Will Smith certainly did not expect such publicity. Instead of his Oscar, it’s all about his slap in the face. Nevertheless, here is the information that you can now pre-order the award-winning film “King Richard” on DVD & Blu-ray.
After years of waiting, the time had finally come in the night from Sunday to Monday. One of Hollywood’s biggest superstars finally won his first Oscar. Will Smith subsequently became the dominant media topic – just not in the way the newly crowned Oscar winner and the team behind his film “King Richard” had wished. Because Smith’s dramatic performance as Richard Williams, father, and trainer of tennis aces Venus & Serena Williams, has not been the subject of heated discussion since then…
… instead, the coverage revolves almost exclusively around Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars. He previously compared Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, to Demi Moore’s protagonist from The Jane Files. Smith has since apologized for his attack – so it’s to be hoped that the art of film will soon come into focus again.
Anyone who wants to hold Will Smith’s Oscar performance in their hands in time for the home cinema release despite the slap in the face can already pre-order “King Richard” on DVD, Blu-ray and as a 4K disc:
» “King Richard” on Amazon*
Co-produced by Will Smith, the tennis biopic is set to hit home theaters on May 19, 2022.
This is King Richard
The great success of tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams is no coincidence: even before their birth, their father Richard Williams was determined to turn his children into absolute professionals and even wrote a 78-page master plan for this. Even before Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) were of school age, he gave them regular tennis lessons. And while the sisters’ relationship with their father was never the easiest, he pulled out all the stops to help them overcome any career hurdles. Be it sexism, class differences, or racism…
“King Richard” was released in German cinemas over a month ago – and was largely ignored there: Less than 75,000 tickets to the film have been sold to date. On the Oscar weekend, he wasn’t even in the current top 20 of the local cinema charts. This should also be due to the fact that it is only played in a few cinemas. But after the Oscar win and all the media excitement, things will probably look very different when the home cinema starts.
Although the film – also in the DashFUN review – is accused of being too gentle on Richard Williams’ educational methods, it’s worth catching up on: “King Richard” scores among other things with “lush, elaborately furnished nineties-era color” and Will Smith “thrills with what is probably the most complex acting performance of his career”.. By the way: “King Richard” is the screenplay debut of Zach Baylin, who already has his next big engagement in his pocket: He was hired to write the script for the boxing film “Creed III”, in which Marvel villain Michael B. Jordan not only has the leading role takes over, but is also responsible for directing.
Even more Oscars for home cinema
With this year’s Academy Awards dominated by streaming exclusives and long-released home theater Dune, the list of remaining Oscar home releases is short. The winning film in the Best International Film category, “Drive My Car”, is yet to come, but cannot be pre-ordered at the moment. Another winning film can already be ordered: “Belfast”, for which Kenneth Branagh won a screenplay, Oscar, is scheduled to be released in home cinemas on May 12th.
The coming-of-age drama, starring ‘Outlander star Caitríona Balfe and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan, is set at the dawn of the 1969 Northern Ireland conflict and is loosely based on Branagh’s own childhood experiences. A few years later, meanwhile, the drama “Licorice Pizza” takes place. The directorial work of “There Will Be Blood” maker Paul Thomas Anderson was nominated for an Oscar for best picture, among other things, and is loosely based on Anderson’s youth in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970s.
» “Belfast” on Amazon*
» “Licorice Pizza” on Amazon*
“Licorice Pizza” is expected to be released in German home theaters on June 30, 2022. Despite brilliant reviews, with music star Alana Haim in the leading role and Bradley Cooper in a memorable supporting role, only around 140,000 film fans saw the production in German cinemas, which was nominated for three Academy Awards.
