Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/Latest.asp?I1=ID&I2=73475" target="_blank"><b>Latest: THR: Burton's Alice might get shorter US Theatrical Run</b></a> <p>Under CEO Iger's lead the Disney Studios are reportedly seeking to reduce the theatrical window from 16 weeks to 13 weeks for its upcoming "Alice in Wonderland" so the feature can hit DVD and Blu-ray more quickly.</p>
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt If guests are filling theaters...give them 3 more weeks! Does anyone still but DVDs?
Originally Posted By brotherdave We still buy DVD's. Haven't got Blu-ray yet. And I hate 'digital' copies of movies or music. I want something I can hold.
Originally Posted By WilliamK99 And I hate 'digital' copies of movies or music. I want something I can hold. << Not sure why people say that? I would much rather have a digital copy of something I can easily back up on an external than have a DVD that can scratch or get mis placed... It is much easier to backup a digital copy of something than a DVD or Blue Ray...
Originally Posted By mawnck >>..too much stuff! you don't take nuthin' wit cha but your soul<< ... and your remastered Beatles CDs?
Originally Posted By basil fan Real DVDs have resale value. Count me among those who buy real DVDs. I take care of them, and heve never scratched or lost a single disc. Tarzan's Dictionary <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/etc/tarmangani.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/...ani.html</a>
Originally Posted By u k fan The 3 main cinema chains in the UK are now planning to boycott this movie in protest. It means that this movie might as well be direct to DVD. If this stays the same I have no idea when/if/how I'll be able to see it in a theater or in 3D!!!
Originally Posted By basil fan >you don't take nuthin' wit cha but your soul Very true, but I don't see buying virtual media over hard copies as an accurate spiritual indicator. UK, what are they protesting? Is it because Alice is a British icon?
Originally Posted By brotherdave I think they're just boycotting the shortened theatrical run, not the actual movie. Disney should have never said anything and just wait to see how the movie performs at the box office. If it does well at the theatre, why pull it??? (Actually, I kind of know the answer. Theatre owners get a larger percentage take of the grosses the longer a movie plays. Disney is just getting greedier by shortening its run and going to DVD quicker. Shortsighted if you ask me, especially since it's in "Disney Digital 3-D" in theatres only. Can't get that at home...at least not yet.)
Originally Posted By SuperDry There's a huge amount of jockeying going on in the motion picture industry between the various stake-holders: studios, exhibitors, cable/satellite providers (who get pay-per-view revenue), HBO and other subscription movie networks, video rental outlets (traditional, plus NetFlix and RedBox), and retailers that sell the DVD/BD copies. Each feels they have a responsibility to Increase Shareholder Value quicker than the total pie of movie revenues is growing, so this can happen only if a particular stakeholder gets a bigger piece proportionally. This of course can only be accomplished if someone else's piece gets shrunk. Every few years the studios/distributors seem to think that since they own the property, they hold all the aces. But, the other stakeholders are not for the most part mom-and-pop operations, but large businesses in of themselves. It was maybe 2-3 years ago that some major studio was going to do something that would affect retailers, such as offering full-quality DVD downloads that could be burnt at home for less than the retail price (I can't remember which studio). They looked at the retailers and said "What are you going to do about it?" until Wal-Mart said "How about we don't carry your movies at all?" and they backed down. The same thing is going on now with Alice. Although the vast majority of cinema revenue is going to come in during the first 12 weeks even for a movie that exhibits for 16 weeks, I think the exhibitors are drawing the line in the sand. After all, it's not just the revenue in the last 4 weeks - it's the notion of needing to go to the theater at all. Right now, one has to wait 16 weeks (4 months more or less) to see a movie on DVD/BD if they don't go to the theater. What if that became 3 months? Or eventually 2 or 1 months? And they have something to fight back with: it's going to be awful hard for any movie to become a blockbuster that everyone rushes out to buy on DVD/BD if the exhibitors refuse to show it in the theater.
Originally Posted By u k fan I spoke to my brother last night who is reasonably high up in one of the chains that's currently boycotting the movie. His official word was "No comment" and that even within the business what's going on is strictly need to know, but the situation is pretty much as described above. It's time to draw the line in the sand. I just wish it wasn't with this movie!!!
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie I've been thinking lately with all the movies now coming out in 3D, isn't there a very limited number of theaters equipped to show these movies? What is the next 3D movie scheduled to come out after Alice? Could part of this decision have to do with the movie having to give way to the next 3D marketing blitz?
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie Looks like Alice is released March 5th and has 21 days before How to Train Your Dragon is released on March 26th in 3D. Considering most theaters only have one theater equipped for 3D, Alice will probably be eclipsed by the new Dreamworks movie.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub Why didn't they release Alice for this 4day Valentine/Presidents weekend? Good grief that Valentine Movie being in first place is pitiful. Was Alice afraid of the Olympics competition?
Originally Posted By basil fan >>After all, it's not just the revenue in the last 4 weeks - it's the notion of needing to go to the theater at all. Right now, one has to wait 16 weeks (4 months more or less) to see a movie on DVD/BD if they don't go to the theater. What if that became 3 months? Or eventually 2 or 1 months? It's just like I said in that other thread: studios (Disney is actually what I said) are hurting themselves by making it known that the DVD will be out so soon. It makes it hardly a sacrifice at all to skip the theater and wait for the DVD. Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% in favor of the home video revolution. But there's nothing wrong with making folks wait a year or so. Ev'rybody Wants to Be a Goof <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/goof.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/...oof.html</a>
Originally Posted By JeffG Disney (and all the other studios) make most of their money on the home videos. For quite a while now, the theatrical release could almost be thought of as a big promotional campaign for the eventual video release. A pretty large percentage of the eventual audience for most movies (including those that purchase them) never sees it theatrically. At least the theory here is that the video sales will benefit from coming sooner after the initial marketing push that accompanies the theatrical release. The hope is that there will be less of a need for another full marketing campaign to remind people of the film once the video is ready to come out. Increasingly, with rare exceptions like "Avatar", most mainstream blockbuster movies are taking in the vast majority of their theatrical gross during the first 2-3 weeks of release. For a movie like "Alice In Wonderland" that has a familiar title and very marketable lead actor and director, Disney most likely sees it as little risk to cut the theatrical window down a bit. Of course, theaters don't like this as they do want to maintain a longer period of exclusivity and more of a belief by the public that skipping the trip to the theater will lead to a longer wait and possibly missing out on a cultural touchstone. This is going to be a bit of a game of chicken between the studios and theaters, who kind of have their best interests at odds here. I tend to think the studios will ultimately win out, though, as the theaters need the studios more than the other way around today. -Jeff
