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It is only a matter of days until Disney release their latest big money movie, Alice in Wonderland. Actors from the movie are beginning to line up to take part in interviews and guests appearances before the World Premiere at the Odeon, Leicester Square this Thurday. Having spoken to a Disney Press agent, she informs me that some of the biggest entertainment reports are coming to London to cover the event.
If that is not enough, many of the films stars will be at the premiere along with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The whole event will also help raise money for the Prince’s Foundation for the Arts.
So what is the big problem? It is not with the film or its stars, but the people who indeed allow the film to be shown to the public. In this case, the Odeon.
The Disney studios announced that they are going to cut short the films run at cinemas from 17 weeks down to 12. There has a been a decline in people buying movies on DVD and Disney thinks that bringing the DVD release forward 5 weeks it will help to cut down on DVD priacy. A good idea you think? Stopping the criminals from getting the money instead of the studios that made them.
Not according the the Odeon! They have decided that the change will reduce the amount of money they might make. If you had really wanted to see a film. Would you wait 15 weeks to see it or would you go sooner?
They have well and truly thrown the dummy from the pram and decided that thay are going to boycott the film from their cinemas. They are the largest cinema chain in the country but the cinema going public aren’t naive. Does the Odeon not reralise that there are several other chains that will happily cash in on the Odeons decision and make yet more money from what is arguably going to be the year’s largest earner since Avatar. Other cinema chains have happily struck deals with the studio about the altered release dates and will show the film as planned. They include chains such as Cineworld, Vue and Showcase.
Let’s dig a bit deeper. As if the Odeon chain hasn’t shot itself in the foot enough, they have spent the last year filling their screens with state of the art 3D projectors, which they would have put to their fullest use with the release of Alice and Wonderland coming out in 3D. Looking through the UK cinema releases for this year. There aren’t many other blockbusters that are likely to make a cinema a lot of money and a re in 3D until Toy Story in June. A long time to have expensive 3D projectors sat dormant.
But, it doesn’t end there! With the Odeon openly boycotting the movie that they so vermently oppose, they are still allowing Disney to hold its premiere at it flagship theatre, the Odeon Leicester Square.
There is no stonger protest to the world that allowing the film you are boycotting all over the country to be allowed to hold its premiere in its most high profile location, is there!
Like I say, shooting yourself in the foot..... BIG TIME!
UPDATE
Odeon have decided that they will now run the film having made a deal with Walt Disney Pictures. This came hours before the films premiere on Thursday
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Juz on 27 February 2010unbiased - I enjoyed your response, and some points I hadnt considered. So thankyou for seeing the other side of the coin.
But surely Odeon will now make no money out of this so they have cut their nose off to spite their face... In fact this is a test case as such - if Disney make just as much through the box office in the UK without Odeon then no cinema will have any leverage against the film industry in the future around dates.
DisneyPirate on 24 February 2010
I happen to completely agree with Adam. Odeon are cutting off their nose to spite their face and they will be the ones who lose out when everyone flocks to see Alice in Wonderland at Vue and Cineworld. But then again I am probably biased as I am also a Disney nut !!!
unbiased commenting on 24 February 2010
Hello, I enjoy your blog however I think this post is a little ill thought out and extremely one sided. That’s fine as you seem to be some sort of Disney nut and would no doubt take their side no matter what. That’s fine, each to their own.
Let me start by saying that I am a 38 year old working in the film industry. I’m in the production business so am in no way approaching this comment from an amatueur point of view. I am a Disney fan but not to the nth degree I’m in no way shouting you down or doing this out of disrespect I just feel you have adopted a bias tone on an issue in which Odeon have a very strong argument.
By cutting the theatrical release down to 12 weeks Disney will be substantially reducing ticket revenue. Obviously. If other film distributors follow suit this will leave cuts in revenue in all major cinemas. To ask the question "Would you wait 15 weeks to see it or would you go sooner?" is a little nonsensical. It’s not a question of waiting, it’s a question of profit windows available to the cinemas. Incidently from this Avatar is still very strong in the charts after 9 weeks. Many people have even attended repeat viewings. If ’Alice’ is up to the hype then I don’t see why this couldn’t be in the same ball park.
Your point about them having payed for expensive 3D technology: If Odeon or anywhere else have invested in the tech for Disney’s shiny new 3D masterpieces I’m sure you can’t begrudge them wanting to use it as much as possible, if only to recoup some costs of installation.
Onto the DVD issue. It’s a fact that a DVDs released on ’event days’ do very well. If it’s a good film, people will wait for it. If it’s G.I.Joe people wont. Anticipation more often than not leads to better sales.
Other chains wont boycott as they can’t afford to. Simple. They’re not "happily cashing in" they just don’t have a choice.
The points addressed above aren’t nearly as important as this one: If I want to see a film, Disney or not, I want to see it in the cinema. There is no better way to experience a film. There is actually no other way of experiencing a 3D film to the standards of theatrical release.
You must be able to see that the long term effects of shorter cinema release dates will substantially damage the cinema industry. That’s something no-one wants.
So, just to conclude, I would probably deem this to be more a case of Odeon taking a small stand than it having "thrown the dummy".
Keep up the blog, it’s good but do try to see both sides of this argument.
Regards.
Emma on 23 February 2010
Very well put - I agree with you!
Luckily my nearest cinema is a Vue, I can’t wait to see the movie.