Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Disney Vs Exhibitors Over Fact That ‘Beauty & Beast 3D’ DVD Already Selling In Stores

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 01-13-2012, 03:03 PM:

Disney Vs Exhibitors Over Fact That ‘Beauty & Beast 3D’ DVD Already Selling In Stores

Source: deadline.com

quote:
Rival studios tell me that exhibitors are quietly furious that Disney has begun selling the Beauty And The Beast 3D Blu-Ray DVD at Target and Walmart and other retailers without fanfare at the same time the film goes into theaters today. (Walmart lists the release date as October 2011 of this ‘Diamond Edition’ and has already discounted it from $49.99 to $34.96.) As one rival studio exec tells me, “They think what Disney did is very underhanded by sneaking it into stores.” By contrast, last year’s Disney’s The Lion King 3D Blu-ray DVD didn’t go on sale until two weeks after the threatrical release. ”Is Beauty And The Beast 3D Blu-Ray going to be the experiment that closes the windows for sure?” one rival studio exec asks me. “If so the exhibitors have truly lost a major battle.”

Disney in its defense points out that the vast majority of families don’t have 3D televisions yet so the DVD won’t affect theatrical gross. “We’ve talked to all of our partners in exhibition about this and have made no secret about the Beauty And The Beast 3D Blu-Ray DVD being available. In fact there are multiple exhibition partners that are tying promotions into the 3D Blu-ray being available, like AMC and Regal.”

I’m surprised that exhibitors aren’t kicking up a public fuss. But they don’t want to call attention to the Beauty And The Beast 3D Blu-Ray DVD and hurt their own business. Guess they only go public if it’s about the VOD window. Remember all the publicity about Universal’s trial balloon for the Tower Heist same-day VOD premiere for $59.99? (Universal Halts ‘Tower Heist’ VOD Plan As Exhibitors Agree To Further Talks.) Meanwhile, Warner Bros is now trying to put the genie back into the bottle by negotiating longer windows. (Warner Bros Doubles Netflix Wait Period For Discs To 56 Days.)

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-13-2012, 03:29 PM:

quote:
”Is Beauty And The Beast 3D Blu-Ray going to be the experiment that closes the windows for sure?” one rival studio exec asks me. “If so the exhibitors have truly lost a major battle.”

Who writes this crap (and without revealing any names)? It's hardly the same thing as if Disney was doing this on a major release, like the next Pixar title or something. A re-release is no big deal.

They are correct that hardly anyone has 3-D TV, and on top of that, the people who DO have them aren't going to have tons of extra glasses to hand out to all the neighborhood kids. So while I would *prefer* that the BR wasn't already out, it's not going to affect attendance much.

The REAL damage might be done (as usual) by the media, if B&tB does great business, they'll make a huge thing out of "It did $35 million opening weekend despite the home release being available." Then that'll lead to people speculating that an early DVD release doesn't hurt theatrical one bit, which may indeed damage the window further.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-13-2012, 04:07 PM:

The movie has been on DVD for decades, right? Disney never released a 3D DVD and there is no such thing as a Blu-ray DVD.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-13-2012, 05:59 PM:

It's been on DVD in several different editions (standard Disney practice) and they just released about three new editions in October, including 2-disk and 3-disk Blu Ray and 3-D 3-disk Blu Ray. It previously came out on BR in 2010. I think the previous version was the "platinum edition" and this new one is the "diamond edition." So next year look for the "actual moon-rock edition."

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-13-2012, 06:21 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
It's hardly the same thing as if Disney was doing this on a major release

2,625 theaters seems like a major release to me.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 01-13-2012, 06:40 PM:

When Disney has a really wide release it is between 3500 and 3800 locations on a family feature.

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-13-2012, 07:31 PM:

quote: Ron Funderburg
When Disney has a really wide release it is between 3500 and 3800 locations on a family feature.

Likely there are probably no 35mm "film" prints for Beauty and the Beast 3D [Big Grin]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-13-2012, 09:11 PM:

quote: Tom Petrov
2,625 theaters seems like a major release to me.

Tom, you are an idiot. The number of screens is not relevant. It's not a high-profile, top of the line, tentpole release. It's a space-filler for the post-holiday season. It's this year's "Piglet" movie. Now do you get it? I doubt it.

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-13-2012, 09:12 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
Tom, you are an idiot. The number of screens is not relevant. It's not a high-profile, top of the line, tentpole release. It's a space-filler for the spring season. It's this year's "Piglet" movie. Now do you get it? I doubt it.

Actually, the number of screens is relevant. The movie is projected at number #1 for the box office this weekend. 2600+ theaters is a major release. I am more than certain that this release is more digital with very few 35mm prints [Big Grin]

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-13-2012, 09:17 PM:

It is not, when you consider my WHOLE thought above:

quote: Mike Blakesley
It's hardly the same thing as if Disney was doing this on a major release, like the next Pixar title or something. A re-release is no big deal.

Plus I never said anything about 35mm vs digital prints. That's even less relevant.

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-13-2012, 09:21 PM:

quote:
It is not, when you consider my WHOLE thought above:

Actually it is important. The release is wider than Lion King 3D, and also wider than War Horse which BV as well. My hunch is that it would been even wider if 35mm prints were made.

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 01-13-2012, 09:56 PM:

There are 35 MM prints out there but any 35 MM theater has be pretty big to get it. Mike is correct it is filler and Star Wars is a foot in the water re-releases aren't big money winners and not done to be so. Beauty and the Beast isn't number one so far it is a close second but not number one.

