UK Theater Chain Ends 'Wonderland' Boycott Threat

We recently wrote about the stand Odeon Cinemas was taking against the great and powerful Oz...er...Disney. The House That Walt Built has decided that it wants to keep Alice in Wonderland in theaters for 13 weeks, which is a month shorter than the window between typical opening dates and home video release dates. Most movies also linger in theaters even longer than that, which is the source of the problem: Odeon would like to keep Alice around a while longer, and when the shortened release was announced, the European theatrical chain said it would boycott the film. It was a short-lived protest, and now Odeon is on board. Disney wins. The consumer might lose. Because the studio decided to try this move with one of its biggest films of 2010, when the DVD release happens roughly 90 days after the movie opens next Friday, there's no stopping an onslaught of similar moves by the other distributors, none of whom will want to be left out in the cold in the DVD market. This is all built around selling DVDs, by the way, because the studios are starting to make deals with RedBox and Netflix to allow a 28-day window from the street date on new titles before they're available for rent. Variety reports that some "concessions" were made by Disney, including an agreement to not advertise the Alice in Wonderland DVD and Blu-ray for at least six weeks. Disney will also move up release dates in Italy, one of Odeon's prime territories, for Prince of Persia, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Toy Story 3. That's probably the biggest victory for Odeon. Whatever other terms might have been were not made available. But in a kiss-and-make-up statement, the exhibitor said, "Odeon is pleased to confirm that it will be able to continue with its plans for significant investment in new cinemas, in digital technology in 3-D capability and the other exciting developments designed for the increased enjoyment of all its customers." This move may not look like much yet, but a year from now, look for more blockbusters to shorten their theatrical runs in favor of quicker DVD releases. And the easiest way to combat the lost revenue for theater owners is making concessions more expensive, if that's even possible. You've been warned.