Lionsgate Home Entertainment Struggles With The DVD And Blu-ray Launch Of Best Picture Nominee Room On Mar. 1

We have officially entered the realm of madness when it comes to the promotion of home entertainment products.   Someone is sleeping.   A deep slumber that even Rip Van Winkle would be envious of.

Indeed, it would come as no surprise if the good folks over at A24 Films are close to being apoplectic right about now as everyone on the planet is busy taking orders for DVD and Blu-ray editions of director Lenny Abrahamson’s film adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel, Room.   The street date is Mar. 1.

There’s just one problem with that … there has been no official announcement from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.   

So what’s the big deal?    The film has only pulled in $12 million in its domestic theatrical run, so it’s not exactly a blockbuster.  True enough.

But you’d think that a film that was nominated Best Picture would at least get a press release.   Amazon.com and Best Buy (among others) just start taking orders, Ingram Distribution confirms the date and even Lionsgate’s own retail site is taking orders for a Mar. 1 delivery.   But nothing, absolutely nothing in terms of promotion for the DVD and Blu-ray launch.   How on earth is that good business?

OK, maybe a Best Picture Oscar nomination is no big deal these days.   It’s a crowded field and Room has little chance to win.   And besides, Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith have organized a boycott of the Oscar ceremonies on Feb. 28, so maybe not promoting the Best Picture candidacy of Room is some sort of solidarity thing.   Must have missed the Tweet on that one.

But Room is also nominated in three other categories, including Brie Larson for Best Actress — she’s already won the Golden Globe (not that that means a whole lot) — and she is considered the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar.   That might be worthy of some promotional effort.    A little ink, you’d think!

Director Lenny Abrahamson has also been nominated in the Best Director category and writer Emma Donoghue has been rewarded with an Oscar nomination for the screen adaptation of her own book.   It seems like there is plenty of material to work with here.

In all fairness to Lionsgate Home Entertainment, maybe the problem is with A24 Films.   Perhaps there is some internecine struggle taking place with respect to getting the exact verbiage of a press release correct.   Egos have to be soothed.   But this is sad … Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay and nothing.

For the record, the ARR for the DVD and Blu-ray of Room on Mar. 1 works out to 137 days.   That’s plenty of time to get something written and released.

Bonus features?   Well, that would require a press announcement.