MVD Entertainment Group Steps Into The National Spotlight With The Theatrical Launch Of Billy Idol: State Line (Nov. 15) Followed By DVD And Blu-ray Editions On Dec. 08

Things are evolving very quickly in the theatrical exhibition marketplace and MVD Entertainment Group is joining the movement on Dec. 8 with the release of both DVD and Blu-ray editions of the directing team of Vincent Adam Paul and George Scott’s Billy Idol: State Line – Live at the Hoover Dam.

After being screwed by a studio system that decided to throw away 100 years of theatrical distribution dominance to lose billions on streaming, theatre chains are teaming up with independent filmmakers to replace “Hollywood” as the go-to source for new theatrical releases.

MVD, with the release of Billy Idol: State Line – Live at the Hoover Dam, is the latest to join the revolution.   On Nov. 15, the film will be exhibited nationwide as an AMC Theatres event presentation.   Sound familiar?   Ring any bells?

Scott Swift, who would be Taylor Swift’s father, manager and mentor, approached the “Hollywood” studios about doing a theatrical launch of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and was given the round-around.   Not interested … too busy losing money on streaming to be bothered.

So, he picked up the phone and called Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC, and proposed what Newsweek (Shannon Power, September 1 article) calls a “crazy idea.”   Release a theatrical version of the mega-hit concert, much like a Fathom Event, in theatres nationwide on Oct. 13.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has grossed $149 million in theatres domestically, so the idea wasn’t so “crazy” after all.   

It isn’t the only blockbuster to bypass “Hollywood” this year.   Bob Iger and Disney — in a well-documented bit of history — tried to bury director Alejandro Monteverde, producer Eduardo Verastegui and actor Jim Caviezel’s Sound of Freedom, which was completed and ready to go when Disney bought 20th Century-Fox.   

It took the trio a year to get it back from Disney, and they too went the “Hollywood” studio route to no avail.  So they did exactly what Scott Swift did, they found an indie (Angel Studios) to come up with a theatrical event … $184.1 million in domestic box office receipts was the result.

In the history of theatrical exhibition, there have never been two theatrical releases — from independent sources — with these type of box office numbers in the same year.   For that matter, ever!!   Films grossing over $100 are always “Hollywood” studio releases (the only exception was My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which was released by HBO … which, in a broader sense could be considered part of the “system”).

These two — Sound of Freedom and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — are just the “big” examples of how stupid “Hollywood” executives have become.     

Another film, writer/director Andrew Hyatt’s The Blind, had no “Hollywood” takers, so Mill Creek Entertainment and Fathom Events have thrown their own one-two punch with a record-shattering Fathom Event run (33 days and counting … not just one night) that has seen The Blind pull in an astonishing $16.5 million in ticket sales.   That’s punch number one … a record-breaking Fathom Event box office haul.

Punch two arrives on Nov. 14 when Mill Creek Entertainment releases both DVD and Blu-ray editions of The Blind.

So what does MVD have lined up for music fans to enjoy — either theatrically or as physical media (DVD and Blu-ray) releases (or both) — on Nov. 15 (punch one) and Dec. 8 (punch two)?

Back in April of this year, filmmakers Vincent Adam Paul and George Scott filmed two sets (acoustic and electric) of Billy Idol (and friends) in concert at the base of Hoover Dam — what a landmark for a concert!   The finished version (edited, mixed, etc.) will be a theatrical event on Nov. 15 … how long the film runs and how much it grosses theatrically is anybody’s guess.   No one excepted The Blind to run for 33 days and pull in $16.5 million, so all bets are off the table in this new world of indie theatrical exhibition.

On Dec. 8, MVD Entertainment Group will follow-up with the release of DVD and Blu-ray editions of Billy Idol: State Line – Live at the Hoover Dam.  Included in the set mix are “Dancing with Myself,” “Cradle of Love,” “Flesh for Fantasy,” “Cage,” “Bitter Taste,” “Rebel Yell,” “White Wedding” and more.  In a word, WOW!

Yes, things are changing very rapidly.   Be like the “Swifties” … be an “Idol” and take in both events — theatrical on Nov. 15 and get your Blu-ray (or DVD) from MVD on Dec. 8!!