Michael Jackson doc tied to Grammy Awards
PHYSICAL: This Is It debuting on DVD and Blu-ray Jan. 26
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 11/30/2009
NOV. 30 | PHYSICAL: After keeping the release of Michael Jackson’s This Is It out of the fourth quarter to give theaters a longer window, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will tie the DVD and Blu-ray Disc to the Grammy Awards with a Jan. 26 release.
The Blu-ray version will have an extra hour and a half of material.
Now positioning This Is It as the first big home entertainment title of 2010, SPHE said the DVD and Blu-ray will offer a fuller experience than the theatrical cut, which has already been crowned the No. 1 music movie with more than $70 million in U.S. box office. The standard DVD ($28.96) will contain an hour of extra footage, and the Blu-ray version ($39.95) will hold an additional hour and a half of material.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is a “Smooth Criminal” vignette that was originally intended to screen prior to Jackson’s planned This Is It London concerts. There also is the featurette “Making ‘Smooth Criminal,’” as well as Sony Web-enabled database fixture MovieIQ.
“We’re thrilled with the date that we ended up with, where it’s at an opportune time in the market,” said Marc Rashba, Sony’s VP of worldwide marketing. “The Grammys follow right after the release date [on Jan. 31]. There will be a lot of Grammy [merchandising] areas in stores, and we can play into that.”
Retailers also are expected to push This Is It pre-orders during this heavy fourth-quarter shopping period.
Both DVD and Blu-ray editions, carrying a Dec. 24 prebook date, include two making-of documentaries. The two formats also hold three featurettes, covering costuming, memories of Jackson and auditions of the concert dancers.
To further boost the title’s appeal, Sony will attach different collectible components at various retailers.
“People will find unique elements that they wouldn’t find from a regular release from Sony,” promised Rashba. “We've positioned This is It for both the movie and music marketplace. With our collaborative marketing efforts with Sony Music, we have had opportunites to uniquely place our Blu-ray and dvd at retail unlike a traditional movie release.”
