Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - (Page 23) www.homemediamagazine.com NEWS in revenue after filing for bankruptcy in October 2007. A 2009 video rental market report from Adams Media Research said brick-andmortar DVD rental stores would generate $4 billion annually in revenue by 2013, down about 27% from $5.5 billion in 2008 due to DVD-by-mail subscription services and standalone kiosks. Gallery believes the retail-centric points program combined with customer service will supplant Web and kioskbased rental options. “Kiosks and online services have a place in our industry, but our new subscription service offers unprecedented pricing, convenience and selection that can only be delivered in-store,” said Clifford Torng, chief marketing officer. Edward Woo, retail analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, said the program is intended to lock in customers, a common theme among retailers in the current economy. “It sounds like a gift card that holds a certain amount of value,” Woo said. “Movie Gallery has tried a lot of things before, including in-store subscriptions and kiosks, but none have really worked out.” Gallery Debuts Sub Service Continued from page 1 The Silver plan for $7.99 per month grants users eight points, which can be rolled over to the following month. Gold ($14.99) allocates 15 points, followed by Platinum ($24.99) with 25 points and Diamond ($39.99) for unlimited rentals. Gallery/Hollywood library DVD movie rentals are two points (or $2) each, and three points ($3) for new releases. Blu-ray titles rent for four points ($4) and video games for five points ($5) per title. Each plan has a designated limit on how many titles can be out at a time. Customers are assessed a one point (99 cents) per day late fee based on the particular plan. Games feature a five-day rental period. Gallery’s move is an attempt to reestablish itself in a packaged-media rental market dominated by Netflix and Blockbuster Inc. Wilsonville, Ore.-based Gallery, which emerged last May from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has no DVD-by-mail service or online presence compared with Blockbuster and Netflix. Privately held Gallery (with Hollywood Video) generated more than $1 billion Norman Lear Collection On the Way From Sony By Thomas K. Arnold ony Pictures Home Entertainment is taking aim at the high-end gift market with a lavish new DVD collection of TV classics from groundbreaking producer Norman Lear. The Norman Lear Collection ($159.95), due June 9 (prebook May 7) to target Father’s Day shoppers, includes complete first-season sets of seven of Lear’s Emmy Awardwinning shows: “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “Maude,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” “One Day at a Time” and “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” The 19-disc set includes more than six hours of new documentaries, featurettes and interviews with such stars as Bea Arthur, Jimmie Walker, Rob Reiner and Adrienne Barbeau. Also included are two never-beforeseen pilot episodes for “All in the Family”: “Those Were the Days” S Warner Classics On Demand Continued from page 1 and 1971’s “And Justice for All,” the latter turned down by ABC before producers tried again at CBS. “I don’t think you can be a fan of television, a student of television, or working in television, and not have been influenced by Norman Lear,” said Bob Oswaks, president of marketing for Sony Pictures Television and a veteran of several Lear productions in the 1970s. “Norman and his series had this authentic voice that really captured the times, and influenced many other people, from Phil Rosenthal to Seth MacFarlane,” Oswaks said. “They painted a much more realistic portrait of life than any previous shows that had been on television. Through humor, we could talk about abortion, drugs, politics, sexuality, ethnicity, you name it — he had his finger on the pulse, and the nerve center, of what was really happening in America.” Marc Rashba, VP of worldwide marketing for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, said that while his studio has released several big collections of TV DVD product, mostly “complete series” sets of shows such as “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Good Times,” truly elegant, collectable gift sets such as the Norman Lear Collection and the 2007 release Seinfeld: The Complete Series will only be produced occasionally. “The truth is, you’ll continue to see more collections, but not many in the class that you can call premier,” Rashba said. “I think you have very few properties, across all of the studios, that could warrant that. Norman Lear is a global icon in terms of what he’s done for television, and we know audiences have been waiting for this.” Most of the shows in the collection have been released on DVD, Rashba notes, but even season sets of programs such as “All in the Family” and “Sanford and Son” have had little in