Matrix: Revolutions on DVD by Christmas? (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Brooks]

I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but in the end credits there was a credit for DVD authoring. Since the movies were made at about the same time, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find that the Revolutions DVDs were made at the same time as the Reloaded ones and are already sitting in boxes waiting to be shipped.

 

[ShaanB]

I think most people forget that this movie was released worldwide simultaneously where as all other movies are released in the states then slowly expand to other countries. There is no reason for them to wait because they don't have to release it anywhere else. Most movies take so long to get on dvd because it gets released in the US first then elsewhere.

 

[Vincent Matis]

Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers, Die Another Day,... were also released simultaneously all over the world...
Yet the DVD weren't released 2 months after...
I still can't comprehend the reason.

Due to logistic reason, I also believe this short window theatre-DVD was planned a long time ago...

Vincent

 

[Chad R]

And there's a steady stream of release after the theater in the U.S., it has to play out the contracts in theaters, then the bargain theaters, then it has to go to hotels, and so on.

January is a typically dead month for any retail sales. They will wait until March to get the Easter pick up. I will wait until a more reputable source picks up this release news before eating crow.

 

[Krystian C]

Do studios make more money on DVD sales or movie tickets, especially after the first two weeks?

I was just watching a 60 minutes specail a cpl weeks ago called Pirates of the Internet. According to a studio executive (can't remember his name), he said that DVD now accounts for 50% of the movie profits. And in some cases DVD are making more money then the movie did in the theater. This is why piracy is becoming such a big concern. Good DVD quaity rips take a lot more money away than the regular bootleg.

Happy I can own Revolutions so soon, but hope that WB doesn't make a rush job of it and screw things up.

 

[Mark-W]

It seems to me that discussions of pirated copies of this film existing are being used as a scapegoat for a film that has not connected with movie-goers the way the first two films did.

We can talk about how much we loved or hated the movie, the fact is it has been a disappointment at the box office when compared to either of its predescessors.

Funny, people aren't talking about pirated copies of Elf or Master and Commander hurting the box office, and both films have had more favorable word of mouth AND a warm response from the critics.


Bottom line, when a film thrills you and leaves you feeling satisfied after seeing it, you want to see it again and you tell others that it was worthy of seeing.

If you leave the theater thinking, "Well, that was a movie. Glad I saw it but don't think I can heartily recomend it, nor do I have any desire to see it again in the theater..." then the box office suffers, as this last Matrix film has.

While I understand the piracy issue as it relates to CDs, since when one gets a pirated copy, you are probably not going to feel motivated to buy a legit copy,
the fact is, a pirated copy of a film on dvd cannot replicate the experience of seeing a film in the theater...it can only replicate (and poorly) the experience of watching the film at home.

That is a BIG difference.

No one says that bootleg CDs are hurting concert attendance, they say it is hurting CD sales.

If a film is great, people want to see the film in the theater, probably repeatedly.

I seem to recall that theaters are going to be
screening the extended cuts of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
Why?
Because there is a perception that people
who already own the DVDs
want to experience the extended versions
in real theaters, and not just on their 60"
(or less) television at home.

Even as mediocre as Star Wars: Epidose III
might or might not turn out to be,
even if I had a copy on DVD the week before the film is released theatrically,
I will still want see it in a theater.

This drive to see films theatrically seems
especially true for big sci-fi films and epics
which suffer more when translated into one's
living room than the average romantic comedy.

(Just ask Robert Harris, and he will tell you
Lawrence of Arabia should not even be
discussed in the context of home viewing.)

Another example:
I don't feel like I am missing much
if I wait to see Love Actually when it
hits DVD. It is not the kind of film that will
give my home theater sound system "a workout."

For all these reasons, if people were connecting
with this last film, whether or not it existed in
some pirated form, it would perform better than it
has at the box office.


Mark

 

[Magnus T]

If a film is great, people want to see the film in the theater, probably repeatedly.

I disagree. As a film lover I actually tend to like to see a film at home. The only reason I go to cinema these days is because it's the only way I can see the film right away instead of having to wait for the DVD. Cinema is a hassle these days. People talking over the movie, something wrong with projector, sound is too low etc. etc. Seeing it at home I see the film as I like it without being interrupted. Sure, the resolution of a DVD can't compare to 35mm film, but in the end it's a give and take situation.

I don't think I've ever seen a film at a theater if I already own the DVD.

 

[Mark-W]

Magnus, as the upcoming release of the extended cuts of the first two Lord of the Rings films would suggest, there is some, at least limited market, for films already on DVD to be screened in theaters.

People went to see the SE versions of the Star Wars Trilogy in theaters to much success, and I would imagine that a very large portion of the attendees owned those films on VHS or LD...I don't think Lucas's changes to those films can account for all the business. People wanted to re-experience those films in theaters.
Even the trailers suggested that a whole generation had only experienced that trilogy on their television sets.

