Cinema to DVD windows

[AndyP & Lenore]

Some of you may already know, a lot of cinema's in the UK including two of the biggest chains; Odeon and Vue have pulled Disney's Alice In Wonderland and are refusing to show the film. The reason is that Disney have reduced the cinema exclusive window from 17 weeks to 12 weeks for this film. They are using a spurious excuse that the impending World Cup will reduce DVD sales if they release it at that time. In Canada it was a different excuse and in USA a different excuse again.

The majority in the exhibition industry feel that preservation of the 17 week window is key to our industry's survival.

So, I wondered if you guys would mind participating in a wee bit of market research, by answering one simple question.....

For any films in the future, would having a 12 week window between cinema release and DVD release, make you more likely to NOT go to the cinema, and instead waiting to buy a film on DVD.

Simples.

EDIT: Oh, and it's a private Poll, so no-one can see how you vote.

Edit again: Also, happy to discuss the inn's and outs of all this if anyone is interested.

A.

[Gismo]

It's a no for me, it's more a conveneience thing for me, if i have time i will go to the cinema, if not, i don't.

[Crombers]

Cinema for me every time.

Unfortunatley don't go all that often.

Don't buy DVD's, ever.

[ianking]

To be honest I prefer to get the blueray/DVD out the shop, especially if I know its a long film as I like the fact that I can lounge across my sofa watching my TV whilst scratching my balls and farting as I wish. Cant do that in the cinema without people complaining.

I have a nice TV in the house and the blockbuster shop is only 5 mins drive away.

I prob go to the cinema about twice a year.

[Knox18]

cinema everytime, well IMAX as much as possible!

some films are wasted on a TV screen

[Burple]

That's a tough question...
depends on a few things.. namely £££ :p

The cinema experience itself is worth it for the size of the screen and the audio... but when it actually works out cheaper to buy a dvd and a load of munchies (and that's only based on the 2 of us going... never mind if you have a family), and have the content upscaled on the blu-ray player (or the blu-ray itself) and surround sound.. it's a tough choice to make. Especially when you can have a few mates round, a beer or 2.. and the luxury of your own loo and comfy seats.

Don't get me wrong, I love going to the cinema, but at home you just don't get the pleasure of annoying little t!ts on the phone or sticky seats or the tw@ts who just won't shut up! :hand:;)

just my 2p :yes nod:

[GCA3N]

I still think the pics and DVD are a worlds apart. Generally I will go to the pics to see a film that needs to be viewed on a big screen, and wait for the dvd release for stuff where the story features more than say special effects. Overall though if I new that a film was coming out on DVD quicker it may have a slight influence on whether I seen it at the pics. Eg if it was coming out on Monday DVD release I would be less likely to see it in the pics the weekend before.

In saying this generally I go to the cinema just to go to the cinema and decide when I get there what to watch. Although I understand your concern I do feel the majority of people go to the cinema will still go regardless.

[AndyP & Lenore]

Some good replies guys, many thanks.

I should really have said, I realise the cost is a deciding factor and it's difficult to remove that from the equation completely, but would prefer answers on the question in this particular thread are based just on timescales rather than the cost of admission/dvd's/blu-ray's etc.

Best answer so far has to be Mr King.:laugh: I suspect we get a lot of ball scratching farters in our cinema.:hand: Not everyone is polite enough to do that in private.:lol:

A.:D

[C.Noble]

This particular film is a bad example... it could have a window of 2 minutes and I still wouldnt buy the DVD, or a window of 100 years and I wouldnt lose any sleep over missing my "once in a lifetime" chance to see Alice in flipping wonderland!

But I too go to the cinema to watch a film on the big screen, not just because I cant wait the 3-4 months or whatever to see it on DVD. They could have released the DVD of avatar the same day as it came out in the cinema and I still would have gone to the cinema to see it.

