Blockbuster, Hastings host Star Trek midnight parties

PHYSICAL: Events will include screenings, giveaways

By Susanne Ault and Danny King -- Video Business, 11/16/2009

NOV. 16 | PHYSICAL: Blockbuster and Hastings Entertainment are among retailers that will hold parties tonight in advance of the midnight DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Paramount Home Entertainment’s Star Trek, following a similar strategy with earlier releases Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Twilight.

Blockbuster will open its doors at 10 p.m. tonight at stores in 20 U.S. markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the company said in a statement today. The largest U.S. movie-rental chain will host pre-midnight screenings while giving away such items as posters and comic books.

Meanwhile, Hastings, which held midnight release parties for the Transformers release last month at all of its approximately 150 locations, will do the same for Star Trek. Best Buy, which tonight will host release parties at some of its stores for the Ubisoft videogame title Assassin’s Creed II, also will make Star Trek DVDs available, though the focus of the events will be on the videogame title.

Retailers took a similar strategy earlier this year with DVD releases of both Summit Home Entertainment’s Twilight and Paramount’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Transformers, which had more than $800 million in worldwide box-office grosses, sold 8.3 million DVD units during the first two weeks after its Oct. 20 release. Its 1.4 million Blu-ray units sold made it the most popular Blu-ray title of the year, Philippe Dauman, CEO of Paramount parent Viacom, said during the company’s Nov. 3 earnings call.

Blockbuster was among the many retailers that hosted in March Twilight midnight parties, which included ice cream giveaways and blood drives. That title, which grossed almost $400 million in global box-office sales, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, sold 5.2 million DVD and Blu-ray units in its first week on shelves.

Last week, Blockbuster hosted screenings and ticket giveaway events for Twilight sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which makes its theatrical debut at midnight on Nov. 20.

Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek grossed $258 million in U.S. box-office sales, making it the fifth highest grossing domestic movie this year, according to BoxOfficeMojo.

Best Buy also has been advertising so-called “doorbuster” promotions for those who buy Star Trek during the first two hours of business tomorrow. But even with the promotional markdown, Best Buy’s $20.99 and $12.99 prices for the Blu-ray and standard-definition DVDs, respectively, are still a couple dollars more than the prices advertised by Walmart and Amazon.com.