The Length of a Movies’ Theater Run Affects Retail Disc Sales According to Google Study

“A Window into Film,” a Google report  analyzing “consumer consumption of movies theatrically and in the home” found an interesting correlation between how long a film takes to get to retail after it is in theaters, and disc sales.  Alice in Wonderland(Disney) and Iron Man 2(Paramount) were both big releases making more than $300 million in theaters.  When it came to releasing the Blu-ray/DVD discs at retail, Alice in Wonderland came out 88 days after it’s theater premier and Iron Man 2 came out in stores 144 days after it’s theater premier.  Alice in Wonderland made $35 million in disc sales versus Iron Man 2′s $61.3 million in first-day disc sales.

Google also studied films that made around $90 million in theaters, The Town(Warner Bros.), and Date Night(Fox).  The Town was released on disc 89 days after launching in theaters, and made $6.1 million its first day in retail.  Date Night, released 123 days after its theatrical premier, made $10.6 million on its first day.  Later though, The Town ended up making $4.8 million more in total disc sales.

The report also talked about studies of consumer interest during the life of a film from the theater to the retail sales, through search results.  They found that searches on a film peaks on its theater release and a much smaller spike comes when it is released into retail.

VIA Home Media Magazine