Video Business back issues from April 2006:
Returns get squeezed: Uni leads with 15% cap.(Universal Studios Home Entertainment )
Apr 03, 2006; ... Universal Studios Home Entertainment and other studios are tightening up DVD return policies to protect their profitability as disc sales slow, according to retailers. Universal has led the charge, cutting the return amount allowed for direct accounts to 15% on its titles, while ...
Dawn of download-to-own: studio-owned services this week offer permanent copies in the DVD window.(HEADLINERS)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The era of download-to-own has arrived in the U.S. Beginning today, studio-backed Internet movie service Movielink and rival Cinema Now will offer permanent downloads of movies from several major studios day and date with their DVD release. Movielink will offer films from ...
Slow start on way to high-def fast track?(Digital Hollywood conference)
Apr 03, 2006; ... SANTA MONICA, CALIF. -- The bumpy start for HD DVD and Blu-ray is likely to have little impact on either format's consumer launch, electronics execs behind both formats said during a panel at the Digital Hollywood conference here last week. "The first few months are almost ...
Stores quietly roll next-gen sales.(RETAIL)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Without much fanfare, retailers are starting to accept pre-orders on delayed Warner Home Video HD DVD titles and upcoming Blu-ray films. Consumers last week could pre-order April 18 HD DVD releases Million Dollar Baby, The Last Samurai and Phantom of the Opera on both Amazon.com ...
Redbox goes to Smith's.(Smith's Food and Drug Centers Inc.)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * McDonald's DVD kiosk company Redbox has launched machines at 27 Smith's Food and Drug locations, with a plan to spread to 70% of the 130-store Smith's chain by June. Smith's, a division of Kroger, operates in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque, N.M. To kick off its expansion, ...
VHS and DVD rental spending.(HEADLINERS)
Apr 03, 2006 ... Week ended March 26 $161.6 million (5.6% from 2005) ...
DVD helps Hastings Q4.(VIDBITS)(Hastings Entertainment Inc.)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * DVD was a fourth-quarter bright spot for Hastings. The entertainment specialist reported $7 million in net income for the three months ended Jan. 31. That marks a 45.8% jump over the company's earnings during the prior year's comparable frame. Total revenue dipped about 1% to $171.5 ...
Circuit City in promo deal.(VIDBITS)(GamezNFlix)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * After a trial run launched last November, Circuit City has extended its marketing partnership with online rentailer GamezNFlix to all of its stores nationwide. Circuit City began offering GamezNFlix at an undisclosed number of its Superstores and CircuitCity.com late last year. As ...
Genius builds business, VMI system: Weinstein Co. could represent 40 to 50 titles this year.(Genius Products, vendor managed inventory)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Concurrent with the release of its first The Weinstein Company film, Derailed, Genius Products became one of the few indie suppliers to service retailers with a vendor managed inventory system. The launch is somewhat of a vindication for Genius, formerly best known as a budget ...
Warner to serve up Raw Feed.(SUPPLIERS)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Warner Home Video's theatrical catalog division is launching its first DVD premiere line. 24 executive producer Tony Krantz, X-Files executive producer John Shiban and The Blair Witch Project co-creator Daniel Myrick have teamed up to deliver titles through Warner under the ...
Visual thirsty for BloodRayne.(Visual Entertainment )(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * Visual Entertainment could make an unlikely killing on BloodRayne. With the vampire theatrical underperformer, the 2-year-old UMVD division will deliver to retail its largest DVD shipment to date. Sources indicate that Visual anticipates placing roughly 400,000 copies at stores May 23 ...
iTunes offers ABC subs.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * ABC is making Desperate Housewives and Lost the first network entertainment shows available for download on a subscription basis via Apple's iTunes. Consumers can now buy the entire current season of both Touchstone TV-produced shows on iTunes for $34.99--about $14 less than what a full ...
New Trans World mix.(Trans World Entertainment Inc. acquires Mix and Burn)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * Coming on the heels of its Musicland purchase, Trans World has acquired controlling interest in kiosk service Mix & Burn, which allows shoppers to create custom music CDs. Mix & Burn is slated to soon offer digital downloads onto music ...
