The Two Towers Sets New Record

Credit: http://www.imdb.com/StudioBrief/#1

9th September 2003

Towers DVD Sets Rental Record
The Two Towers sequel to the original Lord of the Rings set a new record
in first-week rental revenue as it took in $22.9 million last week,
Video Store magazine reported Monday, citing data from Nielsen
VideoScan's First Alert. By contrast, the original Fellowship of the
Ring video generated an estimated $17.22 million from rentals in its
first week. The trade publication also noted brisk sales of the video,
with 95 percent of consumers preferring disc over videocassette.


Also, why in the blue hell did New Line even bother to release this film
on VHShit or at least price it for sell-through? A pathetic 5% of sales
doesn't seem worth the effort. They probably spent more money on
manufacturing and shipping costs than they made on sales. Hopefully New
Line won't make this same mistake on Return of the King.
--
BL

Black Locust

In article <bl2112->, Black
Locust <> wrote:

> Credit: http://www.imdb.com/StudioBrief/#1
>
> 9th September 2003
>
> Towers DVD Sets Rental Record
> The Two Towers sequel to the original Lord of the Rings set a new record
> in first-week rental revenue as it took in $22.9 million last week,
> Video Store magazine reported Monday, citing data from Nielsen
> VideoScan's First Alert. By contrast, the original Fellowship of the
> Ring video generated an estimated $17.22 million from rentals in its
> first week. The trade publication also noted brisk sales of the video,
> with 95 percent of consumers preferring disc over videocassette.
>
>
> Also, why in the blue hell did New Line even bother to release this film
> on VHShit or at least price it for sell-through? A pathetic 5% of sales
> doesn't seem worth the effort.

5% of $22.9 million is about $1.15 million. Nothing to sneeze at, and
if most of those went to rental stores that haven't fully converted to
dvd yet that's money they wouldn't have seen otherwise. Plus every
rental may bring in a future customer for the third film, the toys,
etc.

> They probably spent more money on
> manufacturing and shipping costs than they made on sales. Hopefully New
> Line won't make this same mistake on Return of the King.

It's their money, let them spend (and make) it their way. Who cares if
they do a VHS version? Hell, let them put it out on film strip or
viewmaster for all I care.

--
Chris Mack "Refugee, total ****. That's how I've always seen us.
'Invid Fan' Not a help, you'll admit, to agreement between us."
-'Deal/No Deal', CHESS

Invid Fan

"Invid Fan" <> wrote in message
news:100920030118525952%...
> In article <bl2112->, Black

> viewmaster for all I care.

Viewmaster would be pretty good. I'm into stereo photography.

Steve

Steve Knoblock

In article <100920030118525952%>,
Invid Fan <> wrote:

> 5% of $22.9 million is about $1.15 million.

Well, I believe the $22.9 mill was strictly rental numbers. I don't know
what the numbers for sales are, but it's likely quite a bit more than
that.

> Nothing to sneeze at, and
> if most of those went to rental stores that haven't fully converted to
> dvd yet that's money they wouldn't have seen otherwise. Plus every
> rental may bring in a future customer for the third film, the toys,
> etc.

I'm assuming the 5% was from consumer purchases, not retailer purchases.
While outlets like Best Buy and Circuit City don't even stock the VHS
version, it was still priced for sell-through and I have seen it in
places like grocery stores where a lot of Joe VCR's frequent. So someone
is probably buying it.

> It's their money, let them spend (and make) it their way. Who cares if
> they do a VHS version? Hell, let them put it out on film strip or
> viewmaster for all I care.

That's true. Still though, I wonder why the studios continue to support
what's left of the VHS market when it's clearly so small and
insignificant now that the studios make almost zilch back from it. Even
VHShit rentals bring in hardly any $$$ now. The studios could easily
kill off VHS once and for all by simply pulling the plug on the format
completely. The DVD market is so huge now that it would hardly make a
dent. It would be no different then when record labels stopped putting
out new albums on cassette tapes. Sure, the idiot Joe VCR's stuck in
1985 will bitch and complain, probably writing idiotic and pointless
letters to the studios in protest for no longer being able to rent their
"videas" from "BwockBwuster", but force them to go a couple months
without even being able to rent(or buy) all the "hot" new releases like
The Core and Bulletproof Monk and believe me, they'll be in line at
Walmart with an Apex DVD player in hand faster than you can say
"Universal and their previews sucks." You've just gotta push these
pathetic pan & scan lovin' idiots a little.
--
BL

Black Locust