Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 - (Page 3)

www.homemediamagazine.com MENU FROM THE EDITOR BY STEPHANIE PRANGE, EDITOR IN CHIEF www.homemediamagazine.com Coming Down the Home Stretch PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Thomas K. Arnold EDITOR IN CHIEF Stephanie Prange EDITORIAL Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelique Flores Senior Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Gruenwedel Senior Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Tribbey Assistant Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Latchem Associate Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billy Gil, Kyra Kudick Contributors. . . . . . . . . John Gaudiosi, Anne Sherber, Fred Topel, Ralph Tribbey, Holly J. Wagner W ART Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Melbert Sebayan Graphic Designer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles Park RESEARCH Market Research Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Burner ADVERTISING 800/338-6700, FAX 714/338-6712 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . John Boezinger 714/338-6704 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julie Savant 714/368-1020 Advertising Sales Representative . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kurt Wohlman 714/338-6749 Group Administrative Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Guerena Business Analyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joni Wu For reprints, call 800-290-5460, ext. 100 or HomeMediaMagazine@reprintbuyer. com For direct-mail lists, call Ilene Schwartz, Kroll Direct, 216/371-1667 FAX 216/371-1669 ilene@krolldirect.com ill the fourth quarter turn out to be the blockbuster Will it be enough to draw us even or even grow the business many have predicted? That is the most pressing in 2007? It remains to be seen. question left in the home entertainment business What is clear, though, is that the past two years of the DVD this year. business will be very important case studies in how to manage The box-office power of the hits coming to DVD and the the home entertainment packaged-media market in the years high-def formats in November and especially December is to come. Without new DVD households jumping into the marunprecedented. The Q4 box office packs 20% more punch than ket, and with the high-definition formats somewhat stalled in last year’s slate. a format war, all the industry has to depend Many previously predicted it could be the THE INDUSTRY HAS upon is consumer buying habits on a particubiggest fourth quarter in the history of the BEEN PUTTING A LOT lar slate of titles in a given year. Certainly, the business. OF EGGS INTO THE industry has been putting a lot of eggs into the DreamWorks Animation SKG CEO Jeffrey FOURTH-QUARTER fourth-quarter basket in the past two years. Katzenberg called it “the greatest lineup ever” BASKET IN THE PAST Last year, 2006’s fourth quarter stole some during the Merrill Lynch Media & EntertainTWO YEARS. thunder from the first quarter of 2007 (see ment Conference this fall, but he cautioned Ralph Tribbey’s Spin, page 4). that the strong competition could impact sales. If the high-definition formats don’t blow our socks off, in Certainly Thanksgiving-week sales proved auspicious, with coming years the packaged-media business will have to depend Nielsen VideoScan unit numbers more than 6% ahead of last on managing the theatrical slate to its best advantage. That may year’s comparable holiday week sales in 2006. mean ever-bigger fourth quarters of box-office hits hoping to Also, December packs a very big punch in terms of box office hits. capitalize on the gift-giving season. Let’s hope it pays off in We’ve got Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Harry Potter and 2007. the Order of the Phoenix, The Bourne Ultimatum, Rush Hour 3, The Simpsons Movie and Superbad boosting the December take. Stephanie Prange’s e-mail address is sprange@questex.com MARKETING Marketing Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kristina Kronenberg 714/338-6743 Marketing Assistant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaitlyn DeWaard Online Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Rosado IN THIS ISSUE Dec. 16-22, 2007 / VOL. 29 / NO. 50 News …………………………… CALENDAR I 2008 INTERNATIONAL CES Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), CES is the largest annual trade show servicing the consumer technology industry. The show has brought together the global consumer electronics industry for more than four decades. Jan. 7-10 Las Vegas info: www.cesweb.org PRODUCTION Production Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie Ling Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Justin-Nicholas Toyama 714/338-6765 Assistant Production Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brady Gallardo >> HIGH- DEF OFFICES 714/338-6700, 800/371-6897, FAX 714/338-6710 homemediamagazine@questex.com 201 East Sandpointe Ave., Suite 500 Santa Ana, CA 92707-8716 Trans World gets a new bid; Image’s acquisition by BTP is delayed; Summit Entertainment snags Sandy Friedman; Warner adds a new digital exec. Chris Tribbey, Senior Reporter 818-788-8616, FAX 818-530-2486 16130 Ventura Blvd. #570 Encino, CA 91436 CREDIT Credit/Collections Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Wright Sr. CIRCULATION For subscriptions, please go online to www.homemediamagazine.com For current single copy, back issues or CD-ROM, call 866/344-1315 or 615/377-3322 for outside the U.S. Audience Development Manager. . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Joy Obaña News ………………………… BUSINESS QUESTEX MEDIA GROUP INC. President & CEO: Kerry C. Gumas; Executive Vice President & CFO: Tom Caridi; Executive Vice President: Robert S. Ingraham; Executive Vice President: Tony D’Avino; Executive Vice President, Corporate Development: Claudia Flowers; Vice President & General Manager: Don Rosenberg; Vice President, Digital Media: Seth Nichols; Vice President, Human Resources: Diane Evans © 2007 Questex Media Group Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including by photocopy, recording or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by Questex Media Group, Inc. for libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923 phone: 978-750-8400 fax 978-750-4470; call for copying beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. For those not registered with the CCC, send permission request in writing to questexpermissions@reprintbuyer.com or call 800-494-9051 ext. 100. A study says more mainstream HDTV buyers are looking to buy HD DVD over Blu-ray; Eagle Rock slates several music HD DVDs and Blu-ray Discs. I 2008 AVN ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO Sponsored by AVN Magazine, the 10th annual Adult Entertainment Expo is the largest adult entertainment industry event. This year the AVN Awards celebrates its 25th anniversary at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Jan. 12. Jan. 9-12 Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas info: show.adultentertainmentexpo.com >> EL ECTRONIC D EL IV ERY News ………………………… Blade Runner Reviews ………………………… 11 Is Ridley Scott’s final cut of Blade Runner the definitive version of the 25-year-old classic? Will “Torchwood” thrill American viewers? Does The Ten score a perfect 10 on DVD? Vivid Entertainment files suit against video site PornoTube; CinemaElectric expands its mobile presence with mywaves; Penthouse goes VOD. I 2008 NATPE The 45th annual NATPE Conference & Exhibition is dedicated to global multiplatform video content. Jan. 28-31 Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas info: www.natpe.org/conference Printed in the U.S.A. Pipeline ………………………… 16 Actress Daphne Zuniga chronicles the TED conPirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ference — which brings together the top minds in technology, entertainment and design — with TED: The Future We Will Create. Top 20 DVD Sellers ……………………… Research ……………………… 18 18 Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts ……… 20 I WONDERCON 2008 The comic book conference is returning to San Francisco for its 22nd anniversary. Feb. 22-24 Moscone Center South, San Francisco info: www.comic-con.org/wc Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Just Announced ……………… sailed to the top of the DVD and Blu-ray sales Lionsgate proposes Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get charts, while Sony Pictures’ Superbad was the top Married? on DVD; New Line puts forth Love in the rental. Time of Cholera. December 16–22, 2007 Home Media Magazine http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.cesweb.org http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://show.adultentertainmentexpo.com http://www.natpe.org/conference http://www.comic-con.org/wc

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Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007 Contents News Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - December 16-22, 2007

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