Upcoming 2012 Home Video Releases

[Kosty]

‘Avengers’ Tracking Like Superhero: $125+M Opening Weekend With 4-Quadrant Appeal

By NIKKI FINKE | Thursday April 12, 2012 @ 7:39am PDT





BREAKING… EXCLUSIVE: Marvel’s The Avengers just came on early tracking this morning “incredibly strong” exactly as Hollywood thought it would, my industry sources are telling me. This is the first Marvel film to be marketed and distributed by Disney so this is great news for the studio. The numbers tell the story: it has 23% ‘First Choice’ and 62% ‘Definite Interest for all audiences – incredibly high among men, and solid among females.

With so many well known characters coming together for the first time in this PG-13 film directed by Joss Whedon in Digital 3D, RealD & IMAX 3D, the movie’s opening on May 4th timed to the official summer season start in North America will be an event. As a result, not only will this type of action film normally skew young and older male, but the early tracking is looking strong as a three- and possibly four-quadrant movie, too.

One expert provided me with a box office guesstimate that this assembly of Marvel superheroes should open during its 3-day non-holiday weekend to $100+M domestic. That would make the film Marvel’s biggest opening, and its highest-grossing since Iron Man 2 ($128M opening weekend which ultimately made $312.4M domestic/$311.5M international for $623.9M worldwide). The non-holiday 3-day record is held by Warner Bros’ Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 with $169.1M. Right now Disney and theatre owners are adding screens every day for the release whose online pre-sales of tickets are already selling out. Midnight show business is expected to be phenomenal. Exactly how much the studio can gross for the first weekend depends on how many screenings each theater can pack into 72 hours by finding enough staff willing to work the extra hours and keep the pic running continuously.

The marketing campaign kicked into high gear Wednesday night for the world premiere in Hollywood at the El Capitan Theatre last night.(Text continues below)



Trailers for the film broke iTunes records twice for the most viewed trailer in a 24-hour period first in October 2011 (with over 10 million views), and then broke the record again in February 2012 with 13.7 million views in the first 24 hours. Advance tickets for the ‘Ultimate Marvel Marathon’ (5 movies in a row) leading up to the midnight release of Marvel’s The Avengers sold out in a month ahead of the release of the film in major U.S. cities and in Canada, prompting AMC to add shows to meet the demand.

Now all the studio has to do is market the heck out of the movie to grow that awareness. The Disney marketing machine hit a major speed bump with the recent John Carter fiasco, so Hollywood will be watching intently as the studio takes over the Marvel marketing duty from Paramount which also used to distribute. Setting the right tone to attract wider audiences without pissing off fanboys is a delicate balance and a complicated one. What will help is that Disney is opening Marvel’s The Avengers first in some major markets more than a week early: April 24th and 25th in the UK, France, Spain, Mexico, Australia, Russia.

Both here and overseas, this is the movie Marvel fans have been waiting for their entire lives to see all of the marquee superheroes together for the first time: Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, helped by an incredibly strong cast including Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, and Tom Hiddleston. Joss Whedon directed from a story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon with screenplay by Joss Whedon. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/aven...adrant-appeal/

[Kosty]

Weekend Predictions: Will New Releases Finally Satisfy Box Office Hunger?

After a fantastic three-month run in which 2012 only lost once in the year-over-year comparison and built a 20% lead over 2011, it looks like the box office is returning normal. This weekend there are three films opening wide: The Cabin in the Woods, Lockout, and The Three Stooges.

However, despite the number of new releases, there are many who think The Hunger Games will remain on top for the fourth weekend in a row. This would be terrible news for everyone, with the possible exception of Lionsgate, which is the distributor for both The Hunger Games and The Cabin in the Woods, as it is a sign of profound weakness at the box office. How weak is the box office? There is a chance that all three films combined won't open with as much as last year's number one film, Rio, opened with. And there's a chance none of the new wide releases will open with as much as the second place film, Scream 4, opened with. There's little hope 2012 will walk away with a win this time around.

For a film to repeat on top of the box office chart, all it needs is a massive opening and a solid hold or weak competition. For a film to earn the hat trick, it needs solid holds and weak competition. To remain on top four weeks in a row, it needs anemic competition. The Hunger Games has anemic competition. There's almost no chance The Hunger Games will earn more than $20 million over the weekend, but it is almost as likely that it will come out on top. Look for $18 million over the next three days for a running tally of $334 million. This is more than enough to cover the film's production budget and its entire global P&A budget. Only about one in ten films break even just taking into account their domestic box office.


...

