Home Media Magazine - February 16-22, 2009 - (Page 9) www.homemediamagazine.com NEWS SAG, STUDIOS WILL MEET FEB. 17 By Erik Gruenwedel Studios Offer Game Supply Tips By Chris Tribbey SUPPLIER BURBANK, Calif. — When it comes to streamlining their supply chain and cutting down on their carbon footprint, the video game companies already owe a lot to their movie studio cousins. “We have the benefit of heavy lifting from the studios,” said Bo Andersen, president and CEO of the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), which co-produced a one-day video game supply chain conference Feb. 11 with the Media & Entertainment Services Alliance. Replicators, distributors and retailers gathered at “Game Supply: The Supply Chain Academy for Interactive Entertainment” to discuss ways the video game industry can be more efficient delivering its product. As with the movie industry, the “going green” agenda of No. 1 retailer WalMart is what’s driving those in video EMA HONORS ‘CALL OF DUTY,’ ‘GRAND THEFT AUTO’ By Billy Gil he Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) honored Activision’s Call of Duty: World at War and Nintendo’s Wii Fit with three 2009 Video Game Home Entertainment Awards each, while Video Game of the Year went to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV. The “Call of Duty” title won PS3 and Xbox 360 Game of the Year, while Most T Innovative Game of the Year went to Wii Fit. Other winners included Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii, with two awards, and Electronic Arts, honored in the new category of Best Third-Party Publisher. The winners were chosen by retail and distributor members of EMA and were revealed during “Game Supply: The Supply Chain Academy for Interactive Entertainment.” games to reduce waste. “Wal-Mart was a key driver for us: Be green but don’t affect our sales,” said Larry Wilk, green ambassador for DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group. The DEG spearheaded a Wal-Mart-requested green initiative by the studios in 2008. “With the exception of price, we really shared all our information [among the studios]. There’s a lot of open and honest communication. We talk about mistakes we’ve made. We talk about what worked and what didn’t.” The studios reduced the amount of paper they used for DVD inserts and the amount of resin used for Amaray cases. Video game makers are being asked by Wal-Mart to do the same thing with their cases by May, and again in October, according to Kyle Tanger, president of Clear Carbon Consulting. “If you’re serious about doing this, you have to have a cross-industry task force,” Wilk said. long-awaited resolution to the current contract impasse between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, the union representing Hollywood studios, is back on the table. Both sides plan to meet Feb. 17 and 18 for the first time since last year. The contentious labor negotiations are slated to take place at the AMPTP offices in Sherman Oaks, Calif., the same venue of an earlier meeting this month that was scuttled when SAG president Alan A Rosenberg unsuccessfully filed litigation attempting to halt the proceedings. At issue are actors seeking greater compensation from Internet distribution, in addition to revamping the 20-year-old home video residual agreement, which the studios have steadfastly refused to address. The agreement originally applied to VHS, but the subsequent arrival of DVD and Blu-ray made potential residuals a more lucrative prospect. Actors have been operating under an interim agreement since the previous contract expired last June. BRIEFS I MACROVISION POSTS LOSS Macrovision saw revenue rise 15% to $118.2 million during the fourth quarter, compared to the same period in 2007 — but posted a nearly $210 million operating loss tied to write-downs from the sale of its TV Guide properties to Lionsgate. President and CEO Fred Amoroso said an increase in CE company licensing, as well as an increase in subscribers to digital television, helped Macrovision’s fourth quarter. “We’re obviously pleased with the results … in what’s obviously a difficult — Chris Tribbey economy,” he said. MERCHANDISING PROJECTIONS Romance and ‘W.’ Could Split Charts By Kelly Burner Best Buy Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa $15.99 $19.99 two-DVD set $25.99 Blu-ray Target $15.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $29.99 collector’s set $25.99 Blu-ray Wal-Mart $15.97 $24.96 two-DVD set $24.96 w/Pez set $24.96 Blu-ray Suncoast $19.99 $24.99 two-DVD set $27.99 Blu-ray $7 rebate offered Amazon.com $15.99 $19.99 two-DVD set $25.99 Blu-ray Para./DW; SRP $29.98, $34.98, $39.99 BD W. Lionsgate SRP $29.95, $39.99 BD $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $19.99 $26.99 Blu-ray $19.96 $24.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $7 rebate offered $17.99 $25.99 Blu-ray Nights in Rodanthe Warner SRP $28.98, $35.99 BD $16.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $16.99 $26.99 Blu-ray $15.97 $29.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $27.99 Blu-ray $7 rebate offered $16.99 $24.99 Blu-ray Soul Men Genius/Weinstein SRP $28.95, $34.99 BD $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $19.99 Blu-ray not available $19.96 $29.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $32.99 Blu-ray* $19.99 $23.95 Blu-ray * Online Only fter the sales explosion resulting from the release of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, we should expect somewhat of a lull in sales activity for the week ending Feb. 16. The two major titles due on DVD and Blu-ray Disc Feb. 10 are Nights in Rodanthe, a romantic comedy that raked in $41.9 million in theaters, and W., a biopic from director Oliver Stone about former president George W. Bush that earned $25.5 million. There should be a split between rental and sales demand for the week. Nights in Rodanthe, which was more successful in the box office than W. and features both Richard Gere and Diane Lane, is likely to grab first place in the disc sales market. W., on the other hand, is most likely to take first place in the disc rental arena, due to its sensational subject matter. Other titles of some note for the week include: Soul Men, a comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac ($12.1 million), Miracle at St. Anna, a war drama from director Spike Lee ($7.9 million) and Disney/Touchstone, Blindness, a thriller from Disney ($3.4 million), and Frozen River, a drama from Sony Pictures ($2.4 million). RANK TITLE STUDIO WEEKS ON CHART A Pushing DVD Movie Nights sives for two kidvid brands. One was a stuffed Curious George with purchase of animated frozen pizza, soda, Kleenex and select $10 DVD “Curious George” DVDs. But the big item was By John Latchem a free penguin doll with purchase of the Madaheap catalog DVDs have inspired titles, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The Best Buy in Westminster, Calif., on the gascar: Escape 2 Africa double-DVD pack or several retailers to use a “make it a movie night” marketing ploy to clear other hand, put a big box of $4.99 DVDs near Blu-ray Disc. Other exclusives for the Madagascar sequel the new-release section, marked with a “movie inventory. The front page of Target’s weekly circular ad night” suggestion. Best Buy also offered a num- included Target’s collector’s set that packed the first film with the double-DVD set, and Walencourages couples to embrace “The New Mov- ber of discounted chick flicks on Blu-ray. Best Buy additionally trotted out plush exclu- Mart’s Pez set with the single-disc version. ie Night,” with discounts on popcorn, candy, PROJECTED TOP 3 SELLERS for Week Ending 2/16 1 2 3 Nights in Rodanthe W. Warner Lionsgate New 2 New Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Para./DW C PROJECTED TOP 3 RENTERS for Week Ending 2/16 1 2 3 W. Nights in Rodanthe Lionsgate Warner New New 2 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Para./DW Source: Home Media Research February 16–22, 2009 Home Media Magazine 9 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.Amazon.com
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