Video not so mobile on cell phones.
Apr 03, 2006; ... Wireless video content radiates potential, but in terms of consumer usage, it is mostly still unrealized. The number of Americans with video-capable cell phones grew from 10 million at the end of 2004 to 30 million by January. This year also has unleashed a flood of studio ...
Rockstar doc rolls.(Rockstar Games Inc.)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * Rockstar Games is breaking into the movie business by leveraging the best-selling Grand Theft Auto franchise and the popularity of Sony's PlayStation Portable. The publisher will release Sunday Driver, a gritty urban documentary about a custom low-rider car club, on DVD and UMD on June ...
DVR without a box.(Cablevision Co. begins testing new technology, Digital video recorder)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * Cablevision is set to begin testing new technology that will allow its cable customers to record TV and films--without a DVR. The Long Island-based cabler plans to start testing technology that will allow cable users to save shows on Cablevision servers and then access those shows for ...
B.O. slumps early.(box office sales)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... * Less than three months into 2006, B.O. is slumping for the second consecutive year--or the fourth, based on admissions. As of March 19, total grosses were down 2%, according to Nielsen EDI. At the recent ShoWest confab, exhibition and studio execs pinned their hopes on a ...
Debating DVD 2.0: the studios are looking at ways to "fix" standard DVD and restore luster to the format.(HEADLINERS)
Apr 03, 2006; ... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: * The studios are listening as Microsoft, Apple and Sonic Solutions offer methods to allow managed burning of DVDs. * It's all a way to keep the standard format going for many years to come. Once upon a time, the launch of a ...
The New World.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The New World Color, PG-13 (mature themes, violence), 135 min., DVD only $27.95 DVD: featurette Street: May 9, Prebook: April 11 First Run: L, Dec. 2005, $12.5 mil. Cast: Colin Farrell (A Home at the End of the World), Q'Orianka Kilcher (How the Grinch Stole Christmas), Christian Bale ...
Shooting Livien.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Shooting Livien Color, NR (mature themes, language, drug use), 94 min., DVD only $19.99 DVD: making-of featurette, director's statement, shooting script Street: May 16, Prebook: April 18 First Run: DVD premiere Cast: Jason Behr (The Grudge), Sarah Wynter (L.A. Dicks), Dominic Monaghan ...
It all began with Liquid Television ...(Aeon Flux: Special Collector's Edition)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Aeon Flux: Special Collector's Edition Paramount, color, PG-13, 92 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, widescreen, Street: April 25, $29,99; First Run: W, Dec. 2005, $26 mil. These days, MTV's original programming veers toward reality shows, contests ...
Altmania!(The Robert Altman Collection)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The Robert Altman Collection Fox, color; four discs, R (M*A*S*H and Quintet), PG (A Wedding and A Perfect Couple), 469 min. plus supplements, widescreen, Street: April 18, $39.98; First Run: W, 1970-79, NA Hot on the heels of Robert Altman's honorary career ...
A date with Sam and Michelangelo.(The Passenger)(Cross of Iron)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The Passenger Sony, color, 123 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1, widescreen, Street: April 25, $24.96; First Run: L, April 1975, NA Cross of Iron: Widescreen Special Edition Hen's Tooth, color, 132 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital, widescreen, ...
Fateless.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Color, NR (mature themes, violence), 140 min., DVD only $29.99, English and Hungarian with English subtitles DVD: director's commentary, deleted scenes Street: May 9, Prebook: April 13 First Run: L, Jan. 2006, <$1 mil. Cast: Marcell Nagy, Bela Dora, Balint Pentek, Aron Dimeny, Peter ...
Benny's Video.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Color, NR (violence, mature themes), 105 min., DVD only $29.95, German with English subtitles DVD: director's interview Street: May 16, Prebook: April 18 First Run: L Int'l., March 1993, NA Cast: Arno Frisch (Funny Games), Angela Winkler (Danton), Ulrich Muhe (Amen), Ingrid Strassner ...
