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For 'Twilight', eternity is two years
February 24, 2009

If you have any doubt that things move faster in business--specifically, the entertainment business-- today than they did even a few years ago, consider this:
Warner in a few weeks will release in Blu-ray Batman: The Motion Picture Anthology 1989-1997, comprising the first four modern Dark Knight films--originally released theatrically in 1989, 1992, 1995 and 1997, if you can believe that. 
Three to four years between franchise installments would be considered a property-breaking eternity these days, when films like The Lord of the Rings trilogy (released in 2001, 2002 and 2003) and the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean films (2006, 2007) are shot concurrently, allowing for barely a year to pass between episodic releases.
For a prime example of today's franchise movie making at superhuman speed, see Summit's Twilight series, based on the Stephenie Meyer book series. Summit opened Twilight 
theatrically Nov. 21, 2008, and will bring it to DVD March 21. Production will begin shortly on the second book in the series, New Moon, with a planned Nov. 20 opening. The New Moon DVD ought to be out--um, let's see--March, 2010? Then, before fans can even digest the DVD extras, Summit will be out with book three, Eclipse, in theaters June 30, according to Variety. By my guesstimation, that would put the video release (DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and who knows what else) squarely in fourth quarter, 2010. 
That's three films and three video releases within 19 months, and two DVDS from the same franchise in one calendar year.
Faster than a speeding vampire!

Posted by Marcy Magiera on February 24, 2009 | Comments (0)