Upcoming 2012 Home Video Releases

[electricloseyland]

A disappointed viewer here, who says The Hobbit footage looked so realistic that, paradoxically, it started to look fake: http://www.slashfilm.com/cinemacon-t...eron-promised/

[Kosty]

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?

I do not think its in the Blu-ray spec that players can output native 48fps. Maybe someone can correct me. In any case its not been an issue before.

Nor what the effect would be of a better frame rate above 24 fps would have on displays capable of native frame rates above that. That will be interesting.

[electricloseyland]

After doing some more reading, I suspect the BD/fps question is probably moot for a long time. Upgrading theaters to handle a 48fps film is not going to be cheap. If the 48fps debut was a hit at CinemaCon, they might have a shot at convincing some key theaters to making that leap by December. But that's going to be a lot harder since it fizzled, so 99% of the Hobbit screenings will be 24fps.

Maybe somewhere down the line, after 48fps gets perfected and a little more established (with Avatar 2 and 3, perhaps), the BDA will update the spec to handle the higher framerate. (It would probably help with home 3D, for instance.) But not anytime soon.

[Kosty]

After doing some more reading, I suspect the BD/fps question is probably moot for a long time. Upgrading theaters to handle a 48fps film is not going to be cheap. If the 48fps debut was a hit at CinemaCon, they might have a shot at convincing some key theaters to making that leap by December. But that's going to be a lot harder since it fizzled, so 99% of the Hobbit screenings will be 24fps.

Maybe somewhere down the line, after 48fps gets perfected and a little more established (with Avatar 2 and 3, perhaps), the BDA will update the spec to handle the higher framerate. (It would probably help with home 3D, for instance.) But not anytime soon.

That makes sense.

But once a theater goes digital, to upgrade from digital 4K 24 fps that they have now to 48 fps is upgrading the projector equipment which they eventually will have to do sometime, not the rest of the substantial infrastructure. So it might be easier than going from analog to digital or 3D capable.

But its not going to happen anytime soon. Theater chains just upgraded to digital and 3D.

[Kosty]

Prometheus Featurette Offers Up Some New Footage
April 26, 2012

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Fox has released a new 90-second Prometheus featurette that, while short, does offer some new goodies to get excited about.

Embedded within the new Prometheus featurette are some new footage and interview snippets, along with director Ridley Scott talking about his return to the genre he helped define over 30 years ago with Alien. The featurette calls Prometheus a film "30 years in the making," yet one more link between Scott's Sci-Fi bookend films that Fox and the filmmaker continue to insist is not a prequel.

Prometheus stars Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green. The Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof-written film touches down in theaters a little over a month from now on June 8.

http://www.thehdroom.com/news/Promet...-Footage/10625

[cakefoo]

http://www.boxoffice.com/latest-news...ovieticketscom

Official data released by MovieTickets.com:

• MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is pre-selling more tickets for the upcoming release than the online ticketing company sold for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, THOR, IRON MAN 2, and IRON MAN combined at the same point in the sales cycle for each film. In fact, pre-sales of MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is over one and a half times that of these past Marvel films combined sales at the same point in the sales cycle.
• MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is selling 3,995% more tickets than CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER at the same point in the sales cycle.
• MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is selling 1,034% more tickets than THOR at the same point in the sales cycle.
• MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is selling 114% more tickets than IRON MAN 2 at the same point in the sales cycle.
• MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS is selling 1,406% more tickets than IRON MAN at the same point in the sales cycle.
• 56% of pre-sales for MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS are from fans wanting to see the film in 3D.
• Nearly 37% of pre-sales for MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS are from moviegoers buying tickets to see the film in IMAX 3D.

Not that presales mean anything-- I mean, look at Iron Man 1 and 2's presales.

Still, the movie, last I checked, is tracking to do $150M opening weekend.

[Kosty]

Avengers is going to do a lot of first week and total sales and its going to be a better genre fit for Blu-ray than the Hunger Games will be for Blu-ray.

[Kosty]

Interesting LA Times article with nice links.

‘Prometheus’: Ridley Scott paints corners of ‘Alien’ canvas

April 25, 2012 | 9:00 a.m.

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/...-alien-canvas/

[Kosty]

'Prometheus' international trailer: Finally, an actual glimpse into Ridley Scott's sci-fi adventure

by Laura Hertzfeld


First there was the ‘is it an Alien prequel?’ debate. Then there was that wacky TED talk stunt. Then a 20-second teaser for the trailer. Then a look at Michael Fassbender’s character in the film. What will those marketers at 20th Century Fox come up with next? Oh, how about the actual trailer?