The Intruder.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Color, NR (mature themes, sexual situations, nudity), 130 min., DVD only $24.98, French with English subtitles Street: April 25, Prebook: now First Run: L, Oct. 2005, <$1 mil. Cast: Michael Subor (Dear Hunter), Yekaterina Golubeva (Polo X), Beatrice Dalle (Trouble Every Day), Gregoire ...
Who Gets to Call It Art?(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Color, NR, 80 min., DVD only $26.99 DVD: David Hockney home movies, deleted scenes, outtakes, photo gallery Street: May 23, Prebook: April 24 First Run: L, Feb. 2006, <$1 mil. Director: Peter Rosen PALM PICTURES During the '60s, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, with the ...
All you need is glove.(Shopgirl)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Shopgirl Buena Vista, R, 106 min. plus supplements, widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1, widescreen, Street: April 25, $29.99: First Run: L, Oct. 2005, $10 mil. It's a good thing director Anand Tucker provides a commentary track for Shopgirl, a film about loneliness and ...
The Barbie Diaries.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The Barbie Diaries Color, NR (nothing offensive), 70 min., DVD only $19.98 DVD: bloopers, music video, featurette, interactive game Street: May 9, Prebook: April 12 First Run: DVD premiere Cast: Kelly Sheridan (My Scene Goes to Hollywood), Chiara Zanni, Andrew Francis, Matt Hill Director: ...
Sesame Beginnings: Beginning Together.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Sesame Beginnings: Beginning Together Color, G (nothing offensive), 30 min., DVD only $14.98 DVD: printed parents' guide Street: April 4, Prebook: now First Run: DVD premiere SONY WONDER For new parents looking to bond with their baby, this title is sure to resonate with ...
The Impossible Cruise.(Mission: Impossible )(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... The Impossible Cruise Mission: Impossible 10th Anniversary Special Collector's Edition Paramount, PG-13, 110 min. plus supplements, Dolby Digital 5.1, widescreen, Street: April 11, $19.99; First Run: L, May 1996, $182 mil. Replacing the original digital version of the ...
Another fine mess--or two.(Another Fine Mess)(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... Another fine mess--or two The Laurel and Hardy Collection Warner, B&W, NR, 171 min. plus supplements, mono, fullscreen, Street: April 18, $39.92; First Run: L, 1929-35, NA The silver screen's greatest comedy duo has been represented in a very spotty fashion on DVD up until now, ...
William Wegman: Video Works, 1970-1999.(Video recording review)
Apr 03, 2006; ... William Wegman: Video Works, 1970-1999 B&W and color, NR (nothing offensive), 236 min., DVD only $40 DVD: no extras Street: April 25, Prebook: now First Run: DVD premiere Director: William Wegman ARTPIX/MICROCINEMA Consisting of more than 130 videos made by William Wegman over a ...
New releases.(Table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> PREBOOK DATE RELEASE DATE PRICE TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR) DVD/VHS/PSPDVD/VHS/PSPDVD/VHS/PSP JOECARTOON GREATEST HITS now4-25 $19.98 VOL. I (JOECARTOON INC.)(DVD only) ...
DVD exclusive awards '06.
Apr 03, 2006 ... The winners of the 2006 DVD Exclusive Awards, as voted by the DVD Exclusive Academy, are being honored with an invitation-only cocktail reception hosted by Video Business and the Digital Entertainment Group on April 5 at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif. ...
Top DVD sellers: week ended March 26, 2006.(Table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Top DVD sellers WEEK ENDED MARCH 26, 2006 VB RANKING THIS LASTWEEKS WEEK WEEK ON CHARTTITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR, SRP)1 NEW 1 CHICKEN LITTLE (BV $29.99) 2 NEW 1 DERAILED (WEINSTEIN/GENIUS, $29.95) 3 NEW ...
Top TV sellers: week ended March 26, 2006.(Table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Top TV sellers WEEK ENDED MARCH 26, 2006 VB RANKING THISLASTWEEKS ON WEEKWEEK CHART TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR, SRP)1 NEW1SOUTH PARK: SEASON 7 (PAR, $49.99) 2 NEW1JUSTICE LEAGUE: SEASON 1 (WB, $44.98) ...
