WB Deliberately Waiting to Announce Release Date of Half-Blood Prince DVD, News on Australian DVD
HBP Film
Posted by: sue
September 14, 2009, 08:34 AM
Over the past few weeks, we've seen several varying reports on release dates for the upcoming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince DVD. Home Media Magazine is reporting this confusion and uncertainty is because WB is deliberately withholding the formal release date. The article says that WB apparently feels by withholding the exact date and their releases until late in the year, it will help increase sales as they believe holiday shoppers will wait until last minute to make their purchases. Quotage:
Warner Home Video has decided to release its tentpole titles later than
usual, anticipating consumers will delay holiday purchases until the
last minute, said a Time Warner senior executive...Packaged media and digital release dates for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($298 million domestic box office) and The Hangover ($272 million) are still pending.
Speaking
at an investor confab in Marina del Ray, Calif., Time Warner CFO John
Martin said the No. 1 home entertainment studio (in market share)
continued to scrutinize the entire business, which he said included
Blu-ray Disc, electronic sellthrough, video-on-demand (VOD), rental
kiosks and Netflix, in an effort to extract the maximum margins in the
various distribution channels. “We are purposely putting our
titles into the retail channel later in the fourth quarter to try and
take advantage of what we believe will be the optimal foot traffic
trends in retail,” Martin said.
Related: While WB is holding back formal announcements on the release date of the DVD, several readers let us know about pre-orders and release dates in Australia. First TLC reader Luke let us know that the Half-Blood Prince DVD in Australia can be pre-ordered at this link, with a November 30th date. Also, as first reported here, WB is releasing two "Ultimate Collectors" edition DVDs this fall, with TLC reader Jack letting us know that Sorcerer's Stone, and Chamber of Secrets special editions are due out on November 18th in Australia. More when we get it, stay tuned!
72 Comments
1166 Points
It is extremely irritating when they play games like this!! Just tell us the release date so we can have a countdown on our calendars (at least on mine:)
355 Points
I don’t really get their way of thinking, but I don’t care too much. It’ll come, when it’ll come. I almost hope that the whole plan will backfire on them, so that they’ll think a bit more logically for future movies (including HP 7 Part One and Two).
385 Points
So it’s coming out this year? Or..?
Either way, I’m super excited, I have to buy it on DVD because I’ve seen it in the cinema twice already and it would be much too expensive to go many more times even though I would love to! :)
3371 Points
Sigh I hate it when greed dominates the holiday season.
483 Points
wow…they really are all about the money aren’t they…
625 Points
What’s so confusing? Just release it! xD
4208 Points
I think Warners is making a big mistake there. What about people who like to shop early, or who can’t or do not want to be in big crowds at Christmastime? If there is a flu epidemic, their sales won’t be great either.
308 Points
You can allready pre-order it here in Mexico, I already have and they told us that the release date its still December 7.
I hope they don’t move the day, but still greedy greedy people.
4135 Points
Haven’t WB learned from their last mistake with HBP? I don’t want that happening again!
147 Points
When are ya’ll going to realize that the “Super Fan” is not who generates the most money on these movies? We are a small minority when it comes down to the audience these movies have. Yes, we generate profit, and (probably more importantly) we generate press, but the general public is who brings in the most money. They are waiting on the release so that when it gets closer to Christmas, all the grandmas and moms and aunts and uncles who Christmas shop for their little HP fans will see the display or the add, and they’ll have a great idea of what to get them. Yes, they know you and I will all buy the DVD, it’s everyone else they’re trying to get.
And as for budb, who wrote: “WB increasingly dominates film, tv, and dvd….yet it appears to be more by accident rather than by any thoughtful coherent plan.” Did you ever think that maybe that’s why they dominate? Even though these decisions might disappoint US as super-fans, they often do make a lot of business sense.
2482 Points
What does this people think?? They’re doing it again, it’s exhausting… really, they’re annoying me…:((
heartless, re your closing comments, my point was that as business decisions these WB decisions do not make sense, and that the success of WB appears to be more an accident than the result of any sensible plan. are you arguing that chaos and poor decision making are good for business? ;-)
regardless, we’ll buy the things, right?
590 Points
I’d buy it yesterday if it was out. I suppose the proper attitude to take is the stoical one, it’ll be out when it’s out. Sigh.
16257 Points
i hope it comes out in early december like they said before.
77 Points
i cant wait for it
It is extremely irritating when they play games like this!! Just tell us the release date so we can have a countdown on our calendars (at least on mine:)