American Reunion should grab fourth place with $11 million over the weekend, which would lift its total to just over $40 million after two. This is well below expectations and the film will need to do well internationally and on the home market to break even.

Titanic should hold on a little bit better earning $10 million over the weekend. It has already made enough to pay for its 3D conversion, so all it needs to do now is pay for its P&A budget. Even if it can't do so domestically, it will have no trouble getting there worldwide.

The final new release of the week is Lockout. This film has the lowest opening theater count of the three films at 2,308, while it is also opening with the weakest reviews at just 35% positive. Expectations range from weak, about $10 million, to really weak, $5 million. Perhaps it will luck out and grab a spot in the top five, but sixth place and $8 million is a safer bet.


- C.S.Strowbridge


Date posted: 2012-04-12

http://www.the-numbers.com/interacti...hp?newsID=7182

[Kosty]

Titanic Sep 14

No DVD only version mentioned yet, only BD+DVD combos

James Cameron's 'Titanic' Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D Pre-Orders Live!


Sat Apr 14, 2012 at 12:38 PM ET
Tags: Paramount, Disc Announcements (all tags)



One of the biggest motion pictures of all-time is coming to Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D in September and that's just the tip of the iceberg -- as Amazon is also running a pretty sweet promotion for the release!

In an early announcement to retailers, Paramount is preparing 'Titanic' Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack and 'Titanic - 3D' Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo pack, and according to Amazon the date is set for September 14.

James Cameron's 'Titanic' took home Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Best Art Direction and Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Sound Effects Editing,Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, and Best Sound.

Specs and supplements have yet to be revealed, but suggested list price for the Blu-ray is set at $44.99 and the Blu-ray 3D is $54.99.

Amazon has both editions listed for roughly 50% off and anyone who orders either release will also receive a $3 gift card (while the promotion lasts)!

You can find the latest specs for 'Titanic' and 'Titanic - 3D' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they are both indexed under September 14.

See what people are saying about this story in our forums area, or check out other recent discussions.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ders_Live/9243

[Kosty]

The Amazing Spider-Man 3D Trailer

8:22 am 2/7/2012 by David Simpson

Sony Pictures releases the official trailer for the Marc Webb-directed Amazing Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/vid...trailer-287604

[Kosty]

Box Office Report: 'Hunger Games' Continues Record Run With $21.7 Mil, 'Stooges' No. 2 With $17.1 Mil

8:46 AM PDT 4/15/2012 by Pamela McClintock


Lionsgate

UPDATED: "Hunger Games" becomes the first film since "Avatar" to spend four straight weekends at No. 1, while fellow Lionsgate pic "Cabin in the Woods" opens third with $14.9 million; "Battleship" is upset overseas by "Titanic 3D."

Moe, Larry & Curly earned $17.1 million in their big-screen revival, not enough to beat powerhouse The Hunger Games but easily coming in ahead of horror pic Cabin in the Woods.
OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS

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Lionsgate's Hunger Games grossed $21.5 million, becoming the first film since James Cameron's Avatar to place at No. 1 for four consecutive weekends at the domestic box office and putting its total gross at $337.1 million. It has earned $531.1 globally, though its foreign run has been softer (similar to the first Twilight).
Cabin in the Woods, also from Lionsgate, opened third at the domestic box office with $14.9 million.

In a surprise upset overseas, the 3D rerelease of Cameron's Titanic grossed a massive $88.2 million for the weekend -- including a record-breaking $58 million bow in China -- beating the $58 million debut of Universal's high-profile summer tentpole Battleship.

Titantic 3D, from Paramount and Fox, came in No. 4 domestically, grossing $11.6 million and putting its worldwide total at a stellar $190.5 million in less than two weeks.

Battleship -- which is rolling out five weeks early overeas -- only debuted this weekend in 26 markets, while Titanic is playing in 69.

Both Cabin and the Farrelly Brothers' The Three Stooges turned in good opening performances in North America, though it's too early to say whether Stooges will launch a franchise for 20th Century Fox, which spent a modest $35 million to produce the slapstick comedy.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of 'The Three Stooges'

Stooges succeeded in pleasing its core audience. The film drew a B- CinemaScore overall but a promising A from those under the age of 18. The film is playing especially well among boys, with those under 18 making up 30 percent of Friday's audience. The Stooges' take was fueled by males of all ages, who made up 59 percent of the audience.

"The movie rocks with those that it was made for," Fox executive vp distribution Chris Aronson said. "There is a whole new generation of Stooge fans now."

Stooges, featuring Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso as Moe, Larry and Curly, also stars Jane Lynch and Larry David.

