4 ms·
I totally agree . . . I really don't pay any attention to DVD for-sale dates, and only pay attention to the date it's available according to my Netflix queue.
by akeefer 17y ago
I totally agree . . . I really don't pay any attention to DVD for-sale dates, and only pay attention to the date it's available according to my Netflix queue. It's already the case that the time from theatrical release to DVD seems to vary pretty widely and arbitrarily between films, so an extra 28 day delay wouldn't register on my radar in the slightest. If I hadn't read about this deal, I never would have noticed any sort of delay.
- anigbrowl 17y agoThe variation is a function of how well the film does on release. The faster it goes to DVD, the less it has made at the box office. There isn't an exact formula but there are a lot of rules-of-thumb. For example, the best time to launch a horror movie is in early October (because of Halloween), and then you'll get it to DVD pronto because most horror movies have a short shelf life so you want the fans to buy it for themselves for Christmas. Animations and action thrillers are timed for summer and winter holidays. Screwball comedies are timed for spring break (youth) or thanksgiving (romantic). Arty dramas release near Christmas partly because of holiday viewers but also to meet the deadline for consideration during the q1 awards season without spending too much on pre-marketing; the DVD will be held back until after the nominations and awards ceremonies have taken place, because an Oscar or a Golden Globe will increase sales. The film sales markets (where producers sell to distributors) also take place in Q1, so if your goal is to make the hit horror for 2011 you start planning now to shoot in summer so you can be done editing by fall and sell it in winter so you can market it during summer for people to see during fall and buy during winter. Whew!