Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - (Page 18) NEWS ACTORS REJECT ‘FINAL’ STUDIO CONTRACT OFFER By Erik Gruenwedel www.homemediamagazine.com Oscar Winner ‘The Reader’ Comes to Disc By Billy Gil PRODUCT Genius Products and The Weinstein Co. April 14 (prebook March 3) will bow The Reader on DVD ($29.95). The film recently netted actress Kate Winslet her first best actress Academy Award, after having been nominated five previous times. The Blu-ray Disc will street April 28 (prebook March 17) at $34.99. The five-times Oscar-nominated film takes place in World War II-era Germany and follows the love affair between Hannah (Winslet) and her young neighbor Michael (played by David Kross as a young man and Ralph Fiennes as an older man). Hannah is later put on trial for war crimes as a concentration camp guard, and Michael must decide to save her or not. Winslet’s winning performance was her sixth to be nominated for an Oscar, following nominations for Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, Iris, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Little Children. “We do expect to see a bump in sales and rentals, for sure,” said Scott Heffron, VP of marketing for Genius Products. iting a “surprise, last-minute demand” by the studios, the Screen Actors Guild’s board of directors overwhelmingly rejected the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ (AMPTP) “last, best and final offer” following intense negotiations Feb. 17-19. In a 73% to 27% vote, SAG’s board said it refused to agree to a settlement after the studios tacked on an additional year to the previous two-year contract offer. The AMPTP said it had always insisted on a three-year contract in line with other union terms and had modified portions of the agreement dealing with new media in favor of SAG, despite an unprecedented economic recession. Heffron said that since the title is being released after the Oscars, there was time to incorporate a banner at the top of the packaging celebrating the win. Heffron said Genius saw an uptick in orders for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for example, when it was released in January, after it won the Golden Globe for best picture, comedy or musical (that film has since garnered the best supporting actress Oscar for Penelope Cruz). The DVD and Blu-ray for The Reader will include 12 deleted scenes and five behind-the-scenes featurettes, including one showing how the film’s makeup artists aged Winslet. “The content we were able to create really suits a best picture nominee,” he said. Blockbuster Testing Prices Continued from page 1 OSCAR WINNERS ON HOME VIDEO By John Latchem said the chain would test prices as low as $1, which kiosk operators Redbox, The New Release, DVDPlay and DVD Now offer. Randy Hargrove, spokesperson for the Dallas-based No. 1 DVD rental service, wouldn’t comment on specific pricing plans, which he said varied by market. “We have been conducting local market tests across the country designed to give customers more choice, control and value,” Hargrove said. “Some tests include daily, weekly and monthly price options.” One Blockbuster analyst called the move “brilliant” and “about time.” Edward Woo, research analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, said the success of Redbox, including Coinstar Inc.’s recent ownership stake purchase from McDonald’s, and other DVD kiosks underscore market demand for cost-effective movie rentals in the current economy. “Blockbuster and Movie Gallery will need to address the value/convenience gap that Redbox and others offer,” Woo said. Separately, Blockbuster said it will eliminate due dates for in-store DVD rental exchanges by Total Access members beginning March 2. Blockbuster said all outstanding Total Access in-store rentals will be counted toward the quantity limits on members’ plans. Total Access lets members rent online and return titles in-store for free exchanges. “Once you’ve returned your instore exchange, we’ll then ship you the next available movie in your queue,” Blockbuster said, in a statement. oming out of the 81st Academy Awards Feb. 22, only seven films are on the home video radar. Five are already out, and two have announced street dates. That leaves the most-honored films — Slumdog Millionaire (eight Oscars, including best picture) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (three awards) — set to reap the full marketing advantage of their Oscar wins when they’re announced for home video. TITLE The Dark Knight The Duchess Man on Wire Milk The Reader Vicky Cristina Barcelona Wall-E WINS 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 CATEGORIES Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, Sound Editing Costume Design Best Documentary Best Actor: Sean Penn, Original Screenplay Best Actress: Kate Winslet HOME VIDEO* Warner Paramount Magnolia Universal, March 10 REDBOX, UNI LOOKING TO SETTLE LAWSUIT By Chris Tribbey Genius/Weinstein April 14 (prebook March 3) Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz Genius/Weinstein Best Animated Feature Disney *All titles now available unless otherwise noted Both Redbox and Universal Studios Home Entertainment have told a judge in their federal civil suit that they’re willing to discuss a settlement over the use of the studios’ DVDs in Redbox’s rental kiosks. “Redbox is also willing to appear at an in-person settlement conference, without preconditions, and would accept a magistrate judge as a mediator of those disputes if the court thinks that result is appropriate,” lawyers for Redbox wrote in a letter filed Feb. 23 with the United States District Court in Delaware. LEGAL MYERS, HILTON TAKE RAZZIES By John Latchem ike Myers and Paris Hilton were the big winners (or is that losers?) at the 29th annual Golden Raspberry Awards, a ceremony that honors the worst achievement in film. M TITLE The Love Guru (on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment) took worst picture of 2008, worst screenplay and worst actor for Myers. Hilton took worst