Cabin in the Woods was fully financed by MGM for $45 million before distribution rights were acquired by Lionsgate. The R-rated film earned a C CinemaScore, though Lionsgate said its exit polls were noticeably stronger.

Males carried Cabin in the Woods, making up 57 percent of the audinece, while 65 percent were over age 25. The movie saw a 3 percent jump from Friday to Saturday, unusual for a horror film and reflecting good word-of-mouth.
"We're very pleased with the outcome," said Lionsgate president of distribution Richie Fay, noting the film's strong reviews.

Cabin in the Woods was co-written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon and directed by Goddard, with Whedon producing. Rated R, the film stars Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth (who also stars in Whedon's upcoming The Avengers), Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams and Richard Jenkins.

The third new film of the weekend was EuropaCorp's sci-fi action pic Lockout, headlining Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace. The pic opened to roughly $6.3 million, putting it at No. 9.

Open Road Films is distributing Lockout for fellow indie distributor FilmDistrict. James Mather and Stephen St. Leger directed from a script they wrote with Europa's Luc Besson.

At $58 million, Universal and Hasbro's Battleship is pacing 75 percent ahead of John Carter's opening and 78 percent of Wrath of the Titans and has a strong shot at ultimately grossing north of $300 million internationally.
Battleship, headlining Taylor Kitsch, is a powerhouse in Asia, posting an opening-day gross of $2.8 million in South Korea -- the best ever for an English-language nonsequel and the third-biggest of all time behind
Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Shrek the Third.

In Europe, Battleship is doing solid business, grossing $3.7 million in the U.K., including previews. It posted an opening-day gross of $730,000 in Spain, the best showing of the year, and nabbed the biggest opening day of the year in Germany ($900,000).

Universal and Hasbro, which spent north of $200 million to produce the tentpole, took the unprecedented step of going out so early internationally to give Battleship room before May tentpoles The Avengers and Men in Black 3 make their global assaults. Avengers opens May 4 domestically but begins its foreign debut in two weeks.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...tleship-312264

[Kosty]

Box Office Report: 'Titanic 3D' Jumps $200 Mil in Only 12 Days

12:19 PM PDT 4/16/2012 by Pamela McClintock



China -- where the film opened to a record-breaking $67 million -- is fueling the 3D rerelease of James Cameron's 1997 classic.

James Cameron's 3D rerelease of Titanic has turned into a box-office monster, grossing $201.8 million worldwide in its first dozen days and pushing the movie's lifetime gross past $2 billion.


Foreign Box Office: 'Titanic 3D' Unsinkable No. 1 Overseas After Sensational China Debut

Box Office Shocker: 'Titanic 3D' Scores Top Opening of All Time in China

At this pace, the rerelease ultimately could gross $70 million domestically and well north of $250 million internationally for a cume in the mid-$300 million range.



The eye-popping numbers for the reissue from Paramount and 20th Century Fox are being fueled in large part by China, where Titanic 3D debuted to $67 million, the largest opening in history. Transformers: Dark of the Moon had held the record with $56 million in summer 2011.

Official numbers released Monday were even stronger than Sunday's estimates, which had showed Titanic 3D opening to $58 million in China -- still the best debut of all time.

Thanks to the China number, Titanic 3D grossed $98.9 million over the weekend at the international box office for a foreign total of $157.1 million.

Imax runs contributed $5.8 million of Titanic's global weekend gross, including north of $3 million in China alone. Imax's 12-day cume is $13.6 million, well ahead of expectations.



In North America, Titanic 3D came in No. 4 for the weekend, falling 32.7 percent to an estimated $11.6 million for a cume of $44.7 million.

Titanic 3D's global cume of $201.8 million eclipses the worldwide cume of Disney's 3D release of The Lion King last year. Lion King 3D was a surprise box-office hit, grossing $94.2 million domestically and $84 million worldwide for a total $178.2 million.

The 3D conversion of Titanic cost $18 million and was personally supervised by Cameron.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...cameron-312497

[Kosty]

Weekend Wrap-Up: It's All Fun and Games Till the Box Office Falls

The overall box office went about as well as expected over the weekend; however, that's not particularly good news, as expectations were low to begin with. The Hunger Games remained on top of the box office for the fourth time, making it the first film since Avatar to accomplish that feat. However, there wasn't a lot of celebrate over the weekend, as the box office fell 8% from last weekend to $114 million. More importantly, this was 12% lower than the same weekend last year, making this the worst year-over-year decline of 2012.

