I only spend money on movies two ways: buying a physical copy of it, or watching it in movie theaters (pre-covid). Anything else, I just watch it using other (free) means. I only like spending money on tangible products I have true ownership over (and in case of a movie theater: the experience).
It's unfortunate that great shows like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will probably never get a physical release (or a continuation for that matter). Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and watch it via streaming in hopes that the viewership numbers and ratings give them a clue that we want more.
I only spend money on movies two ways: buying a physical copy of it, or watching it in movie theaters (pre-covid). Anything else, I just watch it using other (free) means. I only like spending money on tangible products I have true ownership over (and in case of a movie theater: the experience).
It's unfortunate that great shows like The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will probably never get a physical release (or a continuation for that matter). Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and watch it via streaming in hopes that the viewership numbers and ratings give them a clue that we want more.
Netflix does have a fair amount of titles that found its way to disc, but it actually comes down to who owns or distributes the title. In this case, that would be the Jim Henson Company. You can add me to list who would buy it if it does get released one day.
Netflix does have a fair amount of titles that found its way to disc, but it actually comes down to who owns or distributes the title. In this case, that would be the Jim Henson Company. You can add me to list who would buy it if it does get released one day.
Also those Studios that have the Distribution Rights look at their PM budget. If you look at the Sales Reports, BD sells for no more than $18, and DVD $10. That's why a lot of these Discs now come out on either BD or DVD, UHD are costly so they come out in limited quantities, and barely making their Break-Even Point!
Got my tickets for A Quiet Place II at the end of the month in IMAX. No Dolby Cinema screenings in my theater, however. Had to go with the next best thing.
Also those Studios that have the Distribution Rights look at their PM budget. If you look at the Sales Reports, BD sells for no more than $18, and DVD $10. That's why a lot of these Discs now come out on either BD or DVD, UHD are costly so they come out in limited quantities, and barely making their Break-Even Point!
Also those Studios that have the Distribution Rights look at their PM budget. If you look at the Sales Reports, BD sells for no more than $18, and DVD $10. That's why a lot of these Discs now come out on either BD or DVD, UHD are costly so they come out in limited quantities, and barely making their Break-Even Point!
Because you have no UHD BD player or media you feel qualified to criticize media play stats as equivalent to actual studio financial status. Are these studios stock causing them to go out of business? How’s Disney, Sony, Comcast, AT&T, CBS stocks as examples. Considering the debt level of AT&T, one would think they would want to avoid is all forms of entertainment industry because it’s not profitable, right?
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t bought a DVD or Blu-Ray in nearly a decade. Virtually everything I watch at home runs through my Apple TV, and I’ve long assumed most others were in the same boat.
For this very reason, I’ve never sold DVDs for my own films.
I always assumed that it would be morse hassle than it’s worth, and that any profit I might make would be negligible.
But after a recent podcast conversation with film marketing expert Kyle Prohaska, I’ve completely reframed how I will approach DVD and Blu-Ray sales in the future.
Below I want to share some takeaways from our chat that I know will be of value to many of you. I’ll start with this –
A huge amount of people are still buying physical media.
Just because DVDs/Blu-Rays aren’t as popular as they once were doesn’t mean the market has dried up. There are still millions and millions of people who prefer physical media to streaming, and you only need to capture a small fraction of them to turn a profit with your film.
There is also far less competition.
Everyone with an indie film will eventually throw it up on Amazon or iTunes… But how many of those films will be sold as DVDs? I would estimate 5% or less, and that’s probably being generous.
Less competition in the market means your product stands out more. In a sea of endless streaming titles, a physical DVD looks and feels like a different product… Because it is. And when it comes to selling anything, having less competition is always a good thing.
DVDs & Blu-Rays attract a higher paying audience.
Most people who stream all their movies do so because it’s the most cost effective option. This demographic isn’t necessarily looking to spend $5 to rent a movie they’ve never heard of, let alone $20 to buy a digital copy of it.
People who buy physical media however, are completely accustomed to it. They see the purchase as an investment in their library of films, and are far more willing to spend money on a movie than the average streamer.
