Afro-Ameri-Spawn
Houston's Hometown Hero
I was updating the queue for my Blockbuster Online account and was checking out some of the new releases set to come out next month. I notice among the list a peculiar entry in the movie SAW V. I thought it may have been a mistake, so I checked the site that I use to find out when new releases are coming out and it was confirmed. I then checked something else, the current box office figures. And surely enough, Saw V was right there at #9 in week 4 of it's release.
Now I'm sure you, like me, are wondering how can a movie that's still rather new in theaters already be set for release on DVD? Well it's rather simple. You see, there is a growing trend that the SAW movie series has had of low budget production, combined with a media blitz, and then finally a short release and rush to DVD. This may seem like some kind of mad formula, but it has actually raised the profit margin for Lionsgate studios, and they have used it with other of their film franchises such as the Tyler Perry line of movies. I've also seen it lately with other low budget horror movies that only get advertising a week or two before release and end up on DVD fairly quickly.
On the other hand, this formula could also mean that they don't have high expectations for their movies and are only rushing them through the system in order to cash in quickly and then build up the DVD anticipation to try and make up the margin on the international and domestic sales. Either way, it's changing the film industry as we know as the only movies that may have longevity in the forcast of big box office success are the big budget super hero movies, and even those aren't guaranteed to be blockbusters.
So, here is the question.
Do you think that this format is helping or hurting Hollywood?
Now I'm sure you, like me, are wondering how can a movie that's still rather new in theaters already be set for release on DVD? Well it's rather simple. You see, there is a growing trend that the SAW movie series has had of low budget production, combined with a media blitz, and then finally a short release and rush to DVD. This may seem like some kind of mad formula, but it has actually raised the profit margin for Lionsgate studios, and they have used it with other of their film franchises such as the Tyler Perry line of movies. I've also seen it lately with other low budget horror movies that only get advertising a week or two before release and end up on DVD fairly quickly.
On the other hand, this formula could also mean that they don't have high expectations for their movies and are only rushing them through the system in order to cash in quickly and then build up the DVD anticipation to try and make up the margin on the international and domestic sales. Either way, it's changing the film industry as we know as the only movies that may have longevity in the forcast of big box office success are the big budget super hero movies, and even those aren't guaranteed to be blockbusters.
So, here is the question.
Do you think that this format is helping or hurting Hollywood?
