Home Media Magazine - October 21-27, 2007 - (Page 8)

NEWS www.homemediamagazine.com The Weinstein Co. Bullish on Indigenous Films Weinstein is making strides in the Asian film market By Erik Gruenwedel S U P P L I E R Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of The Weinstein Co., last week said investors of movies filmed in the Far East and Middle East must be cognizant of local culture and customs during productions. As keynote speaker of the inaugural Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, he reportedly warned against “westernizing” productions for the sake of English-speaking audiences. “If it’s great, it travels,” Weinstein said. “[But] the subject matter has to remain compelling on a local level.” In August, The Weinstein Co. initiated a $285 million fund for the development, acquisition and distribution of 11 theatrical and 10 direct-to-video Asian-themed films. Separately, Genius Products Oct. 30 will release the Vietnamese-American saga Journey From the Fall on DVD at $24.99. The film, which was an official selection of both the Sundance and Pusan Film festivals, centers on Vietnamese who fled the country after the fall of Saigon to the communists in the early 1970s. Weinstein is majority owner of DVD distributor Genius Products. Sony Readying PlayStation Network to Deliver Video By John Gaudiosi GAMES Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is working with Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) on the digital distribution network that will bring movies, TV shows and music to PlayStation 3 gamers, according to a source inside the company. In an interview with the Financial Times, Sony CEO Howard Stringer talked about this new infrastructure, saying it’s a combined effort between Japan (SCE is based in Tokyo) and the United States (SOE is based in San Diego) that will distribute video via the PlayStation Network into the PlayStation Portable and beyond. “We are building a software infrastructure to distribute video and music, more particularly video, through the PlayStation Network,” Stringer said in the interview. “We are trying to get our devices to talk to each other efficiently. PlayStation Network should migrate from gadget to gadget. But initially it starts with PlayStation devices and then to TV and beyond. That’s the goal.” Sony just shipped a new slim PSP that connects directly to TVs, which will allow downloaded entertain- Last year, Weinstein launched Dragon Dynasty, a label the New York-based company hoped would become the largest holder and distributor of Asian DVDs in North America. ment content to be watched on the television. At the past two E3 shows, Sony has emphasized the ability to share content from a PS3 or PC to a PSP. Games already can be shared, as can downloaded files such as movies. But once the new entertainment distribution channel is deployed, Sony will sell content directly to gamers. Stringer did not pinpoint a launch but said the company will know more about the functionality of the service early in 2008. Sony recently delayed the launch of PlayStation Home from this year until spring 2008. Despite owning movie, music and TV studios and all of their content, Sony has lagged behind Microsoft and its Xbox Live Video Marketplace, which offers movie rentals and TV shows for purchase in high definition. Most of the major Hollywood studios support Microsoft’s digital distribution channel, but Sony Pictures is not one of them. According to a source within Sony, when SCE and SOE unveil the new digital distribution platform, Sony Pictures will be on board, as will other Hollywood movie studios. MERCHANDISING Transforming Store Shelves Best Buy Transformers $14.99 Target $19.99 Wal-Mart $14.87 Circuit City $13.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $29.99 HD DVD Amazon.com $14.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $27.95 HD DVD Paramount/DreamWorks $22.99 two-DVD set $24.99 exclusive two$19.96 w/prequel; $24.96 SRP $29.99, $36.99, $39.99 $29.99 gift set or HD DVD DVD set; $29.99 HD DVD two-DVD set; $27.87 HD Planet Terror Genius/Weinstein SRP $29.95 $17.99 $22.99 exclusive edition w/bonus disc $17.99 $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $34.99 HD DVD combo $19.96 w/Wolf Creek $16.99 w/movie cash for The Mist $22.95 $19.99 The Reaping Warner; SRP $28.98, $34.99 BD, $39.99 HD $17.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $34.99 HD DVD combo $19.96 $33.88 HD DVD combo $19.99 $23.95 Blu-ray $27.95 HD DVD combo The Hoax Disney/Miramax SRP $29.99 $19.99 $19.99 $19.96 $19.99 $19.99 By John Latchem ransformers, the first of the year’s $300 million blockbusters, hit shelves Oct. 16 with a lot of retail fanfare, although most displays neglected earlier versions of “The Transformers” on DVD. Best Buy declared it “Transformers Tuesday” and offered a free lithograph, as well as $5 off Transformers toys, although the Costa Mesa, Calif., store was out of both items by midafternoon. Also available was a gift set with two figurines, and a $10 gift card with the purchase of any Transformers DVD with the video game. Target stepped up with an exclusive specialedition package that actually transformed into a robot, plus a prequel comic and Web content. Wal-Mart offered Transformers: Beginnings, a DVD adaptation of the comic-book prequel. Circuit City stores gave away hats to the first 20 fans buying the DVD, and offered Web content and $10 off the PlayStation 2 video game. Best Buy also has a two-week window to sell Fox’s “Angel” complete-series set, which streets everywhere Oct. 30. T 8 Home Media Magazine October 21–27, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://Amazon.com

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Contents News TV DVD Going Green Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - October 21-27, 2007

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