Top renters: week ended March 26, 2006.(Table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Top renters WEEK ENDED MARCH 26, 2006 THISLASTWEEKS IN WEEKWEEKRELEASE TITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR)1 NEW 1DERAILED (WEINSTEIN/GENIUS) 2 12A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE * (NL/WB) 3 NEW 1CHICKEN ...
Top specialized renters: week ended March 26, 2006.(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Top Specialized renters WEEK ENDED MARCH 26, 2005 NONTHEATRICALTITLE (LABEL/DISTRIBUTOR) REVENUE ($ IN MILS.) 1 RING AROUND THE ROSIE (SONY) $0.52 2 HOUSE OF DEAD II (LG) ...
Box office report.(Statistical table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Box Office report WEEKEND GROSS: $109.3 MILLION YEAR-TO-DATE GROSS: $1.8 BILLION LASTVIDEODAYS OFPICTURE WEEKLABELRELEASE 1 INSIDE MAN -- UNI3 2 V FOR VENDETTA ...
Stock performance.(video stores)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Stock performance Share price 52-week Company 3/29/063/1/06 high low Amazon.com (AMZN) $36.32$37.12$50.00$30.60 Best Buy Co. * (BBY)54.52 ...
New Wave.(SCENE)
Apr 03, 2006 ... New Wave's newly established home entertainment division has named Mike Meadows president. He was VP of TV production. The new ...
National Geographic.(SCENE)
Apr 03, 2006 ... National Geographic's kids programming and production unit has promoted Michael Karsh to manager of current series and development ....
Christian political action group American Family Assn. has launched a letter-writing campaign against Wal-Mart for carrying and promoting Universal's Brokeback Mountain DVD.(NOTED)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... Christian political action group American Family Assn. has launched a letter-writing campaign against Wal-Mart for carrying and promoting Universal's Brokeback Mountain DVD. The conservative group says the movie, a gay cowboy love ...
IFC.(NOTED)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... IFC has added Ulee's Gold helmer Victor Nunez's Coastlines to its IFC First Take slate, which distributes pics day-and-date in theaters and through VOD. Under topper ...
Datebook.(Brief article)(Calendar)
Apr 03, 2006 ... April 5 2006 DVD Exclusive Awards VB/DEG cocktail party at Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif. Invitation only. April 22-27 NAB2006 Convention and Multimedia World Conference The annual conference and ...
Survivors sell themselves.(THINK INC.)
Apr 03, 2006; ... If remaining independent video rentailers are anything, we are survivors. We survived a crowded marketplace, with video stores on every block, then chain video stores with their copy depth and other chains with low-cost sell-through DVDs. Now, due to new technology, we are facing ...
Netflix sues Blockbuster: seeks to shut down rival site.
Apr 10, 2006; ... Netflix filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Blockbuster last week, asking a Northern California federal court to shut down its rival's online DVD rental service and award Netflix damages. The two-count suit accuses Blockbuster of copying Netflix's method for allowing ...
Tuning in to sales.(sales of digital music videos)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * After a meteoric rise for music DVDs, the segment's growth took a small downturn in 2005, according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America, falling 4.1% compared to the prior year. Tracked for the first time, digital music videos were at 1.9 million downloads in 200S, for $3.7 ...
Tower pricing falls: chain moves aimed at mass retailers.(MTS Inc. Tower Records)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... Specialty retailer Tower Records is becoming more aggressive in its pricing and marketing in a bid to increase its DVD market share. Tower is dropping the price on many new release DVDs to $16.99 or less, its lowest price point yet. The retailer has traditionally offered new ...
Adult titles burning now.(Vivid Video services)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... As the major studios experiment with permanent computer downloads of movies, adult suppliers are already pushing the envelope with download-to-bum movies that users can watch on set-top DVD players as well as their computers. Although the buying habits of adult product sometimes ...
The price of technology.(Movie link and CinemaNow gives standard digital videodisks price)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... In announcing their download-to-own services last week, Movie link and CinemaNow gave only general price ranges for their permanent downloads. Here is a sampling of new release and catalog prices on the two services as well as the standard DVD price. In the case of many new releases, ...
