Sunrise Letter Campaign: Possibly save YOU up to $40. (1 Viewer)

[Peter Apruzzese]

Well, I can "guarantee" that Sunrise would not sell more copies than Modesty Blaise or Fathom, both of which are more well known and have major stars. It's important to keep a sense of objectivity here. I happen to think Sunrise is a great silent film but I accept that the vast majority of people, even the majority of film buffs, have never heard of it and would not be in the least interested in seeing a silent film. Fox are doing us a favor by making Sunrise available in this way. Otherwise it would probably never be issued on DVD at all.

If Fox were to put a little extra effort into the selling of Sunrise, they could get it into stores.
My suggestion (culled from over 22 years in the entertainment business, including 7 in video wholesale for a major studio & distributor and 8 in video retail):
1. Keep the mail-in offer; it's a good value (over time) for the classic film collector.
1A. Modify the mail-in offer to make it that the consumer can get *any* of the Fox classics free by mail with the purchase of *any* three in-store (similar to the July spy promo I noted above).
2. Also allow retailers to stock Sunrise if they want to order it. Why not allow this - the title is already restored, mastered & packaged - for those retailers who want it?
3. Offer the big box retailers an incentive to carry it - for every 10 copies (each) of the first three titles, the retailer also takes 2 copies of Sunrise. If the retailer does this chain-wide, Fox gives that retailer an extra 1% in co-op advertising funds and an in-store poster.
4. Don't position it as a *silent* film - position it as an Academy Award-winning film classic.
5. Make an exclusive deal with a major mail-order retailer (Amazon, DVD Empire, Critic's Choice) to carry the title for retail sale if it's not to be offered to consumers in-store.
Fox is entitled, of course, to ignore these suggestions .

 

[Patrick Larkin]

The real point here is having a film that is only available through a cereal box promotion. IT's ridiculous. If the discs are pressed, why not sell them? I understand Fox may not want to put money into distribution and promotion or sit on inventory that Best Buy and Walmart will not buy. But, it is 2002 for crying out loud, and the internet is there just waiting to sell niche products. Fox, it seems to me, really needs to leverage their web presence and sell some product. And if this doesn't wash for any number of business reasons that I'm not aware of, then why not license the title to someone that will press and sell them?
The other baseless argument is that Fox is using the title as a promotion to sell their other titles. Well, if Sunrise is actually going to drive sales then isn't their a demand for it?

 

[Roderick Gauci]

While I don't agree with the whole "promotional offer" thing tied with the release of SUNRISE on DVD, my major concern is whether this offer will be open to non-U.S./Canadian customers. If it isn't, Patrick McCart's campaign "against" Fox is indeed valid. You might say that people outside of those two countries shouldn't be getting Region 1 DVDs in the first place, but then no online store ever refuses our money when we order from them, do they?!

I'm looking forward to some of the Fox Academy Award winners series. Of the 7 titles announced so far, I probably wouldn't get ANASTASIA and LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING, but the rest are easy purchases for me, as long as there will be valuable supplements on the discs - I already have most of them on VHS.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Of the thirty-six titles from the Fox vaults being released as classics next year, I guarantee you there will be enough I want in order to qualify for the free copy of Sunrise several times over.

This crusade against the promotion has assumed a life of its own; I share Crawdaddy's perplexity.

 

[Rain]

Patrick,

While I agree with you in principle, I just don't see what all the fuss is about. Surely of the 36 titles coming out, there will be 3 that you want to get.

All About Eve
Gentleman's Agreement
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes of Wrath
Viva Zapata
Anastasia
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

So out of the 7 announced titles I'm 0-7

I'm 6/7 for that short list alone.

I'm sorry, but I think there are far more important DVD issues to make a fuss over.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

If Fox were to put a little extra effort into the selling of Sunrise, they could get it into stores.

OK, you're not quite getting how this works

Before you can have a disc to sell to stores, you need to get $$ from the accounting people at Fox to MAKE the disc
They obviously were not convinced enough at the projected retail numbers to authorize it

HOWEVER

They obviously WERE interested enough in the "Buy 3 get Sunrise Free" scenario. By purchasing the 3 titles and ordering Sunrise, you are PROVING a potential retail market for future titles which may or may not include Sunrise.

Those of you who are whining, why not find someone like who is purchasing multiple times over the number of titles needed to qualify who's willing to give you the necessary materials to get your copy? Frankly I'd much rather see you just bite the bullet and drop your cash. Fox is trying to do RIGHT by the consumer, and rewarding them is the best thing you can do.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I normally refrain from these threads as everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I share the perplexity of others regarding the hubbub over Fox's release plan for Sunrise.
Fox is releasing a classic film and some folks are upset about the circumstances of the release? At least you have an opportunity to own this great film. How many other wonderful classic films still languish in the studio's vaults? If one of the other studios had a similar plan whereby I could get Gance's Napolean or Lubitsch's Trouble In Paradise, to name just two films, I'd be very happy.
- Walter.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Fox will honor this promotion to those that live outside of Region 1 as long as they supply the correct documentation to receive this dvd.



