Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - (Page 8) NEWS BRIEFS I ‘ANNE OF GREEN GABLES’ FEST WELCOMES WEB VIDEO Sullivan Entertainment, the Torontobased producer of “Anne of Green Gables” and “Road to Avonlea,” is hosting an “Anne of Green Gables” online short film festival. The winning clip will be included on Sullivan’s next “Anne of Green Gables” DVD release. Contestants can submit a two- to fiveminute video related to “Anne of Green Gables” at www.sullivanmovies.com. Submissions can include re-shooting a scene from one of the books from which the series is inspired, creating an original story for Anne, creating a spoof, or resetting the character in a new genre such as musical or science-fiction. A prize pack also will be awarded to the winner. The contest closes Sept. 19. – Billy Gil www.homemediamagazine.com Lionsgate Roars on Disc Rev By Erik Gruenwedel SUPPLIER Home entertainment gobbled up lots of revenue for Lionsgate. Lionsgate’s home entertainment revenue, which includes DVD, Blu-ray, video-on-demand (VOD) and electronic sellthrough, increased 47% for the first quarter (ended June 30) to $152.2 million, from $103.8 million during the same period last year. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based mini-major said top-selling DVD titles included Rambo, The Eye, Witless Protection, 3:10 to Yuma and Bella. Lionsgate reported net income of $7.1 million on revenue of $298.5 million, compared to a net loss of $53.1 million on revenue of $198.7 million during the same period last year. In a call with analysts, company president Steve Beeks said the studio’s results mirrored the home entertainment industry. He said yearend projections show packaged media will grow at least 1% (catalog up 2%) compared to last year. “We expect consumer spending in home entertainment across all formats to grow significantly through 2013,” Beeks said. The executive said Blu-ray generated $260 million in the first six months of 2008, up 330% from the same period last year. “With 50% of all Blu-disc sales projected to occur in I RESTORED ‘HOW THE WEST WAS WON’ DEBUTS ON TV Starz Entertainment’s Encore Westerns will hold the world television premiere of the restored and remastered How the West Was Won at 8 p.m. Aug. 30. The film also will be available on Encore HD On Demand the same day. The Academy Award-winning 1962 film was recently restored by Warner Home Video from its original Cinerama three-panel print. Warner will release How the West Was Won Sept. 9 on DVD and Blu-ray. – Billy Gil the fourth quarter, we believe BD sales are on track to exceed $1 billion this year,” Beeks said. He said Lionsgate’s library revenue achieved its bestever quarterly result and could top $300 million by the end of the year. He said the studio had a DVD market share of 7.7%, the highest in its history. Beeks said the May 1 addition of HIT Entertainment titles made Lionsgate the No. 3 family entertainment distributor, with 15% market share. Beeks said industry data on digital, which includes VOD and broadband, indicated $600 million in revenue for the first six months, up 33% from last year. He said he expects digital to exceed $1.5 billion for the full year and to top $3.5 billion and represent 15% of the home entertainment pie by 2013. “We are not seeing evidence that digital cannibalizes any of our packRambo aged-media businesses,” he said. “In some cases it may actually stimulate the appetite for them. And if there is any shift from DVD rental to digital, that is actually the good news. The studio portion of the consumer’s dollar is going to continue to grow dramatically.” Beeks reiterated that studios get 30% to 35% of the consumer’s dollar, while in digital, the studio gets 60% to 65% of the consumer’s dollar and at significantly higher operating margins. Edgy Pics Boost Image By Erik Gruenwedel SUPPLIER Releasing edgy movies starring the likes of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Forest Whitaker is apparently good for the bottom line. Image Entertainment Aug. 12 said DVD releases of Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, The Air I Breathe, The Walker and Numb helped it report first-quarter (ended June 30) net income of $1.7 million, compared to a loss of $2.6 million during the same period last year. Net revenue increased 56%, to a record $32.6 million, from $20.9 million last year. Other top sellers included Mariah Carey: The Adventures of Mimi and reality show Deadliest Catch: Season 3. David Borshell, president of Image, said Blu-ray continued to perform well, with digital distribution (streaming and sellthrough) up 53% and TV sales up 62%. Following a failed acquisition by BTP Holdings LLC and requisite “litany of disputes” thereafter in fiscal 2008, according to David Borshell, president of Image, the company turned the page and upped selling expenses 1.6% to $3.7 million, pursuing higher-profile cast-driven feature films (from ThinkFilm and other sources) for DVD, television and electronic distribution. The result has been expanded respect at retail by big box players, including Wal-Mart, Trans World Entertainment and Target. “We believe we have built a strong foundation for long-term growth and profitability and look forward to expanding [our] leadership role in the independent entertainment universe,” Borshell said. In a call with analysts, the executive said all legal issues with BTP had been resolved and that confidentiality agreements precluded him from revealing details. “Image is pleased with the outcome and ridding ourselves of the legal overhang,” Borshell said. Feature films slated for release in the second quarter include Autumn Hearts (Susan Sarandon), The Secret (David Duchovny), Then She Found Me (Helen Hunt and Matthew Broderick), Oscar-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side and Criterion’s version of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters. Genius Posts Second-Quarter Loss in Wake of Restructuring By Erik Gruenwedel SUPPLIER Costs associated with a 15% work force reduction and related restructuring contributed to Genius Products posting a net loss of $11.7 million for the second quarter (ended June 30). The company recorded net income of $2.1 million during the same period of the previous year. The Santa Monica, Calif.