Studios narrow marketing message: suppliers spend on 'Net, shorter TV spots for DVD.(SUPPLIERS)
Apr 10, 2006; ... As DVD sales plateau, studios are relying less on pricy 30second TV spots and more on highly targeted and relatively inexpensive media, including radio and the Internet, to sell their shiny discs. Clipped theatrical-to-DVD windows also allow home video marketers to draft on a ...
New Line maps thrills: more interactivity for latest 'Destination'.(New Line Home Entertainment delivers Final Destination 3 digital videodisk)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... With high-definition discs on the brink of launching, New Line Home Entertainment is delivering unprecedented bonus features in the July 23 Final Destination 3 DVD that could rival the interactivity on the next-generation formats. With the Final Destination 3: Thrill Ride ...
More download.(market research of online information services)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * With download-to-own movies available for viewing only on a computer and at a hefty premium over DVD, the big announcements last week by Movielink and CinemaNow seemed to draw little concern from disc retailers. But the download-to-own business is likely to change dramatically in the ...
VHS and DVD rental spending.
Apr 10, 2006 ... Week ended April 2 $156.2 million (8.7% from 2005) Year to date ...
King, Narnia prove giant.(sales and revenue report of video disc industry)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * King Kong aped its way to become the top-selling DVD debut in Universal history, surpassing sales of $100 million in its first six According to Universal, consumers bought 6.5 million discs in that timeframe. The DVD bowed" March 28. Separately, Universal said that Oscar-winner Brokeback ...
Blu-ray players delayed.(product development)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * As expected, Samsung pushed back the launch of its Blu-ray players a month, to June 25. "We still anticipate that the Samsung BD-P1000 will be the first Blu-ray player to launch at a national level in the U.S.,' Samsung said in a ...
Urban label sets its sights overseas.(Fledgling Codeblack Entertainment distributing Boss'n Up)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... Fledgling Codeblack Entertainment is looking to expand, and to do that, it's bucking conventional wisdom that says urban content doesn't sell overseas. The 6-month-old indie supplier will distribute Boss'n Up, starring rapper Snoop Dogg, theatrically across about 50 screens in ...
Celebrating creativity.(2006 Digital videodisks exclusive awards)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * Video Business in conjunction with The Digital Entertainment Group hosted a cocktail party at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in North Hollywood, Calif., last week for the DVD Exclusive Awards and the DEG Retail Summit. The Criterion Collection and DisneyToon Studios president ...
Sony has dis-Connect.(online movie distribution of Sony Corp.)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * After becoming an also-ran in the online music market, Sony is starting to fall behind in online movie distribution as well. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, company said it would launch movie downloads via its online music store, Connect, by March. Digital movies were to be ...
Pirates loom closer.(hotbeds of piracy)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... * Mexico, India, Canada and Malaysia are hotbeds of piracy in addition to usual suspects China and Russia, a congressional body said last week. The bipartisan Intl. Anti-Piracy Caucus issued its priority watch list for this year, leading with ...
Look before you leap: it's debatable whether download-to-own will have a significant impact in the market.(contracts for downloading new release movies)
Apr 10, 2006; ... So the major studios have taken a first, symbolic step into the post-packaged goods era. NBC/Universal, Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Paramount last week announced deals with Movielink to offer permanent downloads of new release films simultaneously with their release ...
Brokeback Mountain.(methods of downloading)
Apr 10, 2006; ... Brokeback Mountain Universal, color, R, 135 min., Street:April 4; First Run:W, Dec. 2005, $82.6 mil. On April 4, Movielink offered Brokeback Mountain as the first movie available for download-to-own on the same day the DVD was released. For a sale price of $19.99 (which was ...
Side Effects.(movie review)(Movie review)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006; ... Side Effects Color, R (language, sexual situations, mature themes, brief nudity), 90 min., DVD only $24.99 DVD: no extras Street: May 16, Prebook: April 21 First Run: DVD premiere Cast: Katherine Heigl (TV's Grey's Anatomy), Lucian McAfee (Virginia jack), David Durbin, Dorian DeMichele, ...