The top news and charts for week ending February 11, 2008.
More Warner titles on DVD, VOD simultaneously NPD: Intent-to-buy Blu-ray grows Warner celebrates 85th anniversary with retail event |
Warner’s 85th anniversary party At Warner’s 85th anniversary celebration Feb. 5 were Warren Beatty (r.) and Warner’s George Feltenstein, who worked on the restoration of Beatty’s Bonnie and Clyde, which will be released in a new edition. Click for more industry photos. |
"THE GAME PLAN" leads Top DVD Renters Chart "THE GAME PLAN" leads Top DVD Sellers Chart "TRANSFORMERS" leads Top HD DVD Sellers Chart "THE GAME PLAN" leads Top Blu-ray Sellers Chart |
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SWEETING: A third party |
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BETWEEN THE LINES: Pick up Michelle Pfeiffer for Valentine’s Day |
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RED STATE, BLUE STATE: Monty Python hangs with BD in Vegas |
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DISC DISH: Alvin and the Chipmunks DVD, Blu-ray |
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DVDIALOG: Oliver Stone after Midnight |
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THE DOWN LOW: Apple’s Air is here, film rentals not so much |
EMA supports revised Wisconsin secondhand goods bill
FEB. 8 | Online exclusive: The following summarizes key government affairs activities during January of the Entertainment Merchants Assn.
• Wisconsin Secondhand Goods Bill: The bill has been redrafted to fully address EMA’s concerns.
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Redbox to add kiosks in 2,700 Wal-Marts
FEB. 7 | DVD rental kiosk operator Redbox will add machines in about 2,700 U.S. Wal-Mart stores by the end of next year. The plan will boost the number of Redbox kiosks by about 40% and put its machines in almost all of the world’s largest retailer’s U.S. stores. The agreement will give Redbox at least 9,400 kiosks by next year, more than four times the number of Redbox’s next-largest competitor, closely held TNR.
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Revenue falls in Rentrak's fiscal Q3
FEB. 6 | Rentrak Corp.’s revenue fell 10.5% to $23.9 million in the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31, despite gains in its Advanced Media Information division.
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Netflix: Higher prices for high-def a possibility
FEB. 6 | Netflix hasn’t ruled out raising prices on high-definition rentals if a resolution to the format war between Sony’s Blu-ray Disc and the Toshiba-led HD DVD drives costs up, according to chief financial officer Barry McCarthy.
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Bankruptcy Court approves Movie Gallery plan
FEB. 6 | The U.S. Bankruptcy Court has approved the disclosure statement for Movie Gallery's reorganization plan.
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Redbox kiosk drops R titles after complaints
FEB. 5 | Union City, Ind., has succeeded in getting rid of the R-rated movie titles being rented out of its local McDonald’s Redbox kiosk. Rick Reichenbach, owner of the Union City McDonald's and other nearby restaurants, agreed to take out the R titles after being threatened with a Union City public nuisance citation.
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Movie Gallery closes 400 more stores
FEB. 5 | Gallery is closing 400 more stores. Locations scheduled for closure include more than 220 Hollywood Video and more than 170 Movie Gallery stores throughout the country, representing about $126 million in annual sales.
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Amazon sells U.K., German DVD operations
FEB. 4 | FROM VARIETY: Amazon.com has agreed to sell its online DVD rental business in the U.K. and Germany to rival operator Lovefilm Intl., with Amazon becoming Lovefilm’s largest shareholder.
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Anchor Bay pitches high-profile releases
FEB. 8 | Anchor Bay Entertainment is getting theatrical about its release slate. The indie last month held its first-ever retail summit, hosting executives from Amazon, Blockbuster, Netflix, Trans World Entertainment and other major accounts in Santa Monica, Calif., for presentations of its newly high-profile schedule.
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Lionsgate drives Speed Racer feature to DVD
FEB. 8 | Lionsgate on May 6 will release Speed Racer The Next Generation: The Beginning, a 66-minute animated feature that sets up the new NickToons series of the same name.
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More Warner titles on DVD, VOD simultaneously
FEB. 8 | Warner Bros. is stepping up its slate of films debuting simultaneously on DVD and video-on-demand, giving Michael Clayton, The Brave One and No Reservations a day-and-date release in February followed by March releases August Rush and Nancy Drew. Films will be available the same day through all VOD operators nationwide.
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Allumination to distribute four Trifecta titles
FEB. 7 | Online exclusive: Allumination Filmworks has signed onto a four-film output agreement with Trifecta Entertainment & Media LLC.
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Net income drops in Navarre fiscal Q3
FEB. 6 | Online exclusive: Despite strengthening PC software and videogame operations, Navarre Corp. reported some slowdown in its fiscal 2008 third quarter.
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DVD helps Time Warner 2007 earnings
FEB. 6 | Online exclusive: Time Warner notched gains in its theatrical and DVD division but nevertheless reported mixed fourth-quarter and full year fiscal 2007 earnings due mostly to its suffering AOL business.
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Warner celebrates 85th anniversary with retail event
FEB. 6 | Warner Home Video will mark the studio’s 85th anniversary with a yearlong retail event that includes nine catalog promotions, spanning 50 new to disc titles, and the release of You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story, a five-hour documentary produced by Richard Schickel and narrated by Clint Eastwood.