I can see the film companies point though... I personally dont buy pirate DVDs as I think they are more often than not rubbish quality and a waste ovf time given that if you just wait a few months Tesco or Asda will be selling it for a fiver! But I do know of people who cant afford to goto the cinema (it can be an expensive day out with 2-3 kids) and the 'window' will make sod all differance to this fact, it will however, make a differance to whether they will wait a few weeks on the good quality DVD or give in to the nagging kids and buy a cheap copy filmed from the back row on a mobile phone from Nigel down the pub!

I am all for cinemas, and would be the first to complain about more shutting down, but I think the cinema industry is scared about losing custom that, in this case, they were never going to get!

[Burple]

Some good replies guys, many thanks.

I should really have said, I realise the cost is a deciding factor and it's difficult to remove that from the equation completely, but would prefer answers on the question in this particular thread are based just on timescales rather than the cost of admission/dvd's/blu-ray's etc.

Best answer so far has to be Mr King.:laugh: I suspect we get a lot of ball scratching farters in our cinema.:hand: Not everyone is polite enough to do that in private.:lol:

A.:D

Fair enough Mr P ;)
In that case.. if there's a film I REALLY want to see.. then the cinema is the best place to see it, and we'll make the effort to go. The time difference between 12-17 weeks makes absolutely no difference to me (I should say "us" ;)) at all.. The cinema experience makes a good film feel 'special'.
If there were a nice frindly family owned cinema near us.. that would make it even better :laugh::thumbs up::p

When you say 12 or 17 weeks that makes it sound far enough into the future that seeing it now would be better :D

[Sheilz]

I think I'd be much the same as the others. I'm not a cinema goer, only maybe taking Catriona and some of her friends for a treat r if there's something I really want to see specifically on the big screen. Other times its dvd for me and the comfort o my own home. I don't grudge the cost of the ticket but I do for the drinks and goodies. I see that as a major rip off.

[N16SHP]

I'd say that I love the cinema experience. Possibly the film in question is a bad example. If say when Quantum of Solace was coming out, I just had to see it. Purely for the fact that if you wait for it to come out on DVD, most likely the story line will be spoiled, and also, if you've just got an average flat screen like me, you cannot beat seeing a DBS hammering up the Italian mountains through tunnels on a giant screen, and feeling the V12 thundering in your chest from the surround sound.

Does the extra couple of weeks make a difference, for me no, i'd probably already have seen it :D

[Craig]

Well Andy as you know I have made the trip to Gala MANY times to see a film so I must be a cinema goer. :lol: I don't think the 5 weeks less would change my mind whether I went or not... :thumbs up:

[audrey]

This wouldn't make any difference to us if it's something we really want to see we would go to the cinema. Some films really need to be watched on the big screen IMO

[Scottie]

People that love going to the cinema for the big screen will always go I think even if the DVD came out on the same day.

I only go to the cinema maybe once every couple of years but in the interest of fairness I clicked on option one because I am always waiting on the DVD's to come out the sooner the better.

Maybe a bit off topic

but I'm hoping that maybe one day they will introduce a pay to view system on the likes of Sky meaning that you can watch all the new movies released at the same time they are in the cinema.

[euan]

I really only go to the cinema for things I want to see on the big screen. In my youth, I went every week, usually twice, the film club mid week with my mate for the more unusual stuff, and the weekend with the girlfriend to see whatever i was told to!. Didn't make any odds if it was coming out on DVD (or video as it was then!) soon, it was an outing, cheaper than a meal or a pub session but nice to see the films they were meant to be seen.

For me, I'll still go to the cinema regardless of the time to DVD, but I'd pick and choose more, so I think the cinemas would find that they would still get loads of people for a big name, big budget blockbuster, but they would get less for the more traditional garbage that sometimes comes out.

[euan]

See Odeon are saying they won't show it at all - and as they have 2/3rds of the UK cinema audience (according to the article) it may focus Disney on the issue!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8528820.stm

[AndyP & Lenore]

See Odeon are saying they won't show it at all - and as they have 2/3rds of the UK cinema audience (according to the article) it may focus Disney on the issue!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8528820.stm

Yeah... Vue, however, have reached a "far reaching agreement" with Disney and are now set to show the film.

A.