-based distributor said a 49% drop in secondquarter box office power for The I INFINITY BRINGS OUT RONA BARRETT DVD Infinity Entertainment Group and journalist Rona Barrett have teamed for a DVD of Barrett’s greatest interviews, including those with Cher, John Travolta, Robin Williams and John Wayne. Rona Barrett’s Hollywood: Nothing But the Truth will be available Oct. 28 (prebook Sept. 23) at $24.98. For each DVD sale, one dollar will be donated to the Rona Barrett Foundation for the Elderly Poor. – Chris Tribbey Weinstein Co. releases The Great Debaters, Diary of the Dead and Cassandra’s Dream resulted in DVD net revenue of $74.6 million, down 33.8% compared to the same quarter the year before. Genius distributed DVDs of Weinstein Co. theatrical releases Hannibal Rising, Black Christmas, Bobby and Miss Potter during last year’s second quarter. Genius is 70% owned by The Weinstein Co. and distributes their DVDs. Returns topped 32%, compared to 25% last year, which CEO Trevor Drinkwater attributed to an “uneven mix” of titles. Investors have questioned Genius’ business plan and debt. In the quarterly call, Drinkwater said The Weinstein Co. continued to be supportive of the distributor’s “liquidity” challenges. “Although we are not fully out of the woods, we are making strides toward that end,” Drinkwater said. Drinkwater said the second half of the year typically produces bigger DVD sales, which in turn would give Genius access to increased credit. “We believe our streamlined new organization will generate solid top-line results,” he said. I ONLINE MUSEUM OFFERS ‘WIRE’ DISCUSSION The Museum of the Moving Image offers exclusive discussions with leading figures in film and television, available to view for free at the museum’s Pinewood Dialogues Online site, movingimage.us/ pinewood. Among the recent additions is a panel discussion featuring the cast and crew of HBO’s “The Wire,” posted to coincide with the fifth and final season of the show being released on DVD Aug. 12. The panel includes series creator David Simon, writer Richard Price and stars Seth Gilliam, Clark Johnson, Clarke Peters and Wendell Pierce. – John Latchem DVD AND BLU-RAY AVERAGE PRICE COMPARISONS NEW THEATRICAL RELEASES BY BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE* Because Blu-ray is a relatively new format on the home entertainment packaged-media front, pricing is still in flux. When you take a snapshot of where the average (unweighted) retail prices are for new theatrical releases this year — based on their level of box office performance — you get a very odd mix of prices for DVD and Blu-ray. On DVD, there is a direct correlation between a film’s box office performance and the average retail price. On Blu-ray, the price comparisons are all over the board. — Ralph Tribbey Box Office Performance Level New Theatrical $100 Million or greater New Theatrical $25 Million - $100 Million New Theatrical $10 Million - $25 Million New Theatrical $1 Million - $10 Million New Theatrical Under $1 Million DVD $34.53 $31.17 $29.25 $27.67 $25.54 Blu-ray $33.78 $35.84 $36.07 $36.77 $34.72 Difference ($0.75) $4.67 $6.82 $9.09 $9.18 Percentage -2.2% 15.0% 23.3% 32.9% 35.9% * New Theatrical defined as films released after Jan. 1, 1997, the launch year of DVD. Title counts for 2008 include films announced but not shipped as of Aug. 12, 2008. I RELEASE ACTIVITY FOR DVD Titles in Release Through Week Ended Aug. 8, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total Net DVD Titles Announced and/or In Release Through Dec. 31, 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88,607+214 89,259+300 I RELEASE ACTIVITY FOR BLU-RAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . As of Week Ended Aug. 8 Released 642 Scheduled 180 Home Media Magazine August 17–23, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.sullivanmovies.com http://movingimage.us/pinewood http://movingimage.us/pinewood
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 Contents News News High-Def News Electronic Delivery News TV DVD Kidvid Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - High-Def News (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Electronic Delivery News (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - TV DVD (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Kidvid (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Kidvid (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Reviews (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Pipeline (Page 25) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 26) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Top 20 DVD Sellers (Page 27) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 28) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 29) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 30) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 31) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Just Announced (Page 32) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - August 17, 2008 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
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