Considering the movie is out June 8, it’s about time for a real look at the film and maybe some semblance of the increasingly opaque storyline. In the international trailer below, we see Charlize Theron running a tight ship on a search for ties between ancient civilizations and the future. Watch the three-minute preview below, which gives us more insight as to who these people trying to save the world from ultimate destruction are — and how they got there:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/04/2...ional-trailer/

[cakefoo]

I don't think Hunger Games will do too bad on Blu-ray. It seems to be a lot more appealing to males than that other series that stars a female lead but is centered on romance.

Also, Avengers is tracking to do $165M!

[Kosty]

I don't think Hunger Games will do too bad on Blu-ray. It seems to be a lot more appealing to males than that other series that stars a female lead but is centered on romance.

Also, Avengers is tracking to do $165M!

I agree with you totally.

I have a feeling Battleship will do better than its original expectations as well.

Prometheus will be a home run too.

[Kosty]

Can't forget about this one either:




The Dark Knight Rises - Official Trailer #3 [HD]

[Kosty]

Info on the June 5 John Carter release

http://www.discdish.com/index.php/20...e-john-carter/

[Kosty]

Here's a neat list and guess on the box office for this summer's releases.

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Posted Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 - 33 Comments »
20 Weeks: The Summer Box Office Guesses As Of May 2
It occurs to me that this annual ritual is a bit of a suicide run. After all, I haven’t seen or seen marketing for many of these films. And the reality is, as always, that when you get into the big numbers, no one really knows until detail from here and abroad starts coming in. And even then, the end result tends to be elusive.

Here’s last summer’s first chart. I feel pretty good about all but 3 pieces of it. I way underestimated the two Marvel-made Marvel movies. And I way overestimated Super 8. Thor and Captain America outproduced my expectations domestically, but it was really the foreign that killed me. I also guessed at double the gross that Cowboys & Aliens managed, though I seem to remember being told, often, that I was way low on that film… so I don’t feel so bad about it.

And ironically, I was closest to the worldwide gross of The Hangover: Part II… within $1.5m. Sorry to be so far off, Todd.

http://moviecitynews.com/2012/05/20-weeks-the-box-office-estimates-as-of-may-2/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Kosty]

‘AVENGERS’ AT MIDNIGHT! Huge Crowds: $300+Million International And U.S. Coming; Is This Hollywood’s Next Record-Breaker?

By NIKKI FINKE | Friday May 4, 2012 @ 12:03am PDT





FRIDAY 12:01 AM EXCLUSIVE… REFRESH FOR LATEST 24/7 UPDATES…

Disney began releasing Marvel’s The Avengers in Digital 3D, RealD and IMAX 3D after midnight into about 2,500 locations around the U.S. and Canada after first playing filmmaker Joss Whedon’s pic overseas for the past week.

“It’s tracking off the charts. Biggest in every category and with everyone — men, women, young, old. Any way you slice it and dice it. It’s just a mega-movie,” one rival studio mogul gushed to me Thursday night. And exhibitors hoping for record box office results are trying to accomodate all the crowds lining up for hours (photo above, Miami) for their first look at this rave-reviewed PG-13 superhero spectacle that’s earned $300+M internationally already. Major theater chains are adding shows from 12:01 AM into the wee hours. ”In an effort to handle the mass demand Regal will be adding additional AM shows at many theatres nationally,” Regal announced. At the AMC Empire Theatre in Manhattan, The Avengers was planning to show on 21 screens at 12:01 AM with contingency plans to play it on all 25 screens if needed. Turns out those extra screens were needed – and most of the moviegoers have on their RealD Avengers collector 3D glasses. Many moviegoers bought advance tickets for the ‘Ultimate Marvel Marathon’ – screenings of the Marvel Studios’ movies Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America leading up to the midnight release of The Avengers. The event sold out in several major U.S. and Canadian markets more than a month ago.

The first guest on NYC’s IMAX line had been there since 8:39 AM Thursday. The 12:01 IMAX show sold out weeks ago, and less than 100 seats remained for the 3:30 AM show. At the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, “round the clock” screenings of the 143-minute movie are skedded with breakfast served at 2:30 AM. Exclusive limited print run comic books are on hand for guests at the 4 AM showing. The pressure is on at this Disney-owned venue because The Avengers is the first Marvel Studios film to be marketed and distributed by The Walt Disney Studios which now owns the entertainment company. For Friday matinees leading into the all-important evening, Disney set its widest theater count at 4,349 locations, including 3,364 plays in 3D.

The U.S. debut follows the incredible success of The Avengers overseas in 41 countries with grosses totalling $281.1 million through its first eight days in theaters (photo right, Seoul). This weekend adds Russia and China where 3D actioners do incredibly well.

In the U.S. no other big movie dared to open Friday against this mega-blockbuster which could speed anywhere past $160M during its first 3 days of release through Sunday. The first weekend of May is one of the most lucrative release dates each year, especially for Marvel comic book adaptations. (The first Spider-Man movie in 2002 set a new opening weekend record on this date as did Spider-Man 3 in 2007.)