Crawdaddy

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Those of you who are whining

Who's whining? I made, what I consider, thoughtful suggestions to IMPROVE Fox's chances of making money on Sunrise. They are doing a good thing in making the title available via this offer, no doubt about it and they are to be commended for going to the trouble and expense of making it available in any form, but I'd like to see them actually make money with it at retail. And allow consumers who have little interest in those other titles to simply purchase it.

 

[Rain]

Something occurs to me, which may have been mentioned before (there's a few threads on this issue).
I've heard some people say they are going to boycott this offer, although they do want Sunrise, due to the way Fox has decided to go about it.
Bad idea.
If Fox gets sufficient response to this offer and ends up sending out way more copies of Sunrise than they expected, perhaps they will realize that titles like this might have some retail potential after all.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

I agree with Rain, I'm certainly not boycotting Fox or the promotion. I'll be taking advantage of it, although it'll take me into the second month before I can get the necessary three titles as I just can't buy Gentleman's Agreement (it's awful).

 

[Jon Robertson]

I can't help but feel like I'm being blackmailed into buying three other DVDs to get Sunrise. The fact is, regardless of how generous Fox are for allowing me to have it for free, I haven't seen any films coming out in that line that I want yet. Sad but true.

How long do I have to wait for three films I want to come out so that I can get Sunrise, a film I would buy in an instant if it came on its own.

I see nothing wrong in the slightest asking them to release Sunrise on its own in the normal way, while keeping the "Buy three, get it free" option open as well. That way it will prove to be even more profitable for them, and it will keep customers like myself - and I presume many others in my situation - happy.

 

[Patrick Larkin]

I share Crawdaddy's perplexity.

My personal problem is that its a goofy way to distribute a film that's been on Sight and Sound's Top 20 films of all time for the last 4 decades. I have absolutely no problem with the promotion - the promotion is great!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Quality of film has nothing to do with market and profitability

If it were, 90% of movies made today wouldn't sell 5 copies

 

[oscar_merkx]

this is a great discussion about a dvd that is being promoted via the buy three get one free. I will buy most certainly many of the Fox DVDs that are coming out and look forward to the day I can watch Sunrise at last.
Now how many times have I said that before, at least a dozen times.

 

[Scott_MacD]

Okay, I'm going to ask the obvious, but how do I claim Sunrise in this promotion?

I need three POPs from R1 Fox films (which films?)
Do I need the reciepts? or will cutting the booklet suffice?
Do I need to get a special form? (and where do I get them?)

Very simple really, I'm going to buy Fox OAR product, and particularly from this list.

All About Eve
Gentleman's Agreement
How Green Was My Valley
The Grapes of Wrath
Viva Zapata
Anastasia
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing

Four out of Seven for me.

The reason I'm doing this is because I want more silent era classics released, and I'll bite in this promotion..

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The specifics aren't released yet. I'm sure that when the discs come out they'll have details on the offer

 

[Dave F]

If this is the only way to obtain Sunrise, then the POP should be a loose insert in the DVD package. I'm not exactly thrilled about cutting a tab out of my DVD case.

-Dave

 

[Patrick McCart]

I don't understand why Patrick said (in another thread) he'd gladly pay $100 for the bare-bones DVD, but seems to be so upset because he'll have to buy $60 worth of DVD's to get it for free. Sounds like a savings of $40 to me.

There's more to this than just that. First, I'd be glad to pay 100 dollars in just purchasing it. I don't feel like having to wait a year to find 3 titles I only mildly want, then cutting up the covers (lowering the value), re-selling them, mailing in the proofs with shipping and handling fees, then waiting a month for the DVD in the mail. I prefer just picking the DVD off of a shelf or clicking on an icon on a website.

Second, Sunrise is Fox's only under-copyright silent that is really known. The Iron Horse seems to have gone PD and was subsequently restored by the BFI. With just this one silent already restored in their library...can't they make an exception with this?

Other points...

This is sounding like Sunrise is the most unmarketable title in Fox's library. There has to be titles already on DVD (for sale) by Fox which have made less money. Why can't Fox look at the sales of the LD? I've heard it went pretty quickly.

Last...Fox is the only studio which is doing this to an OSCAR winning film. Warner Bros. is releasing 14 silent films to DVD next year...each can be bought by itself. No special deals required. Columbia released The Matinee Idol with fully restored picture and sound by itself. Paramount is rumored to be releasing Wings by itself next year (fully restored, too.)

With only one silent film and with a highly sucessful DVD distributor, why not take a chance and see how it sells? There are fans waiting to give FOX money for this film and potential NEW fans!

And I want Fox to keep the current deal. Giving Sunrise away is a wonderful idea...but they also need to sell it at the same time.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Rain said:

I'm 6/7 for that short list alone.

Well, to be fair, I've only seen All About Eve and Gentleman's Agreement, and I really didn't care for either. However, as a student with little monetary means I don't buy blindly films I haven't seen. Therefore, I need to watch some of these others if I can't come up with three titles out of the 36 that I want to purchase (which I do admit seems unlikely).
I have seen some parts from Grapes of Warth, and I now intend to bump it up higher on my "movies to see" list. I have no real interest in the other four, though.
Sunrise, on the other hand, is a film I've been hoping to buy on release day for quite a while. Well, odds are I won't go 0-36 on these titles, right? :frowning: