Universal Home Video says it has sold more than four million combined DVD and VHS copies of Van Helsing during the first week of availability. The $160 million action/adventure/horror pic earned approximately $65 million at retail, topping the $51.7 million it opened to in domestic theaters before raking in nearly $300 million at the box office worldwide.
Directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns), the CG-laden film stars Hugh Jackman as the title vampire killer, who travels to Eastern Europe to rid the world of an ancient evil with the help of the beautiful but deadly Anna, played by Pearl Harbor’s Kate Beckinsale. Adding to the monster mayhem is a smorgasbord of visual effects by ILM, Hatch FX, Illusion Arts and CIS.
Van Helsing’s DVD extras offer commentary by Sommers, editor/producer Bob Duscay and actors Roxburgh (Dracula), Shuler Hensley (Frankenstein’s Monster) and Will Kemp (The Wolf Man). There are also featurettes titled Bringing the Monsters to Life and The Legend of Van Helsing, a 360° tour of Dracula’s castle, outtakes, a playable first level of the Van Helsing Xbox game and an innovative feature titled You Are in the Movie, which lets viewers experience the filmmaking process from the perspective of the actors via miniature cameras hidden on the set during filming. The disc lists for $29.98 and the VHS version is available for $22.98.
A Van Helsing Ultimate Collector’s Edition is also available for a limited time. It includes such extras as a 360 degree self-guided tour of Frankenstein’s lab and a series of mini-documentaries titled Van Helsing: The Story, The Life, The Legend, which focus on each character in the film with excerpts, original set designs, ILM effects work, conceptual weapons sketches and more. In addition, this set includes the three classic Universal films that inspired Van Helsing–Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man.
Leave a Reply