We weren’t sure what to expect when 20th Century Studios announced Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen. Would a prequel to Richard Donner’s The Omen (a film made in 1976) have anything interesting to say? Would audiences show up for the latest installment of a franchise that had been dormant since 1991 (not counting the 2006 remake of the original)? It seemed like a real wild card!
And then we got our answer: critics embraced Stevenson’s film (to the tune of an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes), and audiences showed up aplenty, earning the film over $52M at the worldwide box office – not exactly a blockbuster for a film that cost $30M to produce, but still, not too shabby!
Now the film is headed to digital and streaming, where it’ll have a second chance to draw in curious horror fans. According to the good folks over at Bloody Disgusting, The First Omen (starring Nell Tiger Free) will be made available for digital rentals starting on March 28th, just over two weeks from now. Two days later, on March 30th, the film will be streaming on Hulu. If you didn’t catch The First Omen in theaters, cannot wait to watch it at home and have Hulu, well, I suppose you’ve got a big decision on your hands.
“But what about me?” scream the physical media collectors. We hear you and we see you, and you are not being forgotten! In addition to hitting digital and streaming in a matter of weeks, The First Omen will also be hitting Blu-ray and DVD on July 30th, in a package that will come equipped with the following special features:
- The Mystery of Margaret
- The Director’s Vision
- Signs of the First Omen
These featurette titles weren’t accompanied by descriptions, but based on the titles alone we can probably safely assume what each is about. It’s here that I will make the standard plea for studios to bring back the practice of filmmaker commentaries: some of us really enjoyed those and wish you were still producing them! Some of your filmmakers would probably also like to record one, if only for posterity! Consider it!
If you missed the conversation about The First Omen entirely back when it was gearing up for its arrival in theaters, here’s an official plot synopsis:
“When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.”
Nothing further to report on Arkasha Stevenson’s The First Omen at this time, but we’ll let you know if any future updates roll in. Stay tuned, folks.
