DVDizzy Forum

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 12:44 pm**

The Lion King got off to a modest new start in the home video market Tuesday, selling more than 2 million combined DVD and VHS units during its first day in release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While that doesn't set any sales records, most video industry observers expect the number to grow significantly throughout the fourth quarter. Executives at Buena Vista Home Entertainment declined comment on Day 1 sales or initial shipment numbers, but video buyers at several national retail chains said they were more focused on long-term sales of the animated title, which remains the top-selling home video title of all time. "Lion King is a different animal when it comes to home video," one national video buyer said. "We didn't expect to have massive sales right on street date, but we do expect that it will have long legs on the shelf." National retail chains are expected to use the rereleased Lion King in loss-leader marketing campaigns designed to pull in parents shopping for clothing and other goods for the entire family, meaning that Disney is likely to command prime shelf space at such major retailers as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys "R" Us and grocery store chains throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday gift-purchasing seasons. The original Lion King video sold about 32 million VHS units.

ahhhhhhhahahaha i'm so glad that is not selling to tell you the truth maybe they will think twice about promising and not delivering!

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 1:48 pm**

I think that's a great start for a video which has been at every possible home across the country (and the world for that matter...). Even with the DVD being the first time it was issued in that format. As big as it is, EVERYONE on the planet saw that movie or owns it so 2 millions combined is still a respectable number IMHO.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 2:30 pm**

I really dont think that is what the article says.

It just says it is not the best seeling animated release ever. I believe Monsters Inc is. But many people already own the Lion King. Nobody owned Monsters Inc. when it was released.

Also keep in mind it is only one day.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 2:33 pm**

I think for such a big title, regardless of the fact it was released on VHS before, it is somewhat a disappointing sell-through. Disney has supposedly spent/will spend $200m on marketing and promoting the three films (with a reported $150m of that being spent on the first film?).

I'm sure Disney were expecting Monsters, Inc. type numbers, or else why the heavy financial investment? It's more than most movies cost to make!

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 2:38 pm**

Must be that the IMAX version is only included.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 2:49 pm**

the article is saying that it has only sold 2 million combined DVD and VHS which is bad. Like 2099net said disney spent alot of $$ marketing this since last years DVDs previews only to sell 2 million hehehe must have been us and other reviews putting it down since there wasn't a original version!

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 3:20 pm**

The article says that Monsters, Inc. holds the current record with 5 million combined units; The Lion King is only 3 million behind that, and it's not a bad tally considering that more people already own this than any other movie. Sure, it's not a record, but it's still a nice number, and like the article says, it will have some very nice legs over the holiday season.

Don't forget guys - Disney is keeping it on the market for two years, too, so they have plenty of time to move copies, and I'd expect another big boom of sales for it in February when The Lion King 1 1/2 comes out. The people who don't buy the original on DVD now will probably want to own it on DVD to match 1 1/2, which will sell a hell of a lot more copies on DVD than VHS, because obviously pretty much everyone is now DVD equipped, so why get the VHS instead of the DVD?

So I think this one is off to a nice start, especially considering that it's a catalog release. I still firmly stand my ground in saying that it will end up being one of the top 10 sellers of the year (probably in the top five for family or animation titles) and it will have some incredible numbers for a catalog title. It already does, IMHO.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:35 pm**

Jake Lipson wrote:The article says that Monsters, Inc. holds the current record with 5 million combined units; The Lion King is only 3 million behind that, and it's not a bad tally considering that more people already own this than any other movie.

Exactly.

2 million units the first week is nothing to point to as a failure.
Sure they probably wanted or even expected more, but because of the existing "install base" (can't think of a better term at the moment) a lot of folks are in no hurry to replace their movies. They can wait for wacky Black Friday deals at CompUSA or Best Buy or they can wait to receive it as a Holiday gift and not spend the $$ themselves.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:38 pm**

The simple fact that Disney refuses to comment, rather than issuing some bullish press release shows that they expected more for their substantial 'investment'. Also some of the other comments from retailers sound like excuses. People only make excuses when things aren't going to plan.

I don't doubt it will sell. But I don't think it's been as initially successful as Disney hoped. I just hope they don't blame it on being traditional animation rather than CGI

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:44 pm**

indianajdp wrote:2 million units the first week is nothing to point to as a failure..

