On March 7 a number of new films will enter the marketplace. Here's a list of this week's new releases.
1. "300: Rise of An Empire" - Seven years after the release of "300," Warner Bros. is releasing the sequel to one of the most successful R-rated films ever. The new film tells the story of Greek general Themistokles who leads the charge against the invading Persian forces led by mortal-turned-god Xerxes and Artemisia, vengeful commander of the Persian navy. The film stars Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green and Rodrigo Santoro and was directed by Noam Murro. Unlike the first film, which was directed by Zack Snyder, Snyder wrote the script and also contributed to the style of the film. Currently, the movie is garnering decent reviews and has a 67 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" - With "Frozen" and "The Lego Movie" having dominated the animated world for a number of weeks, Dreamworks is bringing a new animated film that is scoring raves with critics. The film, which tells the story of an advanced canine and his adopted son as they endeavor to fix a time rift they created, has an aggregated score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the lack of new releases for children, this film is likely to be a huge success and one that may end up on the awards circuit in December.
3. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - Wes Anderson's latest film tells the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival where it score great reviews and even won the Grand Jury Prize. While the movie is only being released in limited theaters, but Fox Searchlight hopes to expand the movie nationwide. The movie is already seen as an early awards contender.
4. "Grand Piano" - Magnolia and Magnet are teaming up to release "Grand Piano." The Goya nominated film tells the story of a concert pianist who suffers from stage fright and discovers a note written on his music sheet. The film stars Elijah Wood and John Cusack and is directed by Spanish director Eugenio Mira. The film currently has a 93 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes and will be released on VOD and in theaters.
5. "The Face of Love" - Arie Posin's latest film will be released by IFC Films. The movie stars Annette Bening and Ed Harris and tells the story of a widow that falls for a man who bears a striking resemblance to her late husband. The premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and scored mixed reviews. The movie is also premiering on VOD and in select theaters.
6. "Bethlehem" - Israel's Oscar selection is opening in theaters this weekend with Adopt Films distributing. The new film tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. The new movie won the Venice Days competition at the Venice Film Festival as well as Israel's Academy Awards.