Home Media Magazine - March 16-22, 2008 - (Page 8) NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com UBS: Nintendo Wii Winning Game-Console Market By John Gaudiosi GAMES Nintendo’s Wii will continue to outsell the competition, with Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in a tie for the year, according to a report from UBS Investment Research. “We estimate that the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 will sell 6.5 million and 5 million units, respectively, in the United States this year for unit growth of 4% and 96%,” said UBS analyst Ben Schachter. “We expect that Microsoft will sell through 5 million Xbox 360s in the United States this year (unit growth of 9%).” Schachter predicts that Sony and Microsoft will cut the cost of hardware this year, while Nintendo will keep its $250 price for the Wii, which continues to sell out at retail. Nintendo could offer promotions with Wii games, since many consumers are sticking with the pack-in Wii sports games and Nintendo staples and not buying third-party titles. “We are more bullish than most on the PS3, but its recovery is certainly not assured,” Schachter said. “While Sony’s Blu-ray [win of] the high-definition format war may help re-ignite the PS3, we think that Sony has done a poor job of marketing this feature properly. Additionally, we continue to see exclusive software as the key to Sony’s recovery. If there are weaker reviews of high-profile releases (particularly GTA IV) on the PS3 versus the Xbox 360 (as there was with Madden last year), that would be serious trouble for the PS3.” Schachter expects Sony to cut the price of its PS2 to $99 this year and forecasts sellthrough of 3 million units. For next year, UBS projects the Xbox 360 and PS3 console installed bases will exceed 18.2 million and 13.2 million units, respectively, in the United States, while the Wii installed base should surpass 18.9 million units. “For 2010 we assume that the combined current-generation console installed base (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) tops 62 million units in the United States,” Schachter said. Otis cast members (L-R) Jere Burns, Ashley Johnson, Jared Kusnitz, Illeana Douglas, Bostin Christopher and Kevin Pollak joined filmmaker Tony Krantz at the premiere screening during the South by Southwest Film Festival. ‘Otis’ More Than Meets the Eye By Stephanie Prange USTIN, Texas — Like its sadsack serial killing lead character, Otis isn’t what you expect. The latest entrant in Warner Home Video’s “Raw Feed” label — a midnight premiere March 7 at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival — walks the line between horror and comedy. Bostin Christopher (who plays Otis) admits the film is hard to classify. “You think, ‘I just laughed at that. Should I laugh at that?’” he said. “I kept on waiting for the movie to jump the shark, and it didn’t,” said Kevin Pollak, who plays Otis’s brother. The story follows a family whose daughter Riley (Ashley Johnson) is kidnapped by Otis, who uses young girls to create his high-school dream date. But the victims turn vigilante, turning the movie on its head. Illeana Douglas plays the mom who takes revenge. “Even though the stakes are pretty high, you play it straight, and that sort of makes it funny,” she explained. A NPD: VIDEO GAMES SALES TRIPLED IN 2007 By Erik Gruenwedel Video games in 2007 evolved from the domain of hardcore gamers to widespread teen adoption, supplanting declining music CD sales and flat DVD revenue for home entertainment, according to a new report from The NPD Group. Game sales jumped 41% among teens, while CD sales dropped 45%. Music purchases fell among all consumer groups, especially among teens, who cited increased appeal of gaming, according to NPD. Russ Crupnick, analyst with NPD, said the results underscore the effects digital GAMES distribution has on music retail and the interchangeability of games, DVD movies and music. “It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that all of these entertainment categories are interlaced with one another,” Crupnick said. “They are all separately vying for a larger share of consumers’ leisure time and wallet share.” The report concluded that hardcore gamers spend a majority of their entertainment budget on non-games. About 58% of respondents said they bought a DVD over the past six months. About 46% said they purchased a CD, and 43% purchased a game. Director Tony Krantz and writer Erik Jendresen had more in mind than black comedy when they crafted Otis. An underlying theme is the effect of unreasoned revenge, punctuated by a soundtrack that includes music from The B-52s and The Talking Heads. “America went after the wrong people,” Krantz said. “We went after Iraq. They had nothing to do with 9/11.” Krantz admitted all audiences won’t get the political undertones, but said they’ll find the movie entertaining nonetheless. There are also ample extras on the DVD, due June 10 (prebook May 6), including a featurette that further explores Otis’s psychosis, “Suite 16”; a commentary with Krantz and Jendresen; and an alternate ending shot for the DVD that many cast members prefer. Krantz’s Flame Ventures is heavily involved in not just the “Raw Feed” direct-to-video project with Warner, but DTV titles for MTV, The Weinstein Co. and others. MERCHANDISING Promotions Ramping Up Best Buy Bee Movie Para./DreamWorks SRP $29.98, $36.98 Target $15.99 w/Easter Egg dye kit $22.99 two-disc set Wal-Mart $15.97 $19.96 w/Pez set $26.88 two-disc set Circuit City $13.99 w/flying disc $22.99 two-disc set Amazon.com $15.99 $26.99 two-disc set $15.99 $22.99 two-disc set; $5 off w/batteries; $10 off FTD.com No Country for Old Men; Disney/Miramax SRP $29.99, $34.99 BD $15.99 2 for $30 w/Dan In Real Life; $29.99 Blu-ray $15.99 $29.99 Blu-ray; $5 gift card w/Dan In Real Life $15.97 $24.96 Blu-ray $13.99 $34.99 Blu-ray $15.99 $23.95 Blu-ray Nancy Drew Warner SRP $28.98 $19.99 2 for $30 w/August Rush $17.99 $17.99 $22.99 two-disc set $29.99 Blu-ray $17.97 $17.97 $19.96 w/video game; $24.96 two-disc; $29.96 Blu-ray $17.99 $17.99 $22.99 two-disc set $34.99 Blu-ray $19.99 $19.99 $22.99 two-disc set $27.95 Blu-ray Hitman Fox; SRP $29.99, $34.98 $39.98 BD $17.99 $22.99 two-disc set $29.99 Blu-ray By John Latchem ike the endgame of Space Invaders, the continuing march of Blu-ray Disc is slowly stamping out HD DVD at retail. A prime visual example of this occurred at the Target in Santa Ana, Calif., where the HD DVD section had been reduced to one row of four titles. To top it off, all were DVD-combo discs. Concurrent Blu-ray promotions also ramped up. Best Buy offered a $20 gift card with the purchase of two select Blu-ray movies. For the new release week of March 11, retailers jumped on two TV DVD tie-ins. MGM and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Stargate: The Ark of Truth, the first DTV follow-up to “Stargate SG-1” brought discount offers for the show’s season sets at Best Buy and Circuit City. Best Buy also offered South Park: Imaginationland, from Paramount Home Entertainment, for $4.99 (down from $11.99) with the purchase of any “South Park” season. Target offered “South Park” ringtones with the DVD. L 8 Home Media Magazine March 16–22, 2008 http://Amazon.com http://FTD.com
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