Home Media Magazine - February 23-March 1, 2009 - (Page 7) www.homemediamagazine.com NEWS products. As for CinemaNow, which Sonic acquired in November for $3 million, Habiger said the movie service will help in consumer adoption of Qflix, the download-to-burn DVD technology Sonic is bundling with Dell and Pioneer disc drives. “More significantly, the arrival of CinemaNow has accelerated our long-held plans to become more involved in premium content delivery and has served as a catalyst for a general reorganization of our company,” he said. Sonic Solutions Posts Loss By Chris Tribbey ith revenue drops across all its business lines, digital media company Sonic Solutions reported a net loss of $111 million for its third fiscal quarter (ended Dec. 31). Revenue for the quarter was down more than 25% compared to the same period in 2007. “The primary cause of our disappointing results was the downturn that affected the world economy,” said Sonic president and CEO Dave Habiger, in a Feb. 5 conference call with investors, pointing to the hard-hit PC, semiconductor and software sales. Since October, Sonic has had two rounds of layoffs, eliminating 175 positions. “With operating expenses significantly reduced, we expect that Sonic will generate a reasonable level of profit over the next year,” Habiger said. He added that the holiday Bluray Disc sales bode well for Sonic’s consumer and professional software W Six catalog titles will include coupons for Terminator: Salvation. BRIEFS I ‘FALLOUT 3’ GAMEFLY’S GAME OF THE YEAR Online video game rental service GameFly named Fallout 3 its game of the year. The action role-playing game also won game of the year for Xbox 360, in GameFly’s sixth annual Q Awards. For the PlayStation 3, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots took home top honors, while Super Smash Bros. Brawl was No. 1 for the Nintendo Wii. – Chris Tribbey I DON JOHNSON SUES FOR ‘NASH BRIDGES’ PROFIT Don Johnson is suing three entertainment companies over profit from “Nash Bridges,” according to The Associated Press. The lawsuit filed Feb. 16 in Los Angeles Superior Court claims Johnson owns half the copyright to the 1996-2001 CBS series in which he played the title character. Johnson alleges he hasn’t been paid his share of a $150 million syndication deal, and has been blocked from developing episodes into on– John Latchem line videos. Warner Offers Movie Cash For ‘Terminator: Salvation’ By John Latchem n the heels of its Watchmen movie cash promotion, Warner Home Video will offer Terminator: Salvation discount coupons in six catalog re-releases. A $7.50 coupon that can be applied toward purchase of a Terminator: Salvation ticket at participating theaters will be available in copies of Terminator 3: Rise of O the Machines, I Am Legend, V for Vendetta and the three “Matrix” films starting May 12 (prebook April 7). The affected titles will be priced at $12.97. The move represents a return for Terminator 3, which has been unavailable at retail since May 2008. Terminator: Salvation, the fourth film in the franchise, hits theaters May 22. MERCHANDISING PROJECTIONS Tweens Should Rule the Charts By Kelly Burner Best Buy High School Musical 3 Disney; SRP $29.99, $34.99, $39.99 BD Target $16.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $26.99 Blu-ray Wal-Mart $15.97 $24.96 two-DVD set $29.96 Blu-ray Borders $19.99 $38.99 two-DVD set* $29.99 Blu-ray Amazon.com $15.99 $19.99 two-DVD set $25.99 Blu-ray $15.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $27.99 Blu-ray Changeling Universal SRP $29.98, $39.98 BD $16.99 $26.99 Blu-ray $16.99 $26.99 Blu-ray $15.97 $29.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $16.99 $26.99 Blu-ray Body of Lies Warner; SRP $28.98, $34.99, $35.99 BD $16.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $26.99 Blu-ray $16.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $26.99 Blu-ray $15.97 $24.96 two-DVD set $29.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $34.99 two-DVD set* $29.99 Blu-ray $16.99 $22.99 two-DVD set $24.95 Blu-ray Quarantine Sony Pictures SRP $28.96, $39.95 BD $19.99 $27.99 Blu-ray $19.99 $26.99 Blu-ray $19.96 w/exclusive bonus disc $29.96 Blu-ray $19.99 $29.99 Blu-ray $19.99 $27.99 Blu-ray * Online Only eading the releases that came out Feb. 17 is the latest in the “High School Musical” franchise from Disney, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which grossed nearly $91 million in theaters. Other notable titles include Body of Lies, a thriller from producer Ridley Scott that stars Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio and earned $39.4 million in theaters, and Changeling, from acclaimed director Clint Eastwood, and starring Angelina Jolie, which raked in $35.7 million. Powered by enormous popularity among the tween demographic, High School Musical 3 should conquer both the sales and rental charts in the coming week. The remaining titles will be left to battle it out for No. 2. Changeling (with its three Oscar nominations) may be able to snag second place on both charts, but it will have to overcome competition from not only Body of Lies, but also Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, which has held the top sales position for two weeks running. Other titles released Feb. 17 include Religulous, a satirical documentary from “Politically Incorrect” host Bill Maher ($13 million), Flash of Genius ($4.4 million), and Choke ($2.9 million), based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk (the author of Fight Club). WEEKS ON CHART L The ‘HSM’ Stimulus Package By John Latchem etailers jumped on board the High School Musical 3: Senior Year bandwagon the new release week of Feb. 17. Target offered a $10 gift card with the purchase of the film on DVD or Blu-ray and a “High School Musical” doll. The dolls weren’t displayed with the DVDs at a Santa Ana, Calif., R store, but were in the toy department, on sale for about $20 each. Best Buy had a full “HSM” display of the franchise’s movies, soundtracks and video games. Best Buy’s deal offered a $6 savings with purchase of HSM3 and any other “HSM” movie, CD or game. The Xbox 360 HSM3: Sing It game includes free child’s admission to Hannah Montana: The Movie. Wal-Mart’s HSM3 displays touted an “Exclusive Wildcats Customizable Online Locker,” complete with bonus footage, games and more. Another popular display was a tie-in to the Feb. 22 Oscar ceremony. The Best Buy and Borders bookstores in Costa Mesa, Calif., both had displays of past award-winning films on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. RANK TITLE STUDIO PROJECTED TOP 3 SELLERS for Week Ending 2/29/09 1 2 3 High School Musical 3 Changeling Disney Universal New 3 New Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Para./DW PROJECTED TOP 3 RENTERS for Week Ending 2/29/09 1 2 3 High School Musical 3 Body of Lies Disney Warner New New 3 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Para./DW Source: Home Media Research February 23–March 1, 2009 Home Media Magazine 7 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.Amazon.com
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