Video Business back issues from July 2007:
Dress up, dolls and DVDs.(launch of digital video disks)
Jul 02, 2007; ... Compiled by Barbara Wexler From Barbie for little girls to Super Sweet 16, titles targeted to girls of all ages are coming to stores soon. Preschool and Older BBC/Warner Charlie and Lola, Vol. Six: How Many More Minutes Until Christmas? ...
Buena Vista crowns princess titles.(Buena Vista Home Entertainment Inc.)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Cindy Spielvogel Buena Vista Home Entertainment is launching a new Disney DVD movie made just for girls, Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams . The animated film pairs two Disney princesses from theatrical classics, Jasmine from Aladdin and Aurora from Sleeping ...
Saddle Club rides to release.(Allumination FilmWorks)(Allumination FilmWorks)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Cindy Spielvogel Anyone looking for DVDs for hard-to-please tween girls might want to check out The Saddle Club . 'Beyond the narrow base of horse fans, the series is popular with teens and preteens,' says Kerry McCluggage, chairman of Allumination FilmWorks, which recently ...
TV shows with girl power.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Cindy Spielvogel Warner Home Video has two upcoming TV series releases in which girls have prominent roles. The seventh season of the ever-popular Full House , featuring the young Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, arrives on DVD in August. Playing the same character, Michelle, the ...
MAP a practical matter.
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Marcy Magiera Within hours of the Supreme Court decision striking down an almost 100-year-old law against MAP pricing last week, several of us at VB received a reader e-mail asking us what it means for the home entertainment industry. Our initial thought was 'not ...
New Releases.
Jul 02, 2007 ... Edited by Samantha Clark ...
Burning ignited.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby and Susanne Ault DVD-CCA clears the way for kiosks, downloaders After a series of false starts, DVD burning has gotten a final go-ahead, allowing movie download services and DVD kiosk companies to offer on-demand disc burning using CSS ...
Wal-Mart seeks to speed up RFID.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Three studios join standards-setting group LOS ANGELES-Wal-Mart Stores and some of its vendors demonstrated the ability of radio frequency identification (RFID) to boost product sales in presentations at the 2nd annual Entertainment Supply Chain ...
Image loss widens.(Image Entertainment Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Susanne Ault For the three months ended March 31, Image Entertainment posted a $3.1 million net loss, widened from $283,000 in red ink a year earlier. Revenue slipped 0.7% to $30.2 million. Image also posted a net loss in its full-year report of $12.7 million, widened from ...
BD+ technology ready.(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Susanne Ault The added layer of Blu-ray Disc copyright protection known as BD+ is ready for studio and manufacturer licensing. BD+ Technologies, the licensor of the technology, said information on how to access BD+ for use on Blu-ray discs is now available at its Web site, ...
scene & noted.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Scene : NBC and News Corp. have named Amazon.com senior VP of worldwide application software Jason Kilar CEO of their joint online video venture, unofficially known as NewsCo. Kilar was key in launching Amazon.com's DVD business. NewsCo is expected to launch later this ...
Total HD delayed 'til '08.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault and Jennifer Netherby Warner plans to release 10 to 20 titles at launch Warner Home Video looks to be pushing the launch of its dual-format high-definition disc, Total HD, into 2008, from the second half of this year, as was originally planned. ...
Summer Blus.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby The major studios and consumer electronics companies backing Blu-ray have partnered on a summer-long promotion giving five free Blu-ray discs to consumers who purchase select Blu-ray players. The Blu-ray Disc promotion kicked off July 1 and will run through ...
Blockbuster, Netflix settle lawsuit.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Cindy Spielvogel and Jennifer Netherby Blockbuster reported in a regulatory filing that it has settled its patent litigation with Netflix. Terms are confidential. Netflix had filed suit against Blockbuster last year, alleging Blockbuster had infringed on Netflix's patents for ...
Toshiba cuts HD DVD player price for good.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby Toshiba is sticking with the $299 price-point for its bottom-line HD DVD player after seeing a sales jolt when it introduced the lower price in May as part of a limited-time offer. The company said during a press event in New York last week that ...
