Home Media Magazine - July 6-12, 2008 - (Page 19)

www.homemediamagazine.com NEWS Blockbuster Drops Circuit Bid Continued from page 1 Warner Set on Sets By Thomas K. Arnold laborate DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions of Batman Begins, Casablanca and the “Flintstones” TV series top this year’s slate of pricey gift sets from Warner Home Video, a category that experienced 26% growth in the past year, according to the studio. A total of 25 gift sets, priced from $40 to $200, will be released in the final four months of this year. “We’re looking to bring our collections to a new level in the fourth quarter of 2008,” said Jeff Baker, Warner’s EVP and GM of theatrical catalog. Warner began releasing DVD gift sets in the fourth quarter of 2005, with the original King Kong movie. Jeff Brown, Warner’s EVP and GM, nontheatrical franchise, said revenue for gift sets over the past three years have been consistently growing “in double digits, and we expect that to continue through the fourth quarter.” The Batman Begins: Limited Edition Gift Set, available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc July 8, comes with a booklet that includes a new DC Comics adaptation of “The Dark Knight” prologue, photos, script pages and storyboards, postcards key art and $7.50 in “movie cash” to see The Dark Knight. The Casablanca: Ultimate Collector’s Edition, I Am Legend: Ultimate Collector’s Edition and JFK: Ultimate Collector’s Edition will include an assortment of memorabilia, while A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector’s Edition will come with a “holiday starter kit,” including cookie cutters. All three will be out in the fourth quarter, along with complete series gift sets of “Peanuts” holiday specials, “The Flintstones,” “Batman: The Animated Series,” “Get Smart” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” WARNER CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF ‘RISKY BUSINESS’ By Kyra Kudick Warner Home Video Sept. 16 releases Risky Business 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The 1980s comedy that launched Tom Cruise into superstardom was an easy choice for a special edition. Tom Lucas, VP of marketing for theatrical catalog at Warner, said the studio considers a film’s box office gross (Risky Business made $64 million), anniversaries and star power when choosing films for deluxe editions. Lucas said it’s even better when those stars are excited about the project. PRODUCT Cruise and co-star Rebecca De Mornay gave Warner permission to use their original screen tests for the DVD and Blu-ray. The DVD ($19.97) and Blu-ray Disc ($28.99) have a new retrospective documentary with cast interviews, The Dream Is Always the Same: The Story of Risky Business; and a director’s cut of the final scene with an introduction by director Paul Brickman. The DVD has a commentary with Cruise, Brickman and producer Jon Avnet, while the Blu-ray has a video commentary with the three and a digital copy of the film. Dallas-based Blockbuster is aggressively expanding beyond traditional DVD rental with the sales of DVD movies, video games, digital downloads, food, coffee and entertainment hardware, including Bluray players. Keyes, in a recent interview, envisioned synergistic up-selling opportunities as a reason to acquire Circuit City, including offering Blockbuster subscriptions and downloads with consumer electronics sales. Philip Schoonover, chairman, president and CEO of Circuit City, downplayed Blockbuster’s decision, saying ongoing exploration of “strategic alternatives” by the board was intended to enhance shareholder value. “The board’s review was not dependent on Blockbuster’s participation,” Schoonover said. “We are diligently working with the parties involved in the process, and intend to continue our thorough approach until such point as the board determines upon a particular strategic course of action.” Circuit City shareholder Mark Wattles last week said multiple parties were interested in the Richmond, Va.-based No. 2 consumer electronics retailer and that a decision was imminent. Schoonover said the board had not established a deadline for completing the review. Edward Woo, media analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, welcomed Blockbuster’s decision and doubted whether the rental giant would immediately pursue an alternative acquisition. “I don’t think Blockbuster will try another [one] until they get their turnaround complete,” Woo said. The analyst said Circuit City would likely continue down the same reorganization path unless they could find someone to buy them quickly. “Given how poor their recent results have been, I’m guessing most likely they continue as is with maybe a chance that a financial buyer takes them private,” Woo said. JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* CIRCUIT CITY EXECS GET MORE PERKS By Erik Gruenwedel 88 Minutes STREET DATE Redbelt BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) The Fall TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE 88 Minutes 9/16 8/14 $16.9 Thriller DVD $28.96, BD $38.96 Sony Pictures. 