This is just first DAY, and 2 million copies sold in one day is a REALLY nice number for any release. If it keeps selling 2 million a day by the end of the first seven days it will have sold between 10 and 14 million by next Tuesday, if my math is right.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:50 pm**

No way Lion King will have sold anything close to 14 million copies by week's end. (Well assuming that they're not talking about stock sold to stores, which is a pretty meaningless number.)

I suspect by year's end, Lion King will have sold 5 million DVDs, which won't be a disappointment at all.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 4:51 pm**

i think it's premature to say it's a failure for it's sales numbers for the first day. i think the total numbers at the end of the year (after the Christmas shopping season) will be the more determinant factor on if this release was a success or not.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:01 pm**

Here's a link to the full article if anyone is interested:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... ideos_dc_1

Interesting stats:

Lion King VHS: 4.5m units on first day (went on to 20m in the first 6 days)
Monsters, Inc: 5m units on first day (went on to 11m total sales as of Jan 2003)

Meanwhile, last week's top sellers included "2 Fast 2 Furious," estimated to have sold more than 4 million combined VHS and DVD units during its first week in release, and the rerelease of Brian De Palma (news)'s "Scarface," which sold more than 2 million combined video units.

further digging reveals these nuggets

Snow White has 1m units first day sales (combined DVD/VHS)
Spider-man sold 7.5m units first days sales (DVD/VHS), but some dispute this claim
Chicago sold 2m units first day sales
Lord of the Rings:The Two Towers sold 3.5m units in first day sales (DVD/VHS) Not bad when there's a sizable number of people waiting for the extended edition.

One source says first days sales typically account for around 70% of the total first week sales, but you can ignore that if you like, in reference to the Lion King VHS first week sales.

Posted: **Thu Oct 09, 2003 5:08 pm**

Oh, and for all you sequel haters get this

Animated Movies [Lady and the Tramp Page] wrote:The Lady & the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, the company's first direct-to-video sequel to one of its classic, pre-'70s features, has taken in a humongous $50 million in its opening week. More than 3 milllion of the 7 million videos and DVD copies of the film shipped to retailers were purchased in the first six days, putting it ahead of first-week sales for last fall's The Little Mermaid 2 (2.4 million units), but behind the 1998 video premiere of The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (3.5 million copies sold in its first three days). The $50 million generated by Tramp II is more than the first-week theatrical opening of ANY traditionally animated Disney feature.

And for the record, I don't consider the Lion King to be a failure, before I am accused of doing so. I just think that Disney (as a company) probably got a little carried away based on their VHS sales and expected a much better performance.

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2003 10:14 am**

Not selling well?

Hmmm....

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Animated hit "The Lion King" has torn up the home box office with a DVD and home video re-issue of the 1994 movie, selling more than 3 million copies in the first two days, Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Home Entertainment said Thursday.

Disney has pursued a strategy of re-releasing its movies on video and DVD after a breather of several years, gambling that it can make a bigger profit with such splashy launches than from keeping titles on retail shelves all the time.

Sales of "The Lion King" two-disc DVD and video topped Disney's record for home video issues this year, although Disney and Pixar Animation Studios Inc's "Finding Nemo" DVD hits shelves on Nov. 4.

"Nemo" has already topped the U.S. box office revenue of "The Lion King," released in 1994.

The previous Pixar film, "Monsters, Inc." sold 5 million DVDs and videos on its first day, and "The Lion King" itself sold 4.5 million videos on its first day.

Financial analysts are paying close attention to the fall slate of DVD and video releases.

DVDs have become the most profitable part of the multi-year distribution of a movie, which generally runs from movie release to DVD, pay television, and network television.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2003 3:20 pm**

Assuming that the 3 million number is accurate (and the early stories of the first week often aren't, especially when it's what the studio says)...it certainly isn't NOT selling well. Like I said before, it will be one of the top 10 selling DVDs of the year by December 31.

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2003 4:32 pm**

The big problem for us is that we are only a few that belive in the pure and real editions.

The avarage Joe in the store does not notice anything, will never know about anything, and even if he does - he will not care.

Sad but true.

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2003 5:50 pm**

i've told everyone at work not to buy the lion king cause of the changes now i got everyone not wanting to buy it if the original is not available!

Posted: **Fri Oct 10, 2003 5:57 pm**

Anybody knows how the Gold Collection in general made? or The Rescuers?

Posted: **Sat Oct 11, 2003 12:16 pm**

Hopefully it will sell more. I loved it. I spent many hours to watch the whole thing, with the commentary included, which is really nice.

DVDizzy Forum

Lion King DVD not selling well!

Lion King DVD not selling well!

mmb