Home Media Magazine - August 19-25, 2007 - (Page 38)

NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com Sony Makes Marketing Waves for ‘Surf’s Up’ By Chris Tribbey M A R K E T I N G Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) is throwing a multimillion-dollar marketing and publicity blitz for the animated family film Surf’s Up. To promote the film — streeting Oct. 9 (prebook Aug. 30) on DVD ($28.95), UMD ($28.95), and Blu-ray Disc ($38.95) — Sony is looking to fast food stores, pizza restaurants, the frozen food and deli meat sections of grocery stores, amusement parks, and even classrooms, said Sony marketing VP Suzanne White. “Every partner brings their own strengths,” she said. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants GAIAM, BRAINY BABY BOW DVD/CDS By Chris Tribbey P R O D U C T Gaiam Inc. and The Brainy Baby Company’s first combo product line announcements will combine CDs with DVDs, and will hit retail with a low price. The Oct. 2 DVD/CD offerings (prebook Aug. 21; $12.98 each), the first releases since Gaiam entered into an exclusive licensing and production agreement with Brainy Baby, pair the Brainy Baby Left Brain DVD with a Classical Tunes CD; the Brainy Baby Right Brain DVD with the Playful Baby CD; the Brainy Baby ABCs DVD with the Sing-Along CD; and the Brainy Baby 123s DVD with the Cheerful Baby CD. The DVDs can be purchased without the CDs for $9.98 each, while the CDs will be priced at $5.98 each. “We are thrilled to enhance value for the consumer with the additional music CD and a new Gaiam price point,” said William Sondheim, Gaiam president of retail distribution and direct-response marketing. “Moms can now look to Gaiam for more than health and fitness.” will run a nationwide promotion from Oct. 22 to Dec. 16, with four collectible toys in kids combo meals, a $5 instant rebate coupon for those who purchase both the DVD and Ubisoft’s Surf’s Up video game. About 1,000 Carl’s Jr. stores also will give away Surf’s Up trick-or-treat bags from Sept. 26 to Oct. 23, with two toys. Chuck E. Cheese will issue a nationwide, 57 million circulation freestanding insert (FSI) featuring the Surf’s Up DVD on Oct. 7, and the DVD will have coupons to the pizza chain. Carl Buddig will have $3 mail-in rebate coupon stickers for the DVD placed on 15 million of its lunch meat packages, and On- Cor Frozen Foods will run a national 25 million FSI on Oct. 14 with a $5 mail-in rebate promo for the purchase of the DVD and any two of the company’s family-size entrees. Sea World will include a Surf’s Upthemed insert in the DVD, and Langers Juice is running a national, 20 million circulation FSI. White added that Sony also is working on a school program with resource kits for teachers that feature tie-ins to the movie. I THEY’RE BAAAACK IN THEATERS FOR ONE NIGHT Warner Home Video will release the newly remastered and restored Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary Edition Oct. 9 (prebook Sept. 4) on DVD and high-definition disc. To celebrate the release, fans will have a one-night opportunity to view the film on the big screen Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at participating Regal, United Artists, Edwards, Cinemark and AMC theaters in select cities. Tickets for the event go on sale Sept. 7 for $10 at the participating theater box offices and online at www.fathomevents.com. The DVD will be available for $19.97, and on HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc versions are $28.99. Special features include the two-part documentary “They Are Here: The Real World of Poltergeists Revealed.” – Kyra Kudick ‘SHREK THE THIRD’ BOGGED WITH EXTRAS By Billy Gil Shrek the Third, DreamWorks Animation’s green money-maker that pulled in more than $321 million at the U.S. box office, will come packed with extras when it lands on DVD Nov. 13. The $29.99 DVD, which will be distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, will include “Worcestershire Academy Yearbook,” an interactive flipbook with 30 sound bites from classmates of the character Arthur. Another feature, “Shrek’s Guide to Parenthood,” features Donkey, Puss in Boots, Pinocchio and Gingy offering tips on parenting to Shrek and Fiona. Also included are a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast, deleted scenes, the