This week a comedy and a horror film will be released as alternates to the action heavy summer films currently in theaters. Sofia Vergara and Reese Witherspoon headline the summer film "Hot Pursuit" while Universal releases the horror flick "Unfriended."

This Week's Highlights

"Hot Pursuit": Witherspoon and Vergara star in the Warner Bros. comedy, which tells the story of a cop and a drug lord's wife who race against time in Texas pursued by the police and mobsters. When the film opened in May, reviews were terrible and it flopped making $34 million. Latin Post stated that film was "A Poorly Conceived Hot Mess with Stereotypes." Now that is on DVD and VOD, the comedy will likely attract Vergara fans, especially those who are fans of "Modern Family" and Witherspoon fans. It should also attract woman audiences, especially since there is a lack of female-oriented films currently in theaters.    

"Unfriended": In the spring, Universal tried to reinvent the horror genre with a cyber-thriller. The film was "Unfriended" and it took festivals by storm. The horror film tells the story of a group of online chat room friends who are haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend who was bullied. The film was shot on a computer with numerous actors acting on Skype. Having played at the Fantasia Film Festival, the movie scored good reviews and obtained a strong guerrilla marketing campaign. When it opened the movie went on to be a financial success making $32 million. "Sinister 2" comes out in two weeks and with no horror movies currently playing in movie theaters, "Unfriended" will definitely garner some interest. It also should also gain interest from those who saw the found footage films "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project." "Unfriended" will also likely lead to a sequel or to other similar movies being released.

Other Releases

Other releases this week include the documentary "I Am Chris Farley" with interviews by Christina Applegate, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Adam Sandler and Will Sasso.  

For those not interested in Meryl Streep's current "Ricki and the Flash," Criterion will release the classic film "The French Lieutenant's Woman" starring Streep and Jeremy Irons. The 1981 film went on to get nominated for five Academy Awards including one for Streep and for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was directed by BAFTA winner Karel Reisz.

The fourth season of "Hells on Wheels" will also be released as well as "Person of Interest" Season 4.

"Northmen: A Viking Saga" and "Preggoland" are also among the new releases.