By selling your film to people who enjoy DVDs, you take advantage of a market segment that is used to paying a premium for movies… Not those who simply want the lowest cost option.
This also makes advertising for your film far more viable.
If you’re using digital/social media ads to promote a film on streaming, you’re lucky if you break even. In most cases, you will lose money even if you do everything right.
That’s not because the advertising doesn’t work, but because your profit margins are practically non-existent.
Let’s say it costs you (on average) $3 in ad spend to get a single rental on the iTunes Store for $2.99. Once Apple takes their fees, you are losing money. And don’t get me started on Amazon!
On the other hand, if you spend that same $3 to advertise for a $20 DVD/Blu-Ray sale (that cost $5 to make and ship), you just profited $12.
Multiply that by the amount of total purchases you might generate and the difference in profit (compared to streaming) could be monumental.
With physical media, there is also way more opportunity to up-sell your customers.
This is where things get really interesting. Let’s say you have a library of titles, not just one – Now when customers go through the checkout process on your website, they can purchase a bundle of all your movies.
Or perhaps you have ancillary products, like merch, signed posters, a soundtrack, digital downloads, or custom artwork. Those can easily be marketed and sold alongside your movie.
Not everyone will buy these products of course, but the idea is to get your average sale price as high as possible.
Perhaps 1 in 4 people who make a purchase from your store also buy one of your bonus products for $75. That means instead of making $80 gross profit for 4 sales (4 x $20), you are making $155 (3 x $20 + 1 x $95), effectively doubling your profit.
Or put another way, your average sale value jumps from $20/sale to $38.75/sale.
At an average sale price of $38.75, you would only need to make about 2500 sales to generate over $100,000 gross. Compare that to streaming, where half a million people could rent your movie and you might still be in debt.
Up-selling or cross-selling products with your film is a great business model, but it’s really nothing new. Theaters have always made more profit by selling popcorn and sugar than movie tickets. Now you can do the same.
The one major drawback with physical DVDs/Blu-Rays is that it requires far more time and effort than selling digital goods.
There’s no getting around it – making, selling, shipping, and dealing with returns on physical items will always be more cumbersome than selling a digital product.
One option is to find a fulfillment house that can drop ship products for you (taking the majority of the work off your plate), but that will start to eat into your profits.
Alternatively you could ship your physical DVDs/products yourself initially, and then hire on some help once you start turning a big enough profit.
All of this might sound like a lot of hard work (and it is), but for the right filmmaker it can be a game changer.
Many indie films have made hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) through self distribution of DVDs and Blu-Rays.
And I’m not just talking about the bigger titles with stars and major festival placement. Plenty of micro-budget indies are pulling this off right now too.
That doesn’t mean it will work for every film. You still need a great movie, a killer trailer, a poster that grabs your audience, and (hopefully) some additional products that are just as enticing.
But with the right configuration, turning a substantial profit with your movie through physical media can be the surest path.
And remember – you don’t need the whole world to buy your movie. Just a thousand direct sales could fund your next passion project.
Last edited by JohnAV; 05-06-2021 at 04:43 PM.
Reason: typo
Because you have no UHD BD player or media you feel qualified to criticize media play stats as equivalent to actual studio financial status. Are these studios stock causing them to go out of business? How’s Disney, Sony, Comcast, AT&T, CBS stocks as examples. Considering the debt level of AT&T, one would thing they would want to avoid is all forms of entertainment industry because it’s not profitable, right?
Most people who stream all their movies do so because it’s the most cost effective option. This demographic isn’t necessarily looking to spend $5 to rent a movie they’ve never heard of, let alone $20 to buy a digital copy of it.
People who buy physical media however, are completely accustomed to it. They see the purchase as an investment in their library of films, and are far more willing to spend money on a movie than the average streamer.
By selling your film to people who enjoy DVDs, you take advantage of a market segment that is used to paying a premium for movies… Not those who simply want the lowest cost option.
Couldn't have said it better myself. And if EST was such a huge profit machine for the studios then they wouldn't all be launching their own streaming service to increase revenue.