That said, 2012 still has a massive lead on 2011 up $2.98 billion to $2.50 billion and if the summer is as good as the first part of the year was, that lead will be even greater by the time the Fall rolls around.


The Hunger Games held on better than expected earning $21.10 million over the weekend for a total of $336.67 million after four weeks of release. At this pace, $400 million starts to become a possibility again. It's very unlikely, but matching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 from last year is not.

The Three Stooges was the best of the new wide releases earning second place with $17.01 million, which is an excellent start for a film that cost $30 million to make. Additionally, its reviews are acceptable for a kids movie, and there's a chance its legs will be better than average thanks to its target demographic and should break even early in its home market run.

Despite the buzz and the outstanding reviews, The Cabin in the Woods only managed third place with $14.74 million. It too cost just $30 million to make and assuming its reviews help its legs and it does well internationally, it should break even early in its home market run. On the other hand, with 92% positive reviews, it really deserved to earn more.

Titanic fell to fourth place with $11.93 million over the weekend giving the film totals of $44.72 million during its re-release and $645.51 million in total. The film has already made enough money domestically to pay for its 3D conversion and is working on paying for its P&A budget. It should get there before it hits the home market, if it is released on 3D Blu-ray.

American Reunion fell from second to fifth with $10.47 million over the weekend for a total of $39.71 million after two. By this time next week, it will have matched its production budget domestically, meaning it is well on its way to profitability.

Lockout was well back of the top five in ninth place with $6.23 million. Its reviews were weak compared to the other new releases and with a per theater average of just $2,700, theater owners will likely drop the film rather fast.

There were a couple of films worth mentioning. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax became the second $200 million hit of 2012 just before the weekend, while Journey 2: The Mysterious Island became the sixth film released this year to reach the century club.


- C.S.Strowbridge

http://www.the-numbers.com/interacti...hp?newsID=7192

[Kosty]

If this becomes a trend a lot of the early SF action films already released on Blu-ray will have some more legs as new to Blu-ray 3D releases.

Titanic 3D will not be the only nice performing Blu-ray 3D release for this fall.

Fox Transferring ‘I, Robot’ to 3D Blu-ray

17 Apr, 2012
By: Erik Gruenwedel


'I, Robot'

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment said it is releasing sci-fi action movie I, Robot, starring Will Smith, on 3D Blu-ray later this year — the first in a series of legacy movies the studio plans to re-release in the high-definition format.

The announcement was made April 16 at the NAB confab in Las Vegas. I, Robot, which grossed nearly $350 million at the box office, earned an Oscar nomination in 2005 for best special effects. It was released May 24, 2005, in a two-disc DVD all-access collector's edition and on Blu-ray Disc March 11, 2008.

The studio is working with JVC Kenwood, which has developed a process that allows for the conversion of 2D movies to 3D at a third of the $50,000 to $70,000 per minute it costs to transfer a typical feature film to 3D. Specifically, the new process significantly reduces the amount of labor required to “rotoscope” each frame of a movie, according to Fox.

“The advances in 3D conversion technology developed by JVC has exceeded our most optimistic expectations,” Danny Kaye, EVP of global research and technology with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, said in a statement. “We look forward to bringing movies like the already visually stunning I, Robot to home on 3D Blu-ray.”

Futuresource Consulting predicts there will be 8.8 million households with 3D-equipped HDTVs by the end of 2012 and more than 18 million households by the end of 2013. The increased interest in the format will bring a greater demand for quality 3D movies in the marketplace.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/fox...-blu-ray-26998

[Kosty]

'The Avengers' Most Anticipated Summer Movie, Fandango Finds

Published: April 17, 2012 @ 9:14 am


By Brent Lang

Holy box-office troubles, Batman.

Not "The Dark Knight Rises" but "The Avengers" is the most anticipated summer movie, according to a new survey of 2,000 moviegoers by online ticketing site Fandango.



Earth's Mightiest Heroes' big-screen adventure doesn't premiere until May 4, but 31 percent of men surveyed tapped the Marvel Studios film as the movie they're most stoked to see.

Although that number decreases substantially among women, 16 percent of moviegoers with two x chromosomes said "The Avengers" was their most anticipated summer film.

Also read: 'Captain America' Sequel Hitting Theaters in 2014

Fandango reports that pre-sales for "The Avengers" are already sizzling. The film accounted for 21 percent of tickets sold Tuesday on Fandango.

But while fanboys may want to see if Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America can save the world from evildoers, female moviegoers are more excited for Universal Pictures' fairytale adventure "Snow White and the Huntsman," the survey found.

