Home Media Magazine - March 2-8, 2009 - (Page 4) NEWS BRIEFS I BORDERS OFFERS ‘TWILIGHT’ CALENDAR Borders will release the Twilight disc March 20 along with a U.S. exclusive 18month Twilight movie calendar that debuts March 17. The calendar retails for $16.99 and also can be pre-ordered through Borders, Waldenbooks stores or online at www.borders.com/twilightcalendar. Borders also will be hosting midnight parties at most Borders stores nationwide March 20, from 10 p.m. to 12:01 a.m. for the DVD’s release. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase Borders’ exclusive edition of the Summit Entertainment DVD, a two-disc set, at $29.99. The set also includes 10 exclusive photo cards. Meanwhile, Borders Group has laid off an additional 136 corporate employees (approximately 12% of the corporate workforce) as part of its previously announced plan for expense reductions. – Erika Carmona www.homemediamagazine.com Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 30 YEARS OF NEWS MARCH I 2003 DVD Rentals Generate More Revenue Than VHS It seems like so long ago that DVD eclipsed VHS, but as far as rental goes, it’s really only been six years. In March of 2003, weekly DVD rental revenue finally surpassed that of VHS rentals for the first time. For the week ended March 16, 2003, U.S. DVD rentals generated $80 million in revenue, while VHS rentals yielded $78 million, according to VSDA VidTrac. To those who lambaste Blu-ray, it’s worth noting that the DVD milestone occurred six years to the month after DVD was launched in the United States. “Blu-ray rentals are moving, in our minds, faster than DVD at year three, but there is still the limitation of catalog,” commented analyst Richard Doherty, director of The Envisioneering Group. “For DVD six years ago, with better performance, more convenience, it reached the milestone for pen– Billy Gil etration faster than VHS did.” DVD No Dog At DreamWorks By Chris Tribbey SUPPLIER Profits were down for DreamWorks Animation SKG during fourth-quarter 2008, but that didn’t keep company executives from staying upbeat, especially about DVD. “It’s important to note that 2008 was our most successful non-‘Shrek’ year ever,” said CFO and president Lew Coleman, during a conference call with investors last week. “[Sales of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa are a] clear indication that the home video market for us remains encouraging.” Sitting on top of the national home video sales chart for two weeks running, Madagascar is behind only The Dark Knight and Iron Man in 2009 sales, Coleman said, with 5 million units shipped as of Feb. 22. “The sales we are seeing now will probably represent 65% to 75% of the total volume we’ll see,” said company COO Ann Daly. The company posted a profit of $51.6 million for the quarter, down 45% from $94 million during the same period in 2007. For the year, DreamWorks posted a profit of $142.5 million. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said DVD sales of Kung Fu Panda have outperformed the company’s estimates, with the title hitting 11.2 million units shipped through the end I CEA: CONSUMERS PULL BACK ON CE SPENDING Consumer expectations about technology and electronics spending continue to fall, according to new data released by the Consumer Electronics Association. Confidence in CE and technology spending dropped nearly nine points in February to 68.4, the lowest level since the Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE) was initiated in 2007, and a 21-point decline from the prioryear period. Shawn DuBravac, economist and director of research at CEA, said with rising unemployment and declining home prices and stocks, the incentive to purchase discretionary items, including consumer electronics, remains muted. “While consumer spending is down across the board, we are still seeing positive growth in several product categories such as digital displays, accessories and video games,” he said. – Erik Gruenwedel of 2008, and accounting for about 80% of the $101.8 million it contributed to the fourth quarter. Both Bee Movie and Shrek the Third contributed more than $9 million each to the quarter, also primarily through home entertainment sales. At the end of 2008, more than 21.4 million units of Shrek the Third had been shipped. Katzenberg added that less retail competition during the first quarter of 2009 has resulted in higher prices for DreamWorks DVDs, and that retailers are opting for special editions of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa over the standard edition, at a rate of 50%. “We are an offensive player in this [economic] arena,” he said. “Our customers, in an unexpected way, are trading up to premium.” For Blu-ray Disc, Katzenberg offered no breakdown compared to DVD sales. But he did say: “It’s a very small part of our business to date. We like the Blu-ray platform, but it’s not a meaningful part of our business right now.” Katzenberg said DreamWorks also looks forward to the March 27 release of Monsters vs. Aliens, its first release to go 3-D. “We believe that Monsters vs. Aliens will reset the bar for what moviegoers should expect from a CG-animated film and are confident that it will offer our audiences a premium viewing opportunity,” he said. STUDY: 3-D WILL CATCH ON IF IT’S GIVEN A CHANCE By Chris Tribbey I GENIUS, WEINSTEIN CO. EXTEND DISTRIBUTION DEAL Genius Products Inc. has extended its exclusive distribution of DVDs from The Weinstein Co. through 2011. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Genius, which was 60% acquired by GNPR Investments LLC, an affiliate of Quadrant Management, in January, also extended three-year employment contracts to CEO Trevor Drinkwater, president Matthew Smith and Mitch Budin, EVP and GM. Quadrant’s Alan Quasha, Bruce Bunner and John Hecker were named to Genius’ board, replacing three members previously seated by TWC, which retains a 15% stake in the packaged-media distributor. – Erik Gruenwedel Marvel Touts DVD Success By Chris Tribbey SUPPLIER DVD sales of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man boosted Marvel Entertainment to a profit of $63 million during the fourth quarter of 2008 (ended Dec. 31), more than double the $27.6 million in profit the company reported in the prior-year period. “Despite the negative comments we have heard regarding retail sales performance within the DVD market … both The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man DVDs have been performing at or above our expectations,” said CFO Kenneth West, in a conference call with investors Feb. 24. West said worldwide Iron Man home entertainment sales (via Paramount) contributed $190 million in revenue during the quarter, with Hulk (via Universal) adding another $14 million. He said a majority of Hulk DVD revenue would be reported in 2009. He did not offer a breakdown between DVD and Blu-ray Disc for either title. “We have been told that many other DVD titles are generating sales that are below expectations anywhere from 10% to 30% or more,” he said. “We believe that our strong performance is related to the quality of the films that we produce … and the excellent marketing job done by our distribution partners.” Much like a dangerous drug addiction, all it takes for people to get into 3-D is a small taste, according to a new, joint study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Entertainment and Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC@UTC). The study — “3-D TV: Where Are We Now and Where Are Consumers” — found that of the estimated 41 million American adults to see a 3-D movie in theaters, about 40% said they would rather watch a movie in 3-D if it’s offered. That’s compared to only 23% who expressed interest in 3-D over 2-D when they had not seen a 3-D movie in the past year. “When it comes to current 3-D technology, seeing truly is believing,” said Shawn DuBravac, director of research for CES. “Today’s 3-D offerings are changing the way consumers view video content, not unlike the early days of high-definition television, which redefined TV as we know it today.” For the home, the report found 16% of consumers are interested in 3-D movies or TV shows, and 14% are interested in 3-D video games. More than 26 million United States homes are interested in having 3-D available from the couch, and more than half said the need for 3-D glasses wouldn’t get in the way of them buying a 3-D display. For more information about the report, visit CE.org. RESEARCH Home Media Magazine March 2–8, 2009 http://www.homemediamagazine.com http://www.borders.com/twilightcalendar http://www.CE.org
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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