featurette “Tech of Shrek,” a “Donkey PRODUCT JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update * Dance” video and gag reel. Additionally, DreamWorks Kids creative bonus features include “Shrek Shmash-Ups,” which allows mixing of scenes from all three “Shrek” films; “Learn to Donkey Dance”; the DVD-ROM games “Captain Shrek’s High Seas Adventure,” “Shrek’s Eyeball Dropper,” “Gingy’s Dreamz” and more; “How to Be Green,” featuring environmentally friendly tips; “Merlin’s Magic Crystal Ball,” featuring Merlin; and other games and printables. Evan Almighty STREET DATE Deck the Halls BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) Mr. Brooks TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Evan Almighty 10/9 9/4 $97.5 Comedy DVD $29.98, HD DVD $39.98 Universal. 2007. Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham. God contacts Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a great flood. Deck the Halls 11/6 9/12 $35.1 Comedy DVD $29.98 Movie Gallery in Hot Water Continued from page 1 Fox. 2006. Danny DeVito, Matthew Broderick, Kristin Davis, Kristin Chenoweth. Two neighbors engage in a holiday decorating competition that gets out of hand. Includes bloopers, deleted scenes, cast interviews, featurettes and more. Mr. Brooks 10/23 9/5 $28.5 Thriller DVD $29.98 of Movie Gallery, said the forbearance extension lets the company continue operations without interruption. “Despite the challenging market conditions for Movie Gallery and the entire rental industry, we are continuing to work with our lenders and our outside advisors to help address the company’s current financial situation,” Malugen said in a statement. Gallery, which operates more than 4,500 stores, has been struggling since it outbid Blockbuster Inc. in 2005 and paid $1.1 billion to acquire Hollywood Entertainment Corp. Subsequent flat years in the rental business, coupled with Blockbuster and Netflix Inc.’s establishment of online DVD rental services, crippled Gallery. “They cut their wrists when they bought Hollywood,” Pachter said. “They didn’t cut the [major] arteries and have been slowly bleeding to death ever since.” Pachter envisions Gallery resurfacing after the dust settles as a rural rental chain with Hollywood Video locations severely reduced. He wondered who would bail out the company, considering the credit crunch among private equity firms, which he said often step in when conventional forms of capital are not available. Pachter said the upside to Gallery’s woes means fewer rental locations. “Everybody who stays in business, including the mom-and-pop operations, will pick up business,” Pachter said. Fox. 2006. Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt, Dane Cook. A loving and devoted family man is also an insatiable serial killer fighting his urges to murder. Includes director’s commentary, deleted scenes and featurettes. Captivity 10/30 10/3 $2.6 Horror DVD $28.98 Lionsgate. 2007. Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince. A covergirl and top fashion model is kidnapped and held hostage in a cell, subjected to a series of tortures by a sadistic captor. Day Watch 10/30 10/3 $0.5 Fantasy DVD $27.98 Fox. 2006. This second installment of the film trilogy, based on the sci-fi novel by Sergei Luyanenko, is set in Moscow and revolves around the ancient war between the forces of Light and Darkness. Also available with the first film in a Day Watch/Night Watch collection for $34.98. Fido 10/23 9/26 $0.3 Horror DVD $28.98 Lionsgate. 2006. Carrie-Anne Moss, Billy Connolly, Tim Blake Nelson. In the town of Willard, zombies have been domesticated and work as servants. A young boy befriends his family’s zombie, Fido, and insists on keeping him despite Fido’s occasional lunching on humans. Civic Duty 10/2 9/5 $0.1 Drama DVD $27.98 Fox. 2006. Peter Krause, Richard Schiff, Kari Matchett. Post 9/11, a man is convinced his Middle Eastern grad-student neighbor is at the center of a terrorist conspiracy and decides to take national security into his own hands. * In order of box office, then prebook date Home Media Magazine August 19–25, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.fathomevents.com

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Home Media Magazine - August 19-25, 2007

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