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'Blackball' DVD will hit stores just four days after theatrical release, the fastest turnaround yet.
February 9, 2005: 8:22 AM EST
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!-- CONTENT --><!--endclickprintexclude--> <!--startclickprintexclude--> <table style="padding-left: 10px;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="220"> </table> <!--endclickprintexclude--> LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - National Lampoon Inc., known for its humor, is mounting a serious challenge to long-held film release practices when "National Lampoon's Blackball" lands in theaters this Friday, followed only four days later by a DVD in retail stores.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> For executives at the company that has made millions at box offices off raw humor and college pranks in movies from 1978's "Animal House" to 2002's "Van Wilder," this four-day theatrical release is no laughing matter.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- var clickExpire = "02/23/2005"; //--> </script> Normally, a Hollywood studio will send a film to theaters, and several months later -- after the movie has had its run in theaters and collected all the ticket sales it can -- the film will be put on video or DVD for rental and retail sales.
But with DVD sales of $15 billion in 2004 far surpassing box-office receipts of $9.4 billion, more movie companies are rushing films through theaters and onto retail shelves to take advantage of the advertising and promotion that typically support a film's theatrical release.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Theatrical marketing, in turn, creates consumer awareness that stimulates video rentals and DVD sales, and it appears National Lampoon's (Research) four-day turnaround is the fastest yet.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> "Clearly, we are ahead of the curve in emerging distribution platforms," said Barry Layne, executive vice president of National Lampoon.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Layne and Bill Bromley, senior vice president of First Look Home Entertainment, which partnered with National Lampoon in the movie release, hope to show that movies can simultaneously win audiences in theaters and also sell videos and DVDs.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> While National Lampoon is pushing Hollywood movie release envelopes with "Blackball," starring Vince Vaughn in a comedy centered on lawn bowling, other companies are also shrinking times between film and video releases.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> In October of 2004, DreamWorks (Research) sent out "Surviving Christmas" to major hype. When it flopped at box offices, the major studio rushed the videos and DVDs into stores by December.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Atlanta's The Convex Group put a Christmas movie, "Noel" in theaters last November and on the same day issued a disposable DVD -- different from National Lampoon's long-lasting DVD -- to retailers such as Amazon.com.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Dawn Whaley, executive vice president of The Convex Group, said she believed the publicity around the theatrical release did help spur sales of the DVD.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> "The economics of the industry are changing," said National Lampoon's Layne, without the slightest hint of humor.
CNNMONEY
February 9, 2005: 8:22 AM EST
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!-- CONTENT --><!--endclickprintexclude--> <!--startclickprintexclude--> <table style="padding-left: 10px;" align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="220"> </table> <!--endclickprintexclude--> LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - National Lampoon Inc., known for its humor, is mounting a serious challenge to long-held film release practices when "National Lampoon's Blackball" lands in theaters this Friday, followed only four days later by a DVD in retail stores.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> For executives at the company that has made millions at box offices off raw humor and college pranks in movies from 1978's "Animal House" to 2002's "Van Wilder," this four-day theatrical release is no laughing matter.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- var clickExpire = "02/23/2005"; //--> </script> Normally, a Hollywood studio will send a film to theaters, and several months later -- after the movie has had its run in theaters and collected all the ticket sales it can -- the film will be put on video or DVD for rental and retail sales.
But with DVD sales of $15 billion in 2004 far surpassing box-office receipts of $9.4 billion, more movie companies are rushing films through theaters and onto retail shelves to take advantage of the advertising and promotion that typically support a film's theatrical release.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Theatrical marketing, in turn, creates consumer awareness that stimulates video rentals and DVD sales, and it appears National Lampoon's (Research) four-day turnaround is the fastest yet.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> "Clearly, we are ahead of the curve in emerging distribution platforms," said Barry Layne, executive vice president of National Lampoon.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Layne and Bill Bromley, senior vice president of First Look Home Entertainment, which partnered with National Lampoon in the movie release, hope to show that movies can simultaneously win audiences in theaters and also sell videos and DVDs.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> While National Lampoon is pushing Hollywood movie release envelopes with "Blackball," starring Vince Vaughn in a comedy centered on lawn bowling, other companies are also shrinking times between film and video releases.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> In October of 2004, DreamWorks (Research) sent out "Surviving Christmas" to major hype. When it flopped at box offices, the major studio rushed the videos and DVDs into stores by December.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Atlanta's The Convex Group put a Christmas movie, "Noel" in theaters last November and on the same day issued a disposable DVD -- different from National Lampoon's long-lasting DVD -- to retailers such as Amazon.com.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> Dawn Whaley, executive vice president of The Convex Group, said she believed the publicity around the theatrical release did help spur sales of the DVD.
<!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude--> "The economics of the industry are changing," said National Lampoon's Layne, without the slightest hint of humor.
CNNMONEY