More Movies Deploying Earlier DVD Release Dates

Around the time we wrote about Did You Hear About the Morgans? shortening the traditional four-month wait before arriving on DVD and Blu-ray - something Christmas releases Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and the Chipmunks are also doing, but not quite as aggressively - Disney announced that Alice in Wonderland would only be in theaters for 89 days, so that the company could take advantage of DVD sales. Now The Hollywood Reporter says Warner Bros. is going that route, as well, keeping this September's Guardians of Ga'Hoole in release for only 86 days. That will allow the studio to release Zack Snyder's film on home video in time for Christmas. Exhibitors are not going to let the studios implement this practice across the board, however; in addition to "concessions" that the studios will make to theater owners for films they want to rush into the DVD market, if it becomes a problem, the big chains can refuse to book a film for a three-month run. But would they? For example, how much will the big chains make on Avatar in weeks 13- 17, even with its record-breaking haul? Let's look at that as the test case coming up in a few weeks. I doubt any movie is likely to make more than that one over the same period, at least in the next year or two. Where the exhibitors can possibly make up the difference when a studio makes a move like this - which most of them won't unless it's a peak DVD sales period, like right before summer or between Thanksgiving and the first of the year - is with indie flicks, or smaller studio films that don't get long or expansive theatrical runs. Would we take Moon picking up an extra 200 screens so Sony can shuttle something else to an early DVD release? I think so. But unless cinema chains see the revenue, that probably wouldn't be widespread. Said Disney's Bob Chapek of the decision to shorten the window on Alice, "As we said during our earnings call, we feel that it's important for us to maintain a healthy business on the exhibition side and a healthy business on the home video side," adding, "We think this is in the best interest of theater owners because a healthy movie business is good for them and allows us to invest in high-quality, innovative content. "We remain committed to theatrical windows, with the need for exceptions to accommodate a shortened time frame on a case-by-case basis, such as with Disney's Alice in Wonderland." This is definitely a trend to watch, but you'd have to think it's dangerous territory unless a compromise can be reached.

Comments

[buy movies dvd]

I thinks that this is a nice move to avoid clashes with other movies releasing same week or with other live TV shows.