It may not have been a big success at the box office, butMike Flanagan’s adaptation ofStephen King’sThe Life of Chuckhas found a new lease on life thanks to its digital release on July 29. Now, the beloved fantasy drama is finally getting the physical media editions it deserves, and fans don’t have to wait too much longer to add it to their collection.
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Jacob Tremblay,and Mark Hamill, to name a few,The Life of Chuckexplores the formative moments in the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz in reverse chronological order, from his death coinciding with the end of a universe to his childhood. Called a “life-affirming masterpiece” by critics, the film hit theaters on June 6, but only managed to take in $11.5 million at the box office despite all its rave reviews. Granted, it was a limited release compared to other big Hollywood blockbusters, but even on 1,000+ screens you’d have thought it would have performed better.
Those that have seenThe Life of Chuckalready know how good it is, and for folks eager to add it to their physical media collection, you’re able to mark September 30 on your calendars. PerBloody Disgusting, that’s the date Neon will release the film on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD, and each edition is packed with special features, including:
Why Didn’t ‘The Life of Chuck’ Do Better in Theaters?
As mentioned,The Life of Chuckdidn’t exactly make waves at the box office this summer thanks to its limited theatrical release, but there were a couple of other factors that went into its tumultuous run. First off was its director. As much as we adore Flanagan as a filmmaker, for better or worse, he’s carved out a niche for himself as being the horror and suspense guy. A movieabout life and all its little joysmade fans a little weary, and as such, they perhaps didn’t giveThe Life of Chuckthe chance it deserved on the big screen.
Second was its distributor: Neon. Yes, we love Neon thanks to hits likeLonglegs,Immaculate,The Monkey, and more, but they kind of dropped the ball withThe Life of Chuck. The King adaptation had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in Sept. 2024, and after being acquired by the acclaimed distributor, they sat on it for nine months before releasing it in theaters. With all the praise the film got coming out of TIFF and the press it received, it probably would have had a better chance had they released it sooner.
Still, likeThe Shawshank Redemptionbefore it, there’s still a chanceThe Life of Chuckwill find a wider audience in this day and age of digital, streaming, and physical media. Fans have more options than ever before to watch a movie, so just because a film doesn’t rake in a heap of cash at the box office doesn’t mean it’s dead in the water.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed thatThe Life of Chuck’s physical media editions help more people discover this truly wonderful movie, as despite any hesitations people might have, it’s undoubtedly one of Flanagan’s best.
The Life of Chuck
A life-affirming, genre-bending story based on Stephen King’s novella about three chapters in the life of an ordinary man named Charles Krantz.
