Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment Sets Digital Window 21 Days After Theatrical Launch Of Director Ben Wheatley's Meg 2: The Trench • Physical Media Arrives 60 Days Later (Oct. 24)

It is an undeniable trend in Hollywood these days.   This would be the obsession with putting the digital window before the physical media streets and thereby serving up a pristine master to the “helper” community.  They immediately release Blu-ray and/or DVD copies of their own … thereby cutting into legitimate sales (the consumer is unlikely to know the difference).

The business decision has to be along these lines … the immediate cash flow and revenue from the digital sales far outweigh whatever is being pirated.   And, it is not worth the effort (time, money, staffing, etc.) to play whack-a-mole with the “helpers.”   In other words, potential piracy loses are factored in as part of the business decision.

 

The latest example is director Ben Wheatley’s Meg 2: The Trench, which is heading home on Oct. 24 from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment as a full-spread of home entertainment packaged media product offerings.

 

The ARR is a current industry average of 81 days, so the physical media window relative to the theatrical release is spot-on.   Domestic box office receipts currently stand at $66.6 million.

Planned for release are stand-alone 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD SKUs (no Combo Packs).

However, on Aug. 25, a full 60 days before the physical media street date, the studio has set up a multi-platform digital window … that’s just 21 days into the theatrical release.   Again, it is a business decision, so why fight it?

 

Bonus goodies for Meg 2: The Trench, which are limited to the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray SKUs, are two featurettes — “The Making of Meg 2: The Trench” and “Up from the Depths: Even More Beasts.”