Disagreements with Disney

“Britain's biggest cinema chains may choose not to show Disney's latest animation Alice in Wonderland because the company are proposing to sell it on DVD just 13 weeks after it reaches the big screen.”
I’m so glad Disney settled their dispute with the cinemas. For a moment there they had me worried. As much as I support being a firm believer in your own ideas, I also support listening to everyone else and trying to reach a compromise. Which I think Disney may just have done this time. After the threats from the cinemas of boycotting and the like, I was sure Disney might have taken one step too far this time. But luckily they managed to come to an agreement with the three largest cinema chains in the UK – but barely in time – just before the film’s big premiere in London. I’m also all for change if it’s needed and if it benefits everybody, but clearly in this instance it was one sided. From what the papers reported, it seemed like it was Disney calling the shots and, by using potentially one of the biggest films of the year as the bribe, made sure they were heard. Whether it’s classed as bribery or not, I don’t know, because it did take Odeon a while to agree and by the sounds of it there was a negotiation rather than surrender. Disney make the point that the longer the films are in the cinemas, the easier it is for piracy to occur. However the cinema chains make the opposite argument that audiences will have less chance to see it, no doubt affecting the cinema’s revenue. After reading comments I have found that Disney most probably hasn’t done much audience research. Either that or they did and didn’t take it on board. People have defended the cinema’s point of view mostly, saying that cinemas are social places and offer a different experience than DVD. But we’ll have to wait and see if the result is a good one for anyone, if at all. In my opinion, sometimes it is frustrating having to wait ages before I can buy a good film on DVD but then it just makes me appreciate the film more when it’s finally released.