Now the only question is how big is big – and whether The Avengers will top Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2‘s current record of $169.2M because of ticket price inflation and 3D premiums.

Disney and Marvel Studios successfully marketed filmmaker Joss Whedon’s actioner as “The Super Hero Team Up Of A Lifetime” because it featured iconic Marvel figures Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury. The film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963. The film is 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. The story is by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon and the screenplay is by Whedon who also directed.

Pre-sales were gargantuan with Fandango reporting soaring ticket sales and more than 1,000 showtimes sold out in advance of the midnight opening. ”The Avengers is on track to become one of Fandango’s top ticket-sellers of the year, representing 95% of Thursday’s sales.” The superhero ensemble movie is also outperforming all previous Marvel titles, including all Spider-Man movies and Avengers-related films at the same point in the sales cycle. On top of that, The Avengers is outpacing last summer’s action blockbuster Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon at the same point in that film’s sales cycle. According to a recent Fandango survey, The Avengers is the most anticipated film of this summer, with 66% of fans planning to see it more than once on the big screen. MovieTickets.com reported back on April 26th that The Avengers has pre-sold over 1.5 times more tickets than Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America combined. It topped Fandango’s “Most Anticipated Summer Movie” survey as #1 movie for men, #2 movie for women, #1 movie for 3D, and most anticipated ensemble cast.

Though extremely big, Disney’s theatre count isn’t the all-time list of widest openings at the box office. It’s #7. (No. 1 is June 2010′s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse which released into 4,468 theaters.) The Avengers will open in 275 theatres, or more than half of the IMAX 3D format in 451 digital theatres worldwide. More IMAX territories are launching in tandem with the North American release this week, including China. Domestic IMAX pre-sales are also strong and significantly ahead of any previous Marvel releases.

In-theater promotion kicked off back in July 2011 with a teaser end-tag attached to Captain America: The First Avenger, with a simultaneous teaser print debut featuring the iconic “A” branding and “Assemble” call to action. Theatrical trailers appeared with some of the past year’s biggest hits including Mission Impossible 4, 21 Jump Street, The Hunger Games, and more. Trailers for Marvel’s The Avengers broke iTunes records twice for the most viewed trailer in a 24-hour period – first in October 2011 with 10.6M views (breaking Transformers 3 record by 40%) and again in February 2012 with 13.7M views, which continues to stand as most viewed trailer online to-date. The Avengers was the #1 rated movie advertisement of the Super Bowl 2012 broadcast and earned the highest number of online mentions among all the big game’s ads. The world premiere at Disney’s El Capitan in Los Angeles on April 11 (featuring YouTube’s livestream of Red Carpet arrivals) kicked off the film’s global talent and filmmaker publicity tour, including premieres, special screenings and press across key markets including Moscow, UK, Italy, Germany, China (Beijing Int’l Film Festival), and Brazil, plus the closing night of NYC’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Besides the usual plethora of magazine covers and TV appearances, Facebook fan screenings in 10 major U.S. cities were held on April 14th, plus 14 international markets. There was unprecedented Apple partnership including homepage takeovers, desktop client, CRM eblasts, countdown messaging, social media, mobile, and Apple TV promotion. The Avengers Alliance social game integration featured its first-ever TV spot debut, used as an incentive to earn additional digital rewards (with over 4M players in 30 days). Widespread promotional and retail partnerships were sold (TV, online, in-pack, in-store, and out-of-home) with Acura, Dr. Pepper, Hershey’s, Farmer’s Insurance Red Baron, Target, and others.

EXCLUSIVE, WEDNESDAY: My sources estimate the global juggernaut that is Marvel’s The Avengers from Disney could close in on $160M when it opens in North America this weekend and $425M when it debuts in Russia and China for a possible total near $585M through Sunday. Even very conservative estimates put the worldwide total at $500M through Sunday when Joss Whedon’s actioner will be open in every movie territory except Japan. “May Day holiday gave them huge lift so will definitely get to $500 million this weekend,” a rival studio exec tells me today. “Probably closer to $550M.” The Avengers made $42.3M overseas from 41 territories, bringing the total through Tuesday to $260.5M.

In an April survey on Fandango, the majority of moviegoers picked The Avengers as the most anticipated film of the summer. Some 66% of fans said they plan to see the pic on the big screen more than once. About 31% chose Iron Man as the film’s biggest draw, followed by The Hulk (23%); Thor (15%), and Captain America (12%). And 52% said Black Widow is the next Avengers character they’d like to see in a solo vehicle, followed by 35% for Hawkeye, and 13% for Nick Fury.

Overseas, Thailand & Singapore opened yesterday on their National Labor Day holiday and set not only the highest opening day in industry history, but also the highest grossing single day of all-time. New cumes to date include UK $29.8M, Mexico $27.0M, Australia $22.6M, France $19.7M, Brazil $18.8M.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/aven...s/#more-265455