Quote:
Originally Posted by esc
Speed Racer's far lower than expected box office take and the studio dropping a lot of the support for the film, judging by the complete lack of commercials on TV this last week got me wondering,
has a film ever one so poorly at the box office that a studio has totally dropped everything to do with and not even given it a home video release?
I know, there is probably stuff from the 70's and 80's that has still not seen the like of even Beta or VHS, but what about now, in the days when a good home video launch can give a film new life and spawn a sequel or at least get a film to break even?
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Well, the first Austin Powers movie was considered a failure at the box office, but it picked up a huge following on DVD, which resulted in 2 sequels being made.
There will assuredly be a DVD release, but the poor box office performance might mean a relatively barebones release instead of a loaded special edition version. Warner Bros. usually does the 1- and 2-disc versions, so it's possible that there could only be a 1-disc release. But Warner Bros. usually does a 1- and 2-disc for their big budget releases, even if there is a poor box office performance. I think Poseidon had a 2-disc version, and that bombed in theaters.
For most movies, DVD revenues usually at least equal the movie revenues, so even if it only makes $40 million total domestically, they will at least make another $40 million from DVD, and another $10-15 million from cable & broadcasting TV rights. There is also overseas revenues, which can sometimes double for action-oriented films.
Speed Racer did fail to become a blockbuster film, but it did still take in $20 million in the first weekend, which would still be considered a decent take for any other non-blockbuster film.