Disney puts focus on original movies.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby DVD premiere sequels take back seat P ixar/Disney Animation heads John Lasseter and Ed Catmull will shift the focus at DVD premiere division DisneyToon Studios away from sequels to original films, following a restructuring last week that puts the ...
Risk-reward.
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Paul Sweeting Back in the days before just-in-time inventory, and even to some extent since, a studio thought nothing of stuffing the retail pipeline with product to make sure it captured every possible sale while interest in a title was at its peak. Better to ...
Retailers return to EMA.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby Target, Costco, Best Buy will visit digitally oriented show Target, Costco and Best Buy are coming back to this year's Home Media Expo after sitting out last year's convention, the Entertainment Merchants Assn. said. The retailers join ...
DVD gift card marketer wraps it up.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Ned Randolph GiftFlix, a company started last year to market DVD gift cards, is winding down after finding shipping costs prohibitively expensive. The San Diego company offered $35 gift cards that could be redeemed for two DVD movies ordered via the Web site ...
Solstice Believers.(world premiere of Warner Bros. "Believers")(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Believers (l. to r.) star Johnny Messner, co-writer Nancy Myrick, co-writer and director Daniel Myrick (The Blair Witch Project ) and Solstice Film Festival director Devin Halden attended the world premiere of Warner's horror film in St. Paul, Minn., ...
Redbox to expand in McDonald's markets.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault By August, Redbox will push its DVD rental kiosks into new McDonald's markets including Boise, Ind.; Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapolis; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; Portland-Eugene, Ore.; and Las Vegas. 'In December 2006, Redbox was ...
Top DVD Sellers.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 ...
Top Blu-ray titles.(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 <Pre> Top Blu-ray titles ------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Title (label/distributor) 1 PLANET EARTH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (BBC/WB, $99.98) 2 BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA ...
Top HD DVD titles.(high definition digital video disks)(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 <Pre> Top HD DVD titles ------------------------------------------------------------ Rank Title (label/distributor) 1 PLANET EARTH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (BBC/WB, $99.98) 2 BREACH (UNI, $39.98) 3 ...
Top DVD renters.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 ...
Top Specialized renters.(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 <Pre> Top Specialized renters -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title (label/distributor) Index NONTHEATRICAL 1...
Top Download-to-Own.(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended June 24, 2007 <Pre>Movielink ---------------------------------------- Rank Title (Label/Distributor, SRP) 1 GHOST RIDER (SONY, $19.99) 2 RENO 911!: MIAMI (FOX, $19.99) 3 BREACH (UNI, $19.99) 4 THE MESSENGERS ...
Children of Love.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Cheryl Cheng VANGUARD Street: July 24 Prebook: now > Powerful foreign-language look at the effect of divorce on children. In this moving family drama, a mother (Nathalie Stas) struggles to manage her three children and their two ...
Air Guitar Nation.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Irv Slifkin DOCURAMA/NEW VIDEO Street: Aug. 14 Prebook: July 3 > Fun-filled survey of air guitar competition strikes the right chords. The idea of air guitar is pretty silly in itself, but the idea of taking it seriously as an ...
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Buzz McClain SCREEN MEDIA/UNIVERSAL Street: Aug. 7 Prebook: July 10 > A clever and sexy college rom-com with a poignant featurette. Here's a raunch-free romantic comedy-with American Pie producers in the credits, no less-that's ...
Played.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Ed Hulse LIONSGATE Street: July 31 Prebook: now > Modestly produced but derivative thriller benefits from A-list supporting cast. Double crosses abound and crime doesn't pay in this cheap, gritty, loosely scripted digital-video ...
The Darwin Awards.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 02, 2007; ... By Irv Slifkin FOX Street: July 31 Prebook: July 4 > Loopy comedy based on cult books and a Web site doesn't take off despite fine indie pedigree. Something is amiss in this fictionalized spin-off of the real-life Darwin Awards, ...
The Last Time.