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-13-2012, 10:16 PM:

quote: Ron Funderburg
Mike is correct it is filler

Actually, Mike's incorrect, its not a filler and its a wide release.....but whateve's, I don't have much value for Mike's opinion anyway [puke]

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 01-13-2012, 10:38 PM:

I bought my 3D Blu-Ray Beauty & The Beast several weeks ago.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-13-2012, 11:25 PM:

"BB" was released in November of 1991 as a NEW first run feature (and for Tom, there were 70mm prints struck for larger venues...).

This release was definitely a "tentpole feature" release and it banked ($345M) huge during this time..and to gain recognition to be a candidate for Best Picture the following year, only to be beaten out by "Silence of the Lambs".

This 3D reissue is just that - a reissue (it's not a NEW feature, yet as with "Lion King", Odyssey's transforming a 2D feature into a 3D feature is fantastic!) - it's an old feature converted to 3D and released on these so many above screens making Mike right: The number of screens is not relevant.

Oh, and guess what: Our friend is back - the black bars on each side of the picture .. from the 1.66:1 original. Had to zoom my BARCO up to fill the screen.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-14-2012, 01:00 AM:

If Disney needs to go back to a movie that everyone already owns two copies of for their major releases, that is pretty sad.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-14-2012, 04:15 AM:

Black bars or floating window? Disney loves them floatin' windows. I have not set up/seen this issue of BB (and probably won't).

-Steve

Posted by Tom Petrov (Member # 1534) on 01-14-2012, 07:41 AM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer was the last to post
The number of screens is not relevant.

That's funny, because this re-release is being released in more theaters than the original release in 1991. Mike is actually incorrect.

quote: Monte L Fullmer
(and for Tom, there were 70mm prints struck for larger venues...).

Yes Monte there were 70mm prints in 1991 and there were also 15/70 and 8/70 prints struck for large IMAX in 2002.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-14-2012, 09:40 AM:

Tom, if it wasn't so much fun proving you wrong all the time, I'd just ignore you. I never said it wasn't a wide release. I said it wasn't a MAJOR release, and it isn't. Why don't you get into the cinema business for a few years and then maybe you'll know what you're talking about.

quote: Tom Petrov
That's funny, because this re-release is being released in more theaters than the original release in 1991. Mike is actually incorrect.

What the HELL does the number of screens in 1991 have anything to do with? There are 15,000 more screens (in the U.S.) now than there were in '91, for one thing.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 01-14-2012, 11:49 AM:

Yep, those aren't black bars but floating windows on B&B 3D.

And allow me (gulp) defend Tom for a quick second. Any movie released in to 2,000+ screens is considered a wide release. 3,000+ would be considered a saturation release.

End of Tom defense, but please Tom... stop being such a small, narrow-minded, know-it-all prick. You are the broken clock of Film-Tech.

Posted by Jason Whyte (Member # 1433) on 01-14-2012, 12:09 PM:

How is Tom Petrov not banned from this forum? Isn't there an IMDB forum or AICN talkback you can go troll instead?

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 01-15-2012, 10:23 PM:

The relevant issue here is not whether Beauty and the Beast is a wide release or a major release. The relevant issue is how the prior BluRay/3D release affects future 3D re-releases. For example, this could impact the 3D theatrical release of Star Wars, Titanic, Finding Nemo, etc.

This is a completely different discussion than the DVD/BluRay window for new movies that have never before been available for any type of home viewing.

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 01-16-2012, 02:31 AM:

Spoke to many friends over the past few weeks that were stoked to see this on the big screen this weekend.

It ended up doing about $18.5 million. For a 20 year old movie, that's not bad at all.

I say keep them coming: movies belong in cinemas.

AJG

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-16-2012, 01:51 PM:

..and $18.5M is good for a re-release that didn't cost Disney too much this time for the conversion since the film already banked $300+M during it's initial release.

Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 01-16-2012, 07:06 PM:

With the BluRay in stores, aren't the exhibitors more worried about now being on a slippery slope? Of them setting precedent?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-16-2012, 07:18 PM:

The thing is, though, that this would be a title that would be hard to set a precedent with. The movie is like 100 years old and everybody owns two copies. Usually re-releases like this are seen as "special events" and people will go see them on the "big screen" because they buy into hype just like trained sheep should. Plus, people know that this is actually a good movie. This is an entirely different scenario than a new release movie.

Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 01-16-2012, 08:32 PM:

Hope you're right. Frankly, I think you're underestimating the studio's capacity to wiggle the point, but okay...

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 01-16-2012, 09:26 PM:

I think if everyone in the world had 3DTV it would have been more of a sticking point. But only about what, 200 people have bought 3DTVs, and of those people, only maybe half of them have the right brand to work with the Disney BRs, and of those people, maybe a couple dozen might own the "Beauty" 3DBR, and of those people, only six might have enough 3D glasses for their kids to stage a movie watching party, so.... Disney and the theatre industry figures rightly that this is no big deal.

(Note: The above numbers were written for comic effect, but if a person had the exact figure for how many 3DTVs were actually out there, he could probably extrapolate the numbers and be pretty close.)

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 01-16-2012, 09:30 PM:

I just checked with the industry. Your numbers are indeed correct.

Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 01-18-2012, 06:41 AM:

Nevermind...

Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 01-18-2012, 10:32 AM:

ESPN 3D is coming contact your local cable company or Satellite provider cause we all need to see Tommy Jackson and Chris Berman in 3D, because we all know that 3D "Could go all the way!"