actress for The Hottie & The Nottie (on DVD from Liberation); worst supporting actress for Repo! The Genetic Opera (on DVD from Lionsgate); and worst screen couple for Hottie & The Nottie with either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore. Multiple Razzies also went to Uwe Boll, who took worst director for In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale (Fox), Postal (Vivendi) and 1968: Tunnel Rats. JUST ANNOUNCED A Weekly Product Update* STREET DATE PREBOOK BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) GENRE PRICE Netflix’s By-Mail Still Solid Continued from page 1 fast consumers have access to devices at home that enable streaming content on the TV. To Wall Street analysts seeking to stoke the flames of digital distribution in place of DVD, McCarthy offered little grist other than an analogy involving Blockbuster Inc. “When I got into this business in 1999, everyone thought Blockbuster would be put out of business by streaming,” he said. “And they do have their challenges, but none of them relate to streaming. We are going to be in the DVD business for a long time, probably much longer than most of you in the room imagined.” That said, McCarthy reiterated what CEO Reed Hastings mentioned in previous financial calls, namely that the Los Gatos, Calif.-based online DVD rental pioneer envisions launching a standalone streaming business in the future. But the executive admitted that costs associated with licens- Bedtime Stories 4/7 Now $109.4 Comedy DVD $29.99, BD $39.99 ing newer content and undetermined pricing models and revenue growth margins hampered a quicker rollout. McCarthy said the adoption rate for streaming would be paced by the growth in the number of platforms enabling users to consume content on the TV. He said devices such as Web-enabled video game systems and TVs and Blu-ray Disc players tend to be purchased during the holiday shopping season. “It is many, many, many years of Christmas selling seasons before enough of those devices populate people’s homes to matter,” he said. McCarthy said it took the DVD player five years to go from $300 to $35 and reach 50% household penetration, and streaming] devices will not grow that quickly. He said the Watch Instantly streaming option is not compelling enough on a freestanding basis. But when packaged together with Netflix’s 100,000 DVD titles, it offers a better value proposition. Disney. 2008. Adam Sandler, Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Courtney Cox. A man entertains his niece and nephew with outlandish original bedtime stories that come true. The Blu-ray (three-disc combo pack) will be available April 5. The three-disc and a two-DVD ($32.99) version have a digital copy. My Bloody Valentine 3-D 5/19 4/22 $51.4 Horror DVD $29.95, BD $39.99 Lionsgate. 2009. Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith. A remake of the classic film in which a small town is terrorized on the anniversary of a deadly accident. Also available in a special edition ($34.98). All disc packages include both the 2-D and 3-D versions of the film and glasses. The Reader 4/14 3/3 $23.6 Drama DVD $29.95, BD $34.99 Genius/Weinstein. 2008. Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross. A young man has a summer affair with an older woman who then disappears. Years later they meet again when she is on trial for Nazi war crimes, and he is a law student. The Blu-ray streets April 28 (prebook March 17). Frost/Nixon 4/21 Now $17.5 Drama DVD $29.98, BD $39.98 Universal. 2008. Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfayden. The Ron Howard film dramatizes the events surrounding the historic interviews with President Richard Nixon and TV personality David Frost. Not Easily Broken 4/7 3/5 $10.6 Drama DVD $28.95, BD $39.95 Sony Pictures. 2009. Morris Chestnut, Taraji P. Henson, Maeve Quinlan, Jenifer Lewis. Based on the novel by Pastor T.D. Jakes, a married couple struggling with their commitment is tested further when the wife is injured in a car accident. JCVD 4/28 3/31 $0.47 Comedy DVD $19.99, BD $34.99 Peace Arch. Jean-Claude Van Damme. Van Damme plays himself in this satire of his life as an action movie hero who accidentally is mistaken for a bank robber. Includes bonus footage an http://www.homemediamagazine.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Contents News TV DVD SXSW Reviews Research Top 20 Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover1) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover2) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover3) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page Cover4) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 1) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 2) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 3) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 (Page 4) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Contents (Page 5) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 6) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 7) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 8) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - News (Page 9) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - TV DVD (Page 10) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - SXSW (Page 11) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 12) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 13) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 14) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Reviews (Page 15) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Sellers (Page 16) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Sellers (Page 17) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 18) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts (Page 19) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 20) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 21) Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - Just Announced (Page 22)
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