Also those Studios that have the Distribution Rights look at their PM budget. If you look at the Sales Reports, BD sells for no more than $18, and DVD $10. That's why a lot of these Discs now come out on either BD or DVD, UHD are costly so they come out in limited quantities, and barely making their Break-Even Point!
The studios lose money on folks like you who rent disc and make copies and/or who buy and redeem digital codes. You represent pure loss for the the content owners.
People who purchase legitimate disc or EST provide content owners actual income.
Got my tickets for A Quiet Place II at the end of the month in IMAX. No Dolby Cinema screenings in my theater, however. Had to go with the next best thing.
Loved the first one. Easily one of my favorite Atmos mixes.
One of these days I may combine my databases for titles that I have owned on LaserDisc, DVD, D-Theater, Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray. I know there are quite a few titles that I have purchased at least 4 times and some 5 or 6 times. Don't see that happening with IPTV titles.
Couldn't have said it better myself. And if EST was such a huge profit machine for the studios then they wouldn't all be launching their own streaming service to increase revenue.
If discs are ever sacrificed to push people towards these streaming subscriptions, you can bet they will do the same with EST via third party storefronts.
Collecting dies with disc, that’s always been my take. Thankfully, I think we are quite a few years away from that.
If discs are ever sacrificed to push people towards these streaming subscriptions, you can bet they will do the same with EST via third party storefronts.
Collecting dies with disc, that’s always been my take. Thankfully, I think we are quite a few years away from that.
Agree. There is no such thing as "collecting" leased movies.
Agree. There is no such thing as "collecting" leased movies.
I wouldn't go that far. Its like a golf club membership you can pay for the day, week, month, annual, lifetime, but its not transferrable when you pass away. Yes you can have a $400,000 membership that not inheritable.
Even those digital codes you redeemed are your only. Sure you can let someone else redeem them, but when you or him go away, they are gone also.
As far the collecting, there is this strange pattern of digital items for sale now that is the rage, where someone sells a digital artwork online for tens of thousands of dollars. We do not yet look at digital content collections as being allowed to have a change of owner. The digital artworks is different you are buying something directly from the artist that created it. The digital films you are buying or leasing to be correct I bet have no clause as far continued ownership when you pass. So I would suggest you best look at digital content that alchav21 has accumulated as a example of virtual riches, but no future.
I wouldn't go that far. Its like a golf club membership you can pay for the day, week, month, annual, lifetime, but its not transferrable when you pass away. Yes you can have a $400,000 membership that not inheritable.
Even those digital codes you redeemed are your only. Sure you can let someone else redeem them, but when you or him go away, they are gone also.
As far the collecting, there is this strange pattern of digital items for sale now that is the rage, where someone sells a digital artwork online for tens of thousands of dollars. We do not yet look at digital content collections as being allowed to have a change of owner. The digital artworks is different you are buying something directly from the artist that created it. The digital films you are buying or leasing to be correct I bet have no clause as far continued ownership when you pass. So I would suggest you best look at digital content that alchav21 has accumulated as a example of virtual riches, but no future.
This is not about when you die, it’s about the very real possibility of content being pulled while you are alive.
This is not about when you die, it’s about the very real possibility of content being pulled while you are alive.
Yes we have previously discussed about digital content being yanked because of a judicial action. So he gets a replacement or refund in those instances. Old news move on.
But I was responding to the comment about:
Quote:
"There is no such thing as "collecting" leased movies.
You guys that keep harping about tangible versus virtual benefits forget about the applied worth of someone here that thinks he is buying content, that beside getting a refund if it isn't available anymore, has absolutely no value to his inheritors of his property.
So is Digital really the future if it worthless to the next party?
Yes we have previously discussed about digital content being yanked because of a judicial action. So he gets a replacement or refund in those instances. Old news move on.
But I was responding to the comment about:
You guys that keep harping about tangible versus virtual benefits forget about the applied worth of someone here that thinks he is buying content, that beside getting a refund if it isn't available anymore, has absolutely no value to his inheritors of his property.
So is Digital really the future if it worthless to the next party?
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