On Demand Weekly

New Films on VOD for the Week of November 16th

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

The battle for the universe has begun. Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots return for the live-action follow up to the 2007 blockbuster "Transformers." Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Shia Labeouf. PG-13 / 150 minutes / Available 11/18

Year One

Movies On Demand® On Cable Success Bolsters Outlook for Major Studios, Cable Co.’s
Industry Launches Marketing Campaign Sequel Asking Consumers to “Push It”



In the wake of dramatic shifts in the movie rental business, 12 of the top U.S. cable companies and 10 major movie studios are demonstrating their commitment to cooperatively driving growth in Movies On Demand® on cable. After successfully stimulating use of the service in 2010 with the first collaboration of its kind in the entertainment industry, this year the collective is investing $10 million in a new, national integrated marketing campaign.

The year-long 2011 campaign features latest hit movie titles, many of which are available on Movies On Demand on cable the same day as DVD and 28 days before most other rental options, thus offering consumers the simplest and best way to rent movies. The ads employ an up-tempo message asking consumers to “Push It”— evoked by the Grammy® award-winning song by rap group Salt-N-Pepa and referring to the digital cable remote button customers use to access On Demand service.

On Demand Weekly asked two industry executives about the potential of VOD as an ongoing media alternative for consumers and how the “Push It” campaign endeavors to help accomplish this.

“The goal of the campaign is to make Movies On Demand top of mind with consumers when the remote control is in their hands,” said Aubrey Freeborn, SVP Marketing and Product Management Worldwide Video On Demand and Electronic Sell-Through Twentieth Century Fox. “Last year’s campaign built awareness of the Movies On Demand brand. This year’s “Push It” campaign demonstrates that the hottest new releases are a click away.”

“Today’s consumer is looking for more and more content that can be enjoyed in the comfort of their homes. They want product when they want and at a price that is affordable,” said Joe Rooney, senior vice president, branding, advertising and social media, Cox Communications and co-chair of the Movies on Demand initiative. “The cable company and studio consortium is positioned to best serve this consumer, providing them with a long list of hit titles that they can easily access via the On Demand service they already have in their homes.“

For more on the campaign, continue reading CTAM's press release...

“An increasing number of consumers are interested in renting movies at home on demand on cable, said Michele Edelman, vice president, worldwide marketing, programming and acquisitions, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Movies On Demand initiative co-chair. “So we plan to be there with the hottest titles at the earliest opportunity. We’re excited to communicate about it in such a unique way.”

There have been major changes in the availability of new movies to the cable set-top box, which used to be 30 days or longer after the DVD release. National VOD distributor iN DEMAND reports a significant increase over the past four years in the number and percentage of movie titles premiering on cable’s MOD platform day-and-date with DVD. In 2010 alone, there were 132 films released day-and date, more than double the number in 2009.*

According to Rentrak 2010 set-top box data, paid video on demand (VOD) transactions grew 11 percent to 116 million, with revenue up 15 percent in the first half of 2010 versus the same period in 2009. Directly attributable to the 2010 campaign, Rentrak reported a 36 percent increase in average monthly revenue among light users, an 18 percent increase among new purchasers to the category, and sustained elevated usage rates among both groups following the campaign. Lastly, in a post-campaign survey conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, 81 percent of respondents reported enjoying the convenience of Movies On Demand and nearly two-thirds said it was a good value for the money.

“Cable companies and movie studios have demonstrated we can provide customers with a product they want, when they want it and at a price they can afford,” said Joe Rooney, senior vice president, branding, advertising and social media, Cox Communications and co-chair of the Movies on Demand initiative. “The current movie rental climate is a pivotal time for us to join together and promote a long list of hit titles to avid movie fans and frequent On Demand viewers, along with light users and customers who are still unaware of the service.“

With 60 titles featured in the ads throughout the year, the opening slate includes: “The Dilemma” starring Academy Award® winner Jennifer Connelly and Golden Globe® winner Wynona Ryder; “The Green Hornet” starring Seth Rogen and the four-time Golden Globe-nominated Cameron Diaz; “Gulliver’s Travels” starring Jack Black and “No Strings Attached” starring Ashton Kutcher and Academy Award winner Natalie Portman.

“We have seen significant growth in VOD transactions especially with day and date releases like ‘Black Swan’ which is currently one of the top VOD titles in the country,” said Jamie McCabe, executive vice president, worldwide pay per view, video on demand, and electronic sell-through, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. “Fox’s continued participation in the Movies On Demand campaign reflects our commitment to growing the VOD category with our cable distributers and raising consumer awareness of the benefits of VOD.”

The cable companies in the initiative include Atlantic Broadband, Armstrong, BendBroadband, Bright House Networks, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight, iO TV, Mediacom, Suddenlink and Time Warner Cable. The studios include 20th Century Fox, Image Entertainment, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Paramount, Relativity, Sony/Columbia, Summit Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.

The Facebook fan page is www.facebook.com/moviesondemand.

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On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand and from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL (Magnet Releasing)

Click Here For On Demand Weekly's Exclusive Interview With Director Eli Craig

TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL On Demand
By Chris Claro

Rare is the truly original idea. With virtually every movie pitched as a mashup of two (or more) established properties – “It’s AMERICAN BEAUTY meets THE BOURNE IDENTITY” – it isn’t often that a film shows a glimmer of originality.

Paradoxically, TUCKER AND DALE VS. EVIL,

a film that takes on the tropes of hillbilly slasher films

and turns them on their bloody ear,

is one of the freshest and funniest films to come along in a while.

Full of all the expected chainsaws, wood chippers, and obnoxious college students, the film mixes gore and comedy to tell a story about how appearances can deceive. Seemingly stereotypical hillbillies Dale (Tyler Labine, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES) and Tucker (Alan Tudyk, FIREFLY) want nothing more than to fix up Tucker’s cabin in peace and quiet. But a series of misunderstandings and overreactions sets off a chain of bloody slayings that upend expectations and turn the victims into their own worst enemies.

Throughout, director Eli Craig – son of Sally Field – makes the most of what was clearly a shoestring budget to twist the clichés of the form in much the same way that John Landis did thirty years ago with AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. By casting a knowing eye toward the hoary devices of the rural horror flick – nubile skinny-dippers, campfire ghost stories, graphic deaths – Craig, as Landis had before him, tweaks the genre while maintaining its traditions.

The screenplay, by Craig and Morgan Jurgenson, is predicated on the idea that people – and movies, for that matter – shouldn’t be judged solely on their looks. In subverting the expectations of the audience by inverting the conventions of the film, Craig and Jurgenson offer a kind of meta commentary on thirty years’ worth of slasher flicks.

On Demand Weekly helps you browse through the New Movies On Demand (MOD) this month with our August preview!