Maybe you're one kind of viewer and I am another. But I know I am not alone in wanting to see films on the big screen if they are visually spectacular, nor do I doubt that the studios see a demand for big screen re-releases.

The theatrical re-releases of E.T., ALIEN, The Exorist, Bladerunner, and a host of other films
(that people have had readily available on one home video format or another),
would suggest that the film industry believes there are people like me out here. And they wouldn't keep doing it if they weren't making some money on these re-releases.

Mark

 

[Magnus T]

It's late and I'm going to bed, then to work. But I'll definitely reply to your latest post tomorrow, Mark.

 

[David Galindo]

Warner has issued a press statement saying that the January street date of Matrix is FALSE, and that they will announce the street date in January.

So there you go. No Matrix in January.

http://filmforce.ign.com/matrix/arti.../441196p1.html

 

[John Alderson]

So there you go. No Matrix in January.

Good, I'm glad something that I knew sounded too absurd to be true turned out to be just that.

 

[Chazz_S]

85 million not enough! That's absurd. I think it will hit 200 million before Christmas. There is GOOD word of mouth on this movie, not bad.

What are you smoking?

 

[Sean*O]

Warner has issued a press statement saying that the January street date of Matrix is FALSE, and that they will announce the street date in January.

LOL

They hope everyone waiting for the DVD will go buy a ticket now.

 

[Haden]

85 million not enough! That's absurd. I think it will hit 200 million before Christmas. There is GOOD word of mouth on this movie, not bad.

Yeah right. It's struggling day by day now due to lack of interest for repeat business and negative word-of-mouth. It's only at 120 million right now (as of Friday 11/21). Its grosses will continue to drop 40-50% each week from now on (which is common for most films after the first 2 weeks). Statistically its impossible for it to reach 200 million before its pulled from theaters, especially with upcoming competition in December (ie. Return of the King). It'll be lucky to reach 150 million by Christmas, certainly not 200 mil. Just look at the stats for yourself:
http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?pag...evolutions.htm

 

[Philip Verdieck]

WB may also be attempting to make the Wachelowski's look bad, so that when it comes time to make their next film, they can argue that they don't merit being paid as much. Kind of like when television networks purposefully try to ruin succesful producer's second shows (think Chris Carter and Matt Groening) to prevent them from getting too much clout.

I have no problem with a studio doing that to Chris Carter. After what he did to kill Space, Above and Beyond he can rot in hell for eternity for all I care.

 

[Haden]

I have no problem with a studio doing that to Chris Carter. After what he did to kill Space, Above and Beyond he can rot in hell for eternity for all I care.

Eh? What did he do? Carter had nothing to do with that show. Someone else created and produced it. And it's Fox's typical incompetence that led to the cancellation of yet another popular scifi show on their network.

 

[Krystian C]

the fact is, a pirated copy of a film on dvd cannot replicate the experience of seeing a film in the theater...it can only replicate (and poorly) the experience of watching the film at home.

How do you figure a DVD copy is a poor replica? With DVD copy software you can make an identical copy of the original DVD, menus and all. There is nothing lost in the translation, therefore it would be just as good as the original.

Don't get me wrong, I am not promoting DVD copies. I gave up pirating long ago, but it is becoming a reality that movies on the internet are starting to dent DVD and theater sales. The negative press surrounding Revolutions has a lot to do with it as well. I know a few people that have passed on seeing it in the theater based on bad reviews, only to turn around download it. No theater ticket sale, and highly unlikely a DVD sale for them. Now they were fully prepared to see it opening weekend until my review, and others that didn't praise it too highly. And I highly doubt they are the only ones exhibiting this practice.

As much as I would like to see Revolution hit DVD in January, I think it would be a pretty bad move on WB part. My wife and I were ready to go see it again and give it a second chance, that was until I hear it is coming out in 6 weeks. Why spend another $18 when I can buy it for almost that much.

Now with WB's back tracking and denying it is coming out, we are torn between going to see it again or just wait and see if they do release it in January.

 

[Travis_W]

This rumor is getting pretty rampant. DavisDVD still has the 1.6.04 date and the site has proven very reliable in the past, or maybe they just haven't got the news yet.

 

[John Alderson]

This rumor is getting pretty rampant. DavisDVD still has the 1.6.04 date and the site has proven very reliable in the past, or maybe they just haven't got the news yet.

Check www.thedigitalbits.com. This rumor was definitely debunked on Friday. I wonder how it got started in the first place.

I'm glad DVD windows haven't gotten THAT small. I don't want to see the theatrical experience go away.

 

[ChrisMatson]

Well, I still don't know what to think. I trust the Digital Bits, but I don't know if I trust the studios. Maybe this all started with the fact that the DVD release date will be announced on Jan 6th and some folks misunderstood the message. I still would not be surprised to see it on the shelves earlier than many think. I haven't seen the numbers for this weekend, but I expect Revolutions to out of the top 5.