Easter period gets crowded with titles

Six theatrical performers to be released on March 11

By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 2/15/2008

FEB. 15 | March is becoming the practical beginning of the new release New Year, according to studios and retailers, who in some cases are drawing comparisons between the crowded pre-Easter period and the fourth quarter.

With the Academy Awards bumped up in recent years from March to February, DVDs featuring honored films are getting scheduled for earlier spring releases. Also, discs are a simple entertainment fix for school kids who are vacationing around the Easter period.

Some retailers, however, are concerned about the increasing clutter during the month—March 11 alone ushers in six theatricals: Paramount Home Entertainment’s Bee Movie, Walt Disney Home Entertainment’s Oscar best picture candidate No Country for Old Men and Dan in Real Life, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Hitman and Warner Home Video’s August Rush and Nancy Drew.

“The fourth quarter is a primary problem, and pre-Easter releases are becoming a secondary problem,” said Tom Paine, owner of Redmond, Wash.’s DVD Now chain. “It’s based on when [studios] think they have the most opportunity to sell the most product. I wish they would shuffle the weeks around a bit so you don’t get this knot like we’re going to have on March 11.”

But studios contend they can stake a flag in this active period at retail, and manage overcrowding, by not slotting overlapping titles on the same date.

“We are pairing [No Country] with Dan in Real Life on March 11, because we don’t have to worry about them cannibalizing each other. And we can work them together to create a bigger whole,” said Lori MacPherson, Disney general manager for North America. “These pre-Easter weeks are big for traffic, and it’s a major school holiday where people are looking for [family] activities.”

Disney has created retail standees that will display side-by-side the serial killer drama No Country with the romantic comedy Dan in Real Life.

“Each has a specific audience, and this way, we get a larger display and have more joint advertising,” said MacPherson.

Virgin Megastores debuted a five-day Easter sale last year and is repeating the promotion in 2008.

“The March titles are eclectic enough that they don’t interfere with one another,” said Virgin senior product manager Chris Anstey said. “No Country for Old Men will be very strong for us, and Bee Movie has a built-in audience that would sell units regardless.”

But certain retailers are concerned that spring is turning into fourth quarter: the sequel, with all the wearisome title jockeying that comes with it. The more titles streeting in one week, the more chances some will fall through the cracks, worry store managers.

“If you have six to seven theatricals in one week, there’s no way consumers can spend money on all of them in one lump sum,” said Mark Steiner, buyer at Seattle’s Scarecrow Video, who wishes Paramount had kept Into the Wild and Things We Lost in the Fire in February as originally planned, instead of deciding to bunch them into next month on March 4.

Retailers also are expecting Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Atonement, which hasn’t been officially announced, in the second half of the month.

There also are notable catalog titles, including Fox’s Blu-ray Disc releases I, Robot and Independence Day on March 11, and Warner’s Bonnie and Clyde on March 25.

Paine notes that the Entertainment Merchants Assn. board has been regularly brainstorming on how to encourage studios to spread out titles more.

“There’s certainly a variety for all ages coming, but something might get lost,” added National Entertainment Group Buying president Todd Zaganiacz. “Whenever you have weeks with several titles streeting, something is going to win and something is going to lose.”