the way of extras. physical delivery are replicated via a third-party service (believed to be Hewlett-Packard’s MOD service), packaged in an Amaray case with custom artwork, shrink-wrapped and shipped. Among the initial 150 movie selections, which also feature MGM and RKO titles, are Oscar nominee Sunrise at Campobello with Ralph Bellamy, The Citadel starring Rex Harrison, Mr. Lucky with Cary Grant and Charles Bickford, Possessed starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, Once Upon a Honeymoon with Grant and Ginger Rogers, and All Fall Down starring Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint. All titles have been digitally remastered and include the original theatrical trailer. Future content earmarked for MOD includes episodic television and WB’s heralded animation collection. George Feltenstein, SVP of catalog titles for WHV, said the twoand-a-half-year project represented an expedited means to bring to market Warner’s library of 6,800 films, of which only 1,200 have been released on DVD and 4,100 on VHS. “With shrinking shelf space and a shrinking retail base, we were looking for a way to get the movies to the people who wanted them,” Feltenstein said. He said the MOD program was not a response to the economy or reported downturn in DVD sales. Instead, he said it would generate incremental revenue paramount toward sustaining the studio’s catalog business. Feltenstein said heretofore only titles with projected sales from 15,000 and 20,000 units warranted a DVD production run. He said MOD removed those restrictions. “Many are very specialized and never even got released on VHS,” he said. “Many of these films we have been beleaguered with requests for years. It gives consumers a virtual key to the vault, if you will. It’s a big win for collectors.” Independent analyst Rob Enderle said Warner’s decision to go MOD on its catalog made sense due to the limited shelf-space available for niche titles. “This is revenue that has been left on the table because buyers and product haven’t been able to come together,” Enderle said. “By doing this, Warner is showcasing creative thinking that contributes strongly to its bottom line. In times like this, decisions like this often stand out as brilliant.” JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* Paul Blart: Mall Cop The Curious Case of Benjamin Button STREET DATE BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) Hotel For Dogs TITLE PREBOOK GENRE PRICE Paul Blart: Mall Cop 5/19 4/16 $138.5 Comedy DVD $28.96, BD $39.95 Sony Pictures. 2009. Kevin James, Keir O’Donnell, Jayma Mays, Bobby Cannavale. A mild-mannered mall cop, who dreams of being a state trooper, is tested when thugs invade the mall and take hostages. Also available on UMD at $24.94. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 5/5 3/24 $126.6 Drama DVD $29.99, BD $39.99 Paramount. 2008. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Julia Ormond, Taraji P. Henderson. The film chronicles the life and adventures of a man who ages backwards. Also available as a two-DVD special edition at $39.99. The Criterion Collection is producing the two-DVD set and Blu-ray. Hotel for Dogs 4/28 Now $70.2 Comedy DVD $29.99, BD $39.99 Paramount. 2009. Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Don Cheadle, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon. Two orphans in a foster home with a no-pet policy look for a home for their dog and find a place for all the city’s strays. Defiance 6/2 4/21 $28.3 Drama DVD $19.99, BD $29.99 Paramount. 2008. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell. Based on a WWII story about a family of brothers who turn a group of war refugees into a band of freedom fighters. Revolutionary Road 6/2 4/21 $22.6 Drama DVD $19.99, BD $29.99 Paramount. 2008. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet. Adapted from the novel by Richard Yates, it gives an intimate portrait of a 1950s American suburbanite marriage. Includes deleted scenes, commentary, a making-of featurette and more. * In order of box office, then prebook date March 23–29, 2009 Home Media Magazine http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 Contents News Comedy Reviews Research Top 20 Sellers Top 20 Rentals Just Announced Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Comedy (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Reviews (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Reviews (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Reviews (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Reviews (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals (Page 22) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 23) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 24) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Just Announced (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - March 23-29, 2009 - Just Announced (Page Cover4)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.