Jul 02, 2007 ... By Mayna Bergmann SONY Street: July 10 Prebook: now > Enjoyable if not wholly original noirish corporate drama with a familiar cast. Debuting writer/director Michael Caleo's story of corporate salesmanship is a cocktail of movie ...
Broken English speaks indie.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Posey, Cassavetes enjoy challenges of small-budget project Parker Posey and Zoe Cassavetes have big Hollywood connections, but both relish the indie film life. A favorite on the film-festival circuit, Posey recently starred in the ...
SXSW plays to DVD.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault After 20 years in existence, the South by Southwest music festival is finally getting the DVD treatment. Shout! Factory will street SXSW Live 2007 on Aug. 21 (prebook July 27) for $14.98. It features 18 performances from the latest March installment ...
Coming soon.
Jul 09, 2007; ... Compiled by Cheryl Biggs Upcoming independent DVD offerings Ariztical Stray Cats is an imaginative parody of two friends who attempt to navigate through the gay and straight waters of romance. Street Aug. 21, prebook July 17; DVD $29.95 ...
Koch sings of larger catalog.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Koch Entertainment is singing a different tune, following the addition of about 500 music DVDs to its catalog. Koch formally started offering these titles to retailers starting June 1. Koch gained these DVDs, plus more than 10,000 audio releases, upon ...
Horror on high-def.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Danny Draven is hitting the ground running with his new horror film production company Dark World Pictures. Hoping to set his company apart from others and elevate the horror genre, he is planning to bow his first Dark World film, Ghost Month , this ...
Expanding the universe.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Marcy Magiera As we work to pull together mid-year statistics on DVD sales and rentals (see next week's issue), I wonder how long it will be before digital sales and rentals are baked into the home entertainment pie, or whether that will ever happen. The music ...
New Releases.
Jul 09, 2007 ... Edited by Samantha Clark ...
Samsung connects Blu-ray to Web.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Price keeps reception lukewarm for second-generation players Samsung's second-generation player is among the few Blu-ray Disc stand-alones in the market to boast an Ethernet connection, but consumer reception is so far relatively quiet in a market that ...
Warner builds Best Of sets.(Warner Home Video)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Susanne Ault Warner Home Video is repackaging a number of its top-selling Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD releases, including The Departed , Goodfellas and The Phantom of the Opera , into high-definition compilations for new adopters. Three volumes are available in each ...
More on Moore.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault Liberation Entertainment is hoping to ride the coattails of current Michael Moore documentary Sicko with the fall DVD Manufacturing Dissent , which examines the filmmaking methods of Moore himself. The DVD is tentatively slated to street on Oct. 23 (prebook Oct ....
Front and center.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Susanne Ault and Jennifer Netherby Stores dedicate more space, marketing to high-def discs Retailers are going mainstream with their marketing and merchandising efforts for high-definition discs as the number of titles released across the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc ...
Movie Gallery not a pretty picture.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Cindy Spielvogel Chain considering sale after loan default Movie Gallery is considering the sale of all or part of the company following softer-than-expected second-quarter revenue, which caused the company to default on its senior credit facility. ...
Hastings leaning toward Blu.(Hastings Entertainment Inc.)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Jennifer Netherby Noting Blu-ray's emerging sales dominance in 2007, Hastings Entertainment CEO John Marmaduke says the specialty chain is leaning toward solely supporting the format. This follows Blockbuster's recent decision to ...
Scene & Noted.(appointment of Kelly Sooter )(Jeffrey Fink quits)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Sooter promoted at Paramount Paramount named Kelly Sooter executive VP and general manager of worldwide marketing, expanding her role at the studio. Previously domestic head of DreamWorks, Sooter joined Paramount a year ago as executive VP/GM of family ...
Staying alive.(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Samantha Clark Disney is making The Invisible appear on DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 16 (prebook Sept. 4). Grossing $20 million in theaters, the movie stars Justin Chatwin-who made people sit up and take notice in War of the Worlds -who's dead, ...
7-Eleven exec heads Blockbuster Video.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Cindy Spielvogel James Keyes replaces John Antioco as CEO Blockbuster has hired former 7-Eleven president and CEO James W. Keyes as CEO, replacing John Antioco. Keyes took over the CEO and chairman roles at Blockbuster last week, with Antioco assisting the ...