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DVD sales drop 9% in Disney’s fiscal Q1
FEB. 5 | Online exclusive: Walt Disney Co.’s fiscal first-quarter earnings fell 27% from a year earlier, including DVD sales that were 9% lower than the comparable prior year period. Home entertainment titles such as Ratatouille and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End failed to match the success of year-earlier releases, including Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
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Image calls off BTP merger
FEB. 5 | Image Entertainment said today that it will not merge with BTP Acquisition Co. and demanded payment of $4.2 million in business interruption compensation due to the failed merger agreement.
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Alvin streets on DVD, Blu-ray April 1
FEB. 5 | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will no longer release a digital copy with the April 1 standard DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of Alvin and the Chipmunks, although an early press release had stated a digital copy would be available on the two-disc and Blu-ray versions.
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News Corp. income up 1.2% in fiscal Q2
FEB. 4 | Online exclusive: News Corp.’s fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 1.2% on more TV advertising revenue from primetime and sports programming. But the company is expecting Blu-ray Disc and DVD sales to help lift revenue later in the year.
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Digital Entertainment Group adds members
FEB. 4 | Online exclusive: The Digital Entertainment Group has added 11 companies, bringing the total member companies to 60.
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Image extends BTP merger closing date
FEB. 4 | Image Entertainment has extended the target closing date for its merger with BTP Acquisition Group to Feb. 5 in order to have more time to determine the transaction’s status.
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Montana mania hits theaters
FEB. 4 | VARIETY BOX OFFICE REPORT: Disney 3D pic Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour set off tween mania at the weekend box office, scoring the highest Super Bowl weekend gross of all time—$29 million—from only 683 screens, easily sinking previous champ Titanic.
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Cablevision offers VOD, DVD simultaneously
FEB. 4 | Cablevision has begun offering on demand movies from Universal Studios and Warner Bros. the same day they debut on DVD with one caveat—viewers must also purchase the movie on disc. Universal films The Bourne Ultimatum, The Kingdom, Eastern Promises and upcoming release American Gangster all debuted or will debut on the new service simultaneous with their DVD release, 30 to 45 days before they debut on traditional video-on-demand.
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NPD: Intent-to-buy Blu-ray grows
FEB. 8 | Consumers are expressing more desire to purchase Blu-ray Disc players following Warner Bros. Entertainment’s swing to back that format exclusively, according to the NPD Group. Meanwhile, the research firm reports that interest in HD DVD players is flattening.
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New Medium Enterprises launches HD VMD effort
FEB. 7 | SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Armed with a new replication facility and a veteran of the TV industry as its new chairman, New Medium Enterprises continues to try to convince content owners and consumers that its HD VMD high-definition format is a less expensive alternative to Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD.
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Microsoft cuts $50 off Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on price
FEB. 7 | Online exclusive: Microsoft cut the price of its HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 by $50 and will continue its offer for five free HD DVD movies through the end of the month, the company said on its Web site.
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Netflix: Higher prices for high-def a possibility
FEB. 6 | Netflix hasn’t ruled out raising prices on high-definition rentals if a resolution to the format war between Sony’s Blu-ray Disc and the Toshiba-led HD DVD drives costs up, according to chief financial officer Barry McCarthy.
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Activision posts 80% revenue growth
FEB. 8 | FROM VARIETY: Ending its last independent year with a bang, Activision reported 80% revenue growth during the holiday quarter to $1.48 billion thanks to the world's two top-selling games: Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4.
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Microsoft cuts $50 off Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on price
FEB. 7 | Online exclusive: Microsoft cut the price of its HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 by $50 and will continue its offer for five free HD DVD movies through the end of the month, the company said on its Web site.
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LucasArts president steps down
FEB. 4 | FROM VARIETY: LucasArts prexy Jim Ward has ankled, leaving the vidgame publisher without a top exec.
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More Warner titles on DVD, VOD simultaneously
FEB. 8 | Warner Bros. is stepping up its slate of films debuting simultaneously on DVD and video-on-demand, giving Michael Clayton, The Brave One and No Reservations a day-and-date release in February followed by March releases August Rush and Nancy Drew. Films will be available the same day through all VOD operators nationwide.
Click for Full Story
Comcast adds on-demand debuts same day as DVD
FEB. 5 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: On the heels of its “Project Infinity” announcement last month, Comcast unveiled some additions to its on-demand service Monday, including a slate of Hollywood hits that will be available the same day as their DVD releases.
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Wal-Mart’s digital chief heads to Apple
FEB. 4 | FROM MULTICHANNEL NEWS: Kevin Swint, previously Wal-Mart Stores divisional manager for digital media, will join Apple this week as general manager of international video for iTunes.
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Cablevision offers VOD, DVD simultaneously
FEB. 4 | Cablevision has begun offering on demand movies from Universal Studios and Warner Bros. the same day they debut on DVD with one caveat—viewers must also purchase the movie on disc. Universal films The Bourne Ultimatum, The Kingdom, Eastern Promises and upcoming release American Gangster all debuted or will debut on the new service simultaneous with their DVD release, 30 to 45 days before they debut on traditional video-on-demand.
Click for Full Story
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