From the Big Screen to the DVD - the pace picks up
In recent years the time window between a movie’s premier on the big screen and the release of the DVD has been continuously shrinking. Right now in Germany the gentleman’s agreement between theaters and the studios is already down to roughly a 6 month period between the movie premiere and the DVD release. But at least some of the studios deem this too loong. While it is everybody’s guess earlier reports indicate that they see the delay of the DVD release more and more as a problem. If the movie is not a real blockbuster ticket sales will be down during most of the 6 months period not generating any significant income or none at all. At the same time some studios are assuming that an earlier DVD release will allow them to make use of the (hopefully) positive interest in the movie generated by its big screen debut and thus increase sales numbers. Seems downright logical - after all when was the last time you saw a movie running in your local theater 5 months after its premiere? Just right now nobody has the numbers to proof whether the assumption is really correct, at least not for the German market. So maybe it is time for a trial?
Don’t ask the movie theaters about it. They argue that by cutting the delay between the big screen premiere and the DVD release potential movie goers are less likely to buy a ticket but will wait for the DVD release. Thus hurting the movie theaters - and the overall total income of the studios. Just right now at least some studios doubt this. Among those studios used to be Disney, or to be exact its daughter Buena Vista Germany, which is distributing the features of (amongst others) Walt Disney Pictures. Buena Vista Germany tried to cut down the waiting time for the DVD of the 2005 release “Herbie Fully Loaded”. It soon learned that the movie theaters were not all too happy about it and had to face a boycott of its movie and has since stopped according plans. Instead 20th Century Fox has now taken the lead in what shapes up as a “relay race” of the studios against the theaters.
20th Century Fox recently announced plans to release its three movies “Eragon”, “Night at the Museum” and “John Trucker Must Die” already three months after their movie premiers on DVD - so after half of the usual delay in Germany. The result: just as Disney back with Herbie, 20th Century Fox is facing a boycott unless it changes its plans. After an according announcement had no effect the two largest theater chains in Germany, Cinestar and Cinemaxx, have now taken all three movies out of their program effective today (theaters change their program on Thursday in Germany) and at least one other chain, Kinopolis, seems to have followed suit. And since “John Trucker Must Die” was only released last week its boycott is actualy going to be noticeable.
It needs to be seen, whether 20th Century Fox will withstand the pressure of the movie theaters better than Disney / Buena Vista. If it manages too, it can be expected that Disney will make another attempt to cut the delay of at least selected DVD releases in Germany … that is till some new managers get they idea that a longer delay might result in increased ticket sales.