Why do movies always come out on Tuesdays?

[mikejet]

For as long as I can remember movies always came out on Tuesdays. This is continuing with BD's. Anyone know why?

I know most retailers and rental places get the films the week before, usually on the Thursday or Friday before the release date so why is it always the Tuesday that's the date?

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by mikejet

For as long as I can remember movies always came out on Tuesdays. This is continuing with BD's. Anyone know why?

I know most retailers and rental places get the films the week before, usually on the Thursday or Friday before the release date so why is it always the Tuesday that's the date?

Studios don't want to fight themselves for dollars.

If the movies come to theaters on Friday, and they released say... Dark Knight on a Friday on DVD/Blu-Ray they'd be fighting themselves for the money of the weekend.

Logan

[mikejet]

But why wait the extra day til Tuesday when retailers already have the product? Do they want to make sure stores that didn't get the shipment the week before can get them the Monday before the release?

[quexos]

Here in Belgium movies come out in theaters on Wednesdays and Blurays or DVD's come any day of the week to the best of my knowledge. Well I've never heard of a specific release day for stores.

[DavePS3]

Always have, all the way back to VHS and Beta. Freaky but true.

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by DavePS3

Always have, all the way back to VHS and Beta. Freaky but true.

Yeah that's what I'm wondering though. Why have they always been that way? What's wrong with Monday?

[DavePS3]

A store who sells before the official release date can get closed off for any future product. That's the distribution law but I don't think I've ever seen it actually enforced. Still, most stores don't want to take that chance.

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by mikejet

But why wait the extra day til Tuesday when retailers already have the product? Do they want to make sure stores that didn't get the shipment the week before can get them the Monday before the release?

Sometimes the store doesn't get the product until Monday. best to have that extra day cushion to get the product to the store just in case it's running late due to holiday or whatnot.

Logan

[DavePS3]

I worked for a video distributor years ago and I'm pretty sure that when I asked the Paramount guy about that, he said something about not wanting the stuff to bee in ether over a weekend. Too much theft so everything goes on a Monday morning and either arrives later that day or on the release day, Tuesday. Rental stores are not allowed to rent before the Tuesday either. The industry needed a common date, I heard, to avoid confusion on the part of the retailer. If MGM was Thursday, Para' on Monday, Columbia on Wednesday etc... retailers would be screwing up and blaming the lax dates for the confusion so the 'hiarchy' of distribution came up with Tuesday. It was the earliest day in the week where stuff could be shipped overnight.

That's what sticks in my memory anyway.
...although I HAVE been walking into walls a lot lately.

[Nerdkiller likes BD]

Over here, practically almost all movies that come out in theatres, are on a friday and DVD's and BD's on a monday, and I don't really think that theres any competition on the days. At least that I know of.

[Variable]

cds and videogames also drop on tuesdays except for bigger releases (Spore came out this last Sunday, a lot of big Nintendo games are sunday released)

I always figured it had something to do with shipping and being sure the item gets everywhere. I guess it's the earliest in the week you can sell something (week starting on Sunday) without taking the risk that the item doesn't get there (if it was Monday, the day before is a bad day for shipping).

that's a complete guess, but I'd imagine it is something similar to that, some reason that many companies decided to do it a long time ago.

[Blu Titan]

I "heard" that it was actually the retailer's idea. Tuesday is the slowest day of the week in terms of retail sales. Thus, the movies are released on that date to drive customer traffic.

[andy86i]

in the uk its awlays a monday

"on dvd and blu ray monday!"

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

I "heard" that it was actually the retailer's idea. Tuesday is the slowest day of the week in terms of retail sales. Thus, the movies are released on that date to drive customer traffic.

That actually makes a whole lot of sense and I wouldn't doubt for a moment that what you "heard" was indeed "fact".

[dad2erin]

VHS tapes used to release on Wednesdays up until the mid-early nineties. Around '94 they changed it to Tuesday and high profile titles were released on Friday. So a big sell thru title like disny would be on friday.

[hc666]

Same with CDs as well... except the new Metallica which is being released on Friday.

[scott87]

always a monday here

[MOONPHASE]

because Mondays suck Tuesdays rule i guess

[fighthefutureofhd]

Originally Posted by dad2erin

VHS tapes used to release on Wednesdays up until the mid-early nineties. Around '94 they changed it to Tuesday and high profile titles were released on Friday. So a big sell thru title like disny would be on friday.

i seem to recall something like that, but it's very vague to me. considering that many vhs titles were never officially released for sale. unless you wanted to pay the $85 asking price. i know for a fact that cd's have always streeted on tuesdays. it's the street date for almost all cd's. i figure that's why dvd's are sold on tuesdays as well. and blu-rays for that matter too. if you're already going to the store to buy the lastest u2 or r.e.m. album (i'm talking back in the early to mid 90's when they were big) then you might be more apt. to buy the newest movie release as well. and vice versa. remember, a lot of these studios also own record labels. it's all cross promotionalization.

[jadedeath]

Originally Posted by hc666

Same with CDs as well... except the new Metallica which is being released on Friday.

I haven't paid for a metalica song, or album since they started to make the stink about Napster.

Logan