2008. Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Amy Brenneman, Leelee Sobieski, Neal McDonough, Deborah Kara Unger, Benjamin McKenzie. Academy Award winner Pacino stars as a man who is told he only has 88 minutes left to live. Includes alternate ending and commentary. Redbelt 8/26 7/24 $2.3 Action DVD $27.96, BD $38.96 Circuit City Stores Inc.’s shareholders and board approved a revised incentive program whereby select senior executives would be eligible to receive cash awards equal to upwards of 200% of their annual salary or no more than $3 million each. In a regulatory filing, Richmond, Va.based Circuit City said the incentives were aimed at attracting and retaining a “highly qualified” management team who could “contribute materially” to the success of Circuit City and its subsidiaries. Last December, the chain announced incentives that allowed executive and SVPs to receive cash retention awards of $1 million and $600,000, respectively, if RETAIL they remained with the company to 2011. Citing the need to reduce operating costs and “take immediate action,” CEO Philip Schoonover a year ago attracted criticism when he announced the termination and rehiring at lower pay of almost 4,000 hourly store employees. Schoonover is under mounting pressure from analysts and shareholders to resurrect revenue or sell the company. Meanwhile, the retailer has seen a thinning of its senior management team. Edward Woo, analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities, said with Circuit City losing money, offering increased stock options made fiscal sense. But, cash is king, he says. Sony Pictures. 2008. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tim Allen, Joe Mantegna, Emily Mortimer, Alice Braga. A struggling Jiu-Jitsu teacher is given an opportunity to repay his debts by stepping back into the prize-fighting circuit. Includes commentary, behind-the-scenes footage and a director Q&A. The Fall 9/9 8/7 $1.8 Fantasy DVD $27.96, BD $38.96 MovieBeam Sale in Question Continued from page 1 Sony Pictures. 2008. Catinca Untaro, Justine Wadell, Lee Pace. An injured stuntman tells a young girl a story about five mythical heroes, weaving a tale of fantasy and reality. Includes commentary, deleted scenes and a making-of featurette. NFL Greatest Game Series: Green Bay P 8/26 7/22 DTV Sports DVD $49.98 Warner. This 10-DVD set includes the 10 most popular Packers’ games chosen by fans, including Super Bowl XXXI (1997; Packers vs. Patriots), the Packers vs. Seahawks 2007-08 playoff game, and a Packers vs. 49ers regular-season game in 1996 in which Brett Favre threw 61 passes. The Morgue 9/2 8/6 DTV Thriller DVD $26.98 Lionsgate. 2008. Bill Cobbs, Lisa Crilley, Chris Devlin, Heather Donahue, Googy Gress, Taylor Lipman, Brady Matthews. Six strangers find themselves trapped overnight in a rural morgue and latch on to one another for survival. Another Cinderella Story 9/16 8/12 DTV Comedy DVD $27.95, BD $35.99 Warner. Selena Gomez, Drew Seeley, Jane Lynch. A modern-day twist on the Cinderella fairytale in which the glass slipper is an iPod and Prince Charming is a pop star looking for love. Includes a sing-along, music video and featurettes about the lead characters. * In order of box office, then prebook date of equipment” to a “mysterious” British Virgin Island company. The letter proposed a public auction of MovieBeam’s assets, that Gallery retain majority interest, and that there be an investigation into the buyer, among other demands. Gallery shuttered MovieBeam last December nine months after acquiring it for $10 million. Originally founded by The Walt Disney Co. and co-funded by Cisco Systems and Intel Corp. for about $150 million, MovieBeam used overthe-air data-casting to automatically load proprietary $200 set-top boxes, which allowed users to watch mov- ies on-demand with no downloading or hard-disc storage required. The service was available in 31 major cities nationally and featured a regenerating stock of 100 movies (10 new titles per week) loaded for on-demand viewing at any given time. Rentals (for 24 hours) ranged in price from $1.99 to $4.99. Gallery envisioned MovieBeam as a catalyst to jumpstart a non-existent digital distribution channel that would be marketed at the retail level and include online rentals. A representative from Gallery, which exited Chapter 11 protection May 20, was not immediately available for comment. July 6–12, 2008 Home Media Magazine http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - July 6-12, 2008 Contents News TV DVD Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - July 6-12, 2008

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