Unprofitable movies vs. Unprofitable series?

Jay_B! · 04-28-2007, 04:57 PM

I notice that a lot of shows get abandoned on DVD because the sales aren't profitable enough, even tho I think shows should be released at a slower pace if they're not blockbusters.

People will say, "well, it still loses money", okay... but then why do the companies release movies nobody will buy? I noticed they released a Special Edition DVD of Shanghai Surprise loaded with extras. Not only was Shanghai Surprise a flop that was critically panned, but even amongst Madonna fans, the film doesn't exactly have a "cult following" like fellow bombs Who's That Girl and Body Of Evidence does. But yet that movie was worth revisiting on DVD but yet shows like Bob Newhart, Everwood, MTM, 227, Who's The Boss, Night Court, Taxi, Barney Miller and various others which I think definately have a larger demand than a special edition of Shanghai Surprise. Seriously, why is it that companies have more patience with bad movies that might only sell 1,000 copies (compared to over 20 million Finding Nemo's or something) than an old series that might only sell 15-30k because it won't sell Seinfeld or Simpsons numbers?

JohnMor · 04-28-2007, 05:50 PM

Jay, you have an excellent point. There's no "proven" sales record for a "new" film or a "new" edition on dvd, but there is for a series: the previous seasons' sales.

My guess is that it's cheaper to put out films (less material to search through, transfer and restore), so they can imagine they might make money on "Shanghai Surprise" (don't ask me how) and if they don't, they take one loss. Besides they need some tankers to use for tax purposes to balance the profits they always claim never to have.

But, If they keep preparing and releasing 4, 5 or 6 seasons of a series which is definitely losing money, they take a much bigger loss. And one that is harder to justify to the Board of Directors and the stockholders.

Also, to a lesser degree, I don't care what anybody says, I think the people who control what catalogue gets released by a studio exercise their own preferences from time to time.

AnthonyC · 04-28-2007, 07:29 PM

I've always wondered why movies seem to be released without concern of sales (even though some studios have shied away from catalog releases in recent years, there are tons of films that don't have a huge audience available on DVD), whereas with TV sets

The bigger question to me is why studios haven't utilized sites that sell discs on a sale-by-sale basis for titles with less commercial appeal and sell them exclusively on Amazon.com and/or the studio's website. I can't see there being another release for Amazing Race or certain eras of SNL unless they give something like this a go and give the fans what they want and spending a comparatively small sum.

Jay_B! · 04-28-2007, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnMor

Jay, you have an excellent point. There's no "proven" sales record for a "new" film or a "new" edition on dvd, but there is for a series: the previous seasons' sales.

actually, the reason I brought Shanghai Surprise up is because it's not the first release the film has had on DVD, there was a fullscreen bare-bones edition about three years ago that can be found for pennies on Ebay. But yet they still decided to give it an upgrade on DVD. I know Madonna still has a large following which is perhaps the reason such a release is made (much like Who's That Girl came out largely because of that), but even many Madonna fans consider SS probably one of the worst of the worst in her canon of movies (and we're talking one of the most lambasted actresses of our lifetime), but yet they see purpose in releasing this, but yet shows that fans want further seasons of aren't coming because they don't want to be bothered with shows that won't be making Seinfeld profits, but what profits can Shanghai Surprise be making? The movie was considered crap 20 years ago and it's still trashed today.

MatthewA · 04-28-2007, 09:20 PM

Much bigger loss = much bigger tax write-off.

**HTF Ads**

Gord Lacey · 05-01-2007, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyC

The bigger question to me is why studios haven't utilized sites that sell discs on a sale-by-sale basis for titles with less commercial appeal and sell them exclusively on Amazon.com and/or the studio's website. I can't see there being another release for Amazing Race or certain eras of SNL unless they give something like this a go and give the fans what they want and spending a comparatively small sum.

Because that model doesn't solve some of the biggest expenses when it comes to TV-DVDs - music licensing and mastering of the episodes.

Gord



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