Blu-ray, DVD Release: White House Down

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Nov. 5, 2013
Price: DVD $30.99, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $40.99
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment


White House DownWhite House Down is the second movie showing the Capitol under siege for 2013.

Like Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down tells the story of a man (Channing Tatum, Side Effects) who’s denied his dream job of protecting the President (Jamie Foxx, Django Unchained) then ends up being the one person who can save the country.

Tatum’s John Cale is a Capitol Policeman, and when he takes his daughter on a tour of the White House, he ends up being in the right place at the wrong time. When a heavily armed paramilitary group takes over the complex, Cale’s the only one who can save the day.

Directed by action movie guru Roland Emmerich (2012), White House Down also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal (Nanny McPhee Returns), Jason Clarke (The Great Gatsby), Richard Jenkins (Killing Them Softly) and James Woods (Straw Dogs).

Also like Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down got mixed reviews from critics. Says Globe and Mail‘s Liam Lacey: “Formula action films don’t come much more formulaic than this.” Globe and Mail even likened White House Down to Die Hard at the Capitol, which is what many also thought of Olympus Has Fallen.

White House Down Blu-ray boxWhite House Down grossed a tidy $72.8 million in theaters, less than the earlier Olympus Has Fallen ($98.9 million) but probably only because moviegoers perhaps rightly suspected they had seen the film already.

On DVD and Blu-ray, White House Down offers more special features. Both formats have these extras:

  • four featurettes:
    • “A Dynamic Duo” about the chemistry between Tatum and Foxx
    • “Men of Action” about Tatum’s training so he could perform his own stunts
    • “Roland Emmerich: Upping the Ante” about the director’s vision for the movie
    • “Meet the Insiders” looking at the supporting cast
  • and digital copy via UltraViolet.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray are:

  • a gag reel
  • and nine more featurettes:
    • “The Beast” about the movie’s presidential limo
    • “The Full Arsenal” about the technology used in the making of the film, including massive blue screens and virtual sets
    • “The Inside Story” about the concept’s fast rise to the big screen
    • “Presidential Treatment” about the size and scope of the film’s production
    • “Lights, Camera, Heart-Pumping Action” looking at a unique approach to lighting that helped the crew capture the action
    • “Crashing the Oval Office” about the stunt set that allowed filmmakers to drive an SUV into the Oval Office
    • “Drowning the Beast” about the limo escape
    • and “Recreating the White House” about the detail that went into replicating the Capitol building.

Here’s the movie’s trailer:

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About S. Clark

Sam Clark is the former Managing Editor/Online Editor of Video Business magazine. With 19 years experience in journalism, 12 in the home entertainment industry, Sam has been hooked on movies on since she saw E.T. then stared into the sky waiting to meet her own friendly alien. Thanks to her husband’s shared love of movies, Sam reviews Blu-ray discs in a true home theater, with a 118-inch screen, projector and cushy recliners with cup holders.