Monday, October 19, 2015

Ho-Hum PR Effort From Walt Disney's Studios Home Entertainment For Director Peyton Reed's Ant-Man As It Heads To The Home Entertainment Market Place On Dec. 8


DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph Tribbey
Walt Disney Home Entertainment continues its endemic struggles with the promotion of the studio’s new theatrical releases making the transition from their theatrical runs to the home entertainment market place.

You would think, after shelling out $4 billion for Marvel Studios at the end of 2009, that there would be a chiseled-in-granite directive to the home entertainment PR slackers: “If it is a Marvel Studios production, make it special.”

The latest ho-hum stab at what passes for publicity and promotion at Disney these days came this past week with the “and, oh, by the way, Ant-Man will be available on Dec. 8” announcement.

When a film pulls in $178.6 million in ticket sales in the domestic market — and over $400 million worldwide — that’s blockbuster status.  That deserves more than a “by the way” effort.

For the record, the ARR for this December release date works out to 144 days.
There is a certain irony in selecting prime Christmas holiday-selling season chunk of real estate as the street date for Ant-Man.   It is also the same day that Universal Studios Home Entertainment has tabbed for the arrival of Minions … and they’ve been out hustling that film franchise for several weeks now.   Lessons could be learned!

DVD & Blu-ray Release Report, Ralph TribbeyPlanned are three SKUs.  There will be a stand-alone DVD edition and two Blu-ray selections — one with and one without a 3D viewing option (the premium is seven bucks).

As to bonus features, there is a deleted scene common to all three SKUs.   Exclusive to the Blu-ray buying options are commentary from director Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Bring it On, Yes Man, etc.), who is joined the film’s star, Paul Rudd, a gag reel and three production featurettes — “Making of an Ant-Sized Heist,” “Let's Go to the Macroverse” and “WHIH NewsFront.”

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