Posted Mon May 13, 2024 at 07:28 AM PDT by Matthew Hartman
In an era where legacy horror and science fiction franchises are continued and retooled for the streaming market, it's nice to see one of these come to theaters - and it's actually good! With little marketing, The First Omen proved successful and will soon terrorize digital retailers, Hulu, and eventually Blu-ray
Like Prey, The First Omen was originally slated to be a direct-to-streaming Hulu venture. But Disney wisened up and realized these films could actually make money in theaters - especially when they're actually pretty damn good! While it wasn't a massive box-office draw, it wasn't a complete failure pulling in a healthy $ 50 million (and counting) globally. Which, to me, is impressive since I didn't know the movie was even coming to theaters until three weeks before its opening. I have to wonder if it hadn't released so close to a very similar Nunsplitation flick like Immaculate if its box office prospects wouldn't have been better. Regardless, I found this to be a surprisingly effective franchise prequel with some genuinely shocking imagery. Now writer/director Arkasha Stevenson's The First Omen will begin its digital sales journey on May 28th, start streaming on Hulu on May 30th, and drop on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30th. No word on a 4K yet - but we hope one is in the works!
Film Synopsis
In this psychological horror prequel to the classic Omen films, a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church. Soon, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her faith, and that reveals a terrifying conspiracy to bring about the birth of evil incarnate. The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free (Servant), Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman) and Bill Nighy (Living). The film is directed by Arkasha Stevenson based on characters created by David Seltzer (The Omen), with a story by Ben Jacoby (Bleed) and a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas (Firestarter).
Bonus Features
The Mystery of Margaret – Join director Arkasha Stevenson and stars Nell Tiger Free, Bill Nighy and Maria Caballero as they dive into the character of Margaret, her relationships with other characters, and how she’s manipulated while trying to solve the film’s horrifying mystery.
The Director’s Vision – Director Arkasha Stevenson talks about her love of horror films, the opportunity to expand on The Omen legacy, and crafting The First Omen entirely through a female lens. She also describes shooting in Rome, and the cast recounts working with Arkasha.
Signs of The First Omen – Join the director and talented artists as they reveal some of the symbolism within the set designs and the costumes. Learn how the use of practical effects blurs the line between what is real and what is not in The First Omen’s terrifying world.
Cast
Nell Tiger Free as Margaret
Ralph Ineson as Father Brennan
Sonia Braga as Sister Silva
Tawfeek Barhom as Father Gabriel
Maria Caballero as Luz
Charles Dance as Father Harris
Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence
Produced by
David S. Goyer and Keith Levine
Executive Producers
Tim Smith
Whitney Brown
Gracie Wheelan
Story by
Ben Jacoby
Based on Characters Created by
David Seltzer
Screenplay by
Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas
Directed by
Arkasha Stevenson
Product Specifications
Release Dates:
Digital: May 28, 2024
Streaming: May 30, 2024
Physical: July 30, 2024
Product SKUs
Digital: 4K UHD, HD, SD plus a 2-Movie Bundle (The Omen + The First Omen)
Physical: Blu-ray (Blu-ray + Digital Code) & DVD
Feature Run Time
Approx. 119 minutes
Rating
U.S. Rated R
*Rated R for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity
Aspect Ratio
Digital: 1.85:1
Physical: 1.85:1
Disc Size
Blu-ray: 50GB
DVD: 8.5GB
U.S. Audio
Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA and 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital
DVD: English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio
Digital: English Dolby Atmos (UHD only, some platforms), English 7.1, 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 7.1, 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio 2.0 Dolby Digital (some platforms)
U.S. Subtitles
Blu-ray: English SDH, Spanish, French
DVD: English SDH, Spanish, French
Digital: English SDH, French, Spanish (some platforms)
The First Omen isn't yet up for pre-order (that we've found) and we haven't seen any retailer exclusives or 4K options pop up yet, but we'll be on the lookout and update listings ASAP.
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