Release windows down the rabbit hole for 'Alice in Wonderland'

By Sarah Sluis

Alice in Wonderland already had a bit of drama since it will replace Avatar on IMAX and many 3D screens when it opens March 5, despite the fact that Avatar is still bringing in lots of money. Now, Disney has announced that they want the movie to run in theatres for 13 weeks instead of the standard 16 weeks, so the movie can in turn come out on DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD that much faster. They'll have to compensate exhibitors to sweeten the deal, perhaps by changing the revenue split, but Disney was already able to work this out in the U.K., where the World Cup in June makes those last weeks less valuable anyway.

Disney head Bob Iger had already mentioned that the company plans on changing release windows to maximize profits, but this will be the first major play to change the release pattern of a major film. As a family movie, Alice in Wonderland is still in the position to sell a lot of DVDs in a market that has been softening. With a shorter time period between theatrical release and rental/purchase, marketing for the latter can be scaled back since awareness will still be high. However, it's worth noting that rental services like Netflix and Blockbuster Online allow you to add films to your queue that are still out in theatres. Even if you've forgotten about a movie, it's still in your queue and ready to watch once it comes out. Services like this, while not yet in wide use, could dramatically alter the theatre-to-rental landscape in the future.

Besides changing the release window, Alice in Wonderland has quietly become one of the most expensive movies to be made. Box Office Spy estimates production costs exceeded $230 million. While that seems like quite a sum, director Tim Burton has a strong track record. 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which he directed (and which also starred Johnny Depp) earned $474 million at the worldwide box office (with a reported production budget of $130 million). Alice in Wonderland is an even better-known story. And because Disney made a G-rated version in the '50s, the new Alice in Wonderland seems even more family-friendly than it probably is, knowing Tim Burton. In fact, the new version, which was just rated, received a PG for "fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and

for a smoking caterpillar" (emphasis mine).

Already holding the honor for the most memorable Super Bowl movie ad, according to a poll by MovieTickets.com, Alice in Wonderland is on the fast track to being a moneymaker with what appears to be a carefully calculated eye to release window and budgeting.