This Was The Last Major Movie Released On VHS

The last big Hollywood film released on VHS tape might be more recent than you think. It happened in 2006 after the movie hit theaters the year before. Maybe you know it? To jog your memory, here are a few of the most important events that year. CNN remembers the time period as filled with death and scandals. 

In the news that year, the public mourned the 12 men who died in the Sago Mine disaster and the sudden passing of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin from a sting ray wound. They watched as Enron executives Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay received a guilt sentence for misleading the public and saw the government take down a terror plot planning to blow up some 10 jets.

VHS technology, introduced to American audiences in 1977, cemented its importance to the entertainment industry long before 2006 by creating a $5.25 billion VCR market by 1987, according to Wired. When DVDs entered the market in March 1997, they quickly supplanted the power of the VHS tape, and VCRs ceased production by October 28, 2008.

But back to the last major movie released on VHS: Any guesses yet?

Here are a few more clues: The movie starred Viggo Mortensen (seen above at an Australian premiere), who had recently appeared in the western biopic "Hidalgo" and as Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The Canadian director, screenwriter and actor David Cronenberg helmed the film. Known for his distinct blend of horror and science fiction, Cronenberg likes exploring the intersection of the human body and technology, according to Britannica.

The film "A History of Violence" was released in 2005 and received some good reviews. Peter Travers in "Rolling Stone" said, "Other films this year will have to sweat bullets to match the explosive power and subversive wit" of it. The New York Times called the flick "a masterpiece of indirection and pure visceral thrills."

The story of a man who becomes a hero through violence and the reverberations his act has on his family and town earned about $61 million worldwide, said Box Office Mojo, not bad for a movie with a $32 million budget, but not a blockbuster. Still, the film has its place in history, according to Ranker, as the last major movie put on VHS.