Fall burning trials expected.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby Movie download kiosks are likely to start rolling out on a trial basis at stores this holiday season now that disc burning using copy-protection technology CSS has gotten the go-ahead. Disc-burning kiosk comA-panies and movie download services are ...
Amazon brings indies to HD DVD.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby Amazon.com has partnered with HD DVD backer Microsoft to bring more independent filmmakers into high-def DVD by offering free manufacturing through the retailer's DVD-on-demand site CustomFlix. As part of the '1,000 HD DVD Indies Project,' the companies will ...
Trust's worth.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Paul Sweeting What is it about Blu-ray backers that they can't seem to shake the interest of anti-trust investigators? Right before the July 4th holiday in the U.S., the Wall Street Journal broke the news that investigators for the European Commission , the ...
Warner jazzed about Singer on DVD.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Laurence Lerman Movie debuts in 80th anniversary three-disc set On Oct. 16, Warner Home Video will debut the DVD of the studio's 1927 landmark movie The Jazz Singer , which was the first feature-length film to have synchronized dialog and musical sequences. ...
EMA to honor Williams, Favreau.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Jennifer Netherby The Entertainment Merchants Assn. will name actor/comedian Katt Williams Rising Entertainer of the Year and honor Jon Favreau with the Independent Career Achievement award during its 2007 Home Entertainment Awards July 17, as part of the Home Media Expo in ...
Top DVD Sellers.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week ended July 1, 2007 ...
Top Blu-ray titles.(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week eneded July 1, 2007 <Pre> Top Blu-ray titles -------------------------------------------------------------- Rank Title (label/distributor) 1 PLANET EARTH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (BBC/WB, $99.98) 2 GHOST RIDER (SONY, ...
Top HD DVD titles.(high definition digital video disks)(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week eneded July 1, 2007 <Pre> Top HD DVD titles ------------------------------------------------------------ Rank Title (label/distributor) 1 PLANET EARTH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (BBC/WB, $99.98) 2 BLACK SNAKE MOAN (PAR, ...
Top DVD renters.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week eneded July 1, 2007 ...
Top Specialized renters.
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week eneded July 1, 2007 ...
Top Download-to-Own.(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Staff Week eneded July 1, 2007 <Pre>Movielink ---------------------------------------- Rank Title (Label/Distributor, SRP) 1 SHOOTER (PAR, $14.99) 2 BLACK SNAKE MOAN (PAR, $14.99) 3 GHOST RIDER (SONY, $19.99) 4 PRIDE (LG, ...
Pariah.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 09, 2007 ... By Ed Grant INDICAN Street: Aug. 7 Prebook: now > A white supremacist drama that plays like A Clockwork Orange without the poetry (or clarity). A drama with a murky message, this 2000 film concerns a young white man (Damon Jones) ...
Kickin' It Old Skool.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Irv Slifkin FOX Street: Aug. 28 Prebook: Aug. 8 > Breakdancing makes a comeback in Jamie Kennedy's goofy '80s salute. Bad reviews, lethargic box-office response and quick in-and-out theater play don't necessarily mean a bad thing ...
Year of the Dog.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Irv Slifkin PARAMOUNT Street: Aug. 28 Prebook: July 17 > Low-key dramedy offers moments of humor and sadness for adventurous moviegoers. The first directorial effort from screenwriter Mike White (The Good Girl , The School of ...
Private Fears in Public Places.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Ed Grant WEINSTEIN/GENIUS Street: Aug. 7 Prebook: now > Neurotic but charming urban comedy from a New Wave master. One of the most vigorously intellectual New Wave directors, Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad , Muriel ) has ...
Renaissance.(Brief article)(Video recording review)
Jul 09, 2007; ... By Ed Grant MIRAMAX/WALT DISNEY Street; July 24 Prebook: now > High-tech sci-fi noir's dazzling visuals trump an uneven story line. A heady mixture of sci-fi and film noir, this French animated feature is a supreme technical ...