Twenty two percent of female moviegoers said that they were eagerly awaiting the chance to see Kristen Stewart armor up and do battle with the evil queen (Charlize Theron).

As for the final installment in the caped crusader franchise, "Dark Knight" is picking up buzz, particularly given that it doesn't open until July 20 and thus has not yet received the same promotional push as "The Avengers."

Some 23 percent of male moviegoers picked "The Dark Knight Rises" as the movie they are most looking forward to catching this summer, while 10 percent of women picked the comic book movie. That makes it the second most anticipated summer movie among men and fourth most among women.

Here are the top picks by men and women:

Men’s Picks for Most Anticipated Summer Movie
1. “The Avengers” 31%
2. “The Dark Knight Rises” 23%
3. “The Bourne Legacy” 14%
4. “Men in Black 3” 8%
5. “Prometheus” 7%

Women’s picks for Most Anticipated Summer Movie
1. “Snow White and the Huntsman” 22%
2. “The Avengers” 16%
3. “Men in Black 3” 13%
4. “The Dark Knight Rises” 10%
5. “Dark Shadows” 8%

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/articl...ey-finds-37070

[Philnerd]

If this becomes a trend a lot of the early SF action films already released on Blu-ray will have some more legs as new to Blu-ray 3D releases.

Titanic 3D will not be the only nice performing Blu-ray 3D release for this fall.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/fox...-blu-ray-26998

I'm very interested in quality 3D conversions of existing films, but I'm really worried about how well some of these are going to turn out. The Titanic conversion was $18M and supervised by the director, who also happens to be one of the industry's 3D wizards.

I, Robot on the other hand will apparently cost just north of $2M to convert to 3D.
(based on estimated $20K/minute and 115 minute runtime). The low conversion cost plus the fact that they won't face the scrutiny of a theatrical run worries me in regards to the 3D quality of the final product.

But I'll try to keep an open mind and wait to see the final product. I liked I, Robot well enough, so will be picking up the 3D version.

[Kosty]

I'm very interested in quality 3D conversions of existing films, but I'm really worried about how well some of these are going to turn out. The Titanic conversion was $18M and supervised by the director, who also happens to be one of the industry's 3D wizards.

I, Robot on the other hand will apparently cost just north of $2M to convert to 3D.
(based on estimated $20K/minute and 115 minute runtime). The low conversion cost plus the fact that they won't face the scrutiny of a theatrical run worries me in regards to the 3D quality of the final product.

But I'll try to keep an open mind and wait to see the final product. I liked I, Robot well enough, so will be picking up the 3D version.

I think any movie with a lot of digital effects in it will have an advantage in the 3D conversion arena.

But I have my worries as well. The technology is getting better everyday as well.

From the concept of this thread, in looking at upcoming new releases that will affect the Blu-ray sales metrics. any of these new to Blu-ray or new to Blu-ray 3D titles have the possibility of performing as major release titles or at least as better than average Blu-ray catalog releases.

[fitprod]

I'm more concerned they're going to waste their time and resources on titles that don't need to be re-released. Do more catalog that isn't on disc first.

fitprod

[Kosty]

I'm more concerned they're going to waste their time and resources on titles that don't need to be re-released. Do more catalog that isn't on disc first.

fitprod

I agree with that from a personal standpoint.

But if they think they can make more money and expand the Blu-ray user base. I'm all for that too.

[Kosty]

Hot Trailer: ‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday April 24, 2012 @ 9:15am PDT

Tags: G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Paramount
The latest trailer from Paramount‘s sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation hit the web today, giving more screen time to Bruce Willis and the film’s plot. Last night at CinemaCon, director Jon Chu called his star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson “franchise Viagra”. Do you agree? The movie, co-produced by MGM and Skydance, is set for a June 29 bow.

see link for video

http://www.deadline.com/2012/04/hot-...medium=twitter

[electricloseyland]

The Hobbit part I will be the first major motion picture to be shot and released in 48 frames-per-second. Warner Bros. showed a 10 minute preview in 48 fps, and it's already causing controversy. Some viewers apparently liked the clarity and sharpness of the image, the lack of judder and blur during fast motion scenes, and how the accelerated frame rate helped the 3D effect. But others felt it looked fake and video-like, like 1970s BBC shows or soap operas.

Even people who liked the effect said it took some time getting used to: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Hobbi...les-30598.html

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/55212

It'll be interesting to see how the Blu Ray of the Hobbit handles the higher frame rate. I know there are some TVs that handle 60fps, but is it possible for BD to handle more than 24fps?