15 years old and continues to report on the home entertainment industry and its ever-changing face. To ensure we can continue to bring you the latest news, opinion and analysis from a business we love and care passionately about, you can support our independent journalism by donating to us via Ko-fi… Thank you.
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
More magic…
This is where the story really starts…
“Have you ever heard of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the UFC?”
The squids are back…
Due from Dazzler…
THE OBLIGATORY GDPR BIT
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