Drawing on its library of classic movies and old television shows, Warner Bros has launched a made-to-order DVD service. The new service taps in on Warners' large archive of content, opening up its treasure vault to consumers.
The current Warner Archive currently includes 150 titles -- decided upon by consumer requests over the years -- but the studio plans to release 20 more every month. Upcoming television releases include "Maverick" and "77 Sunset Strip." Of the roughly 6,800 titles in Warner's archive, only 1,200 have been released to DVD before.
Movies such as "Possessed" with Clark Gable and Joan Crawford and "All Fall Down" starring Warren Beatty and Eva Marie Saint are printed on-demand, with cover art and a shrink-wrapped package, saving Warner Bros the risk of shipping unwanted titles, Variety reports. It's a clever move, born from the need for more revenue at a time when DVD sales are down. Reuters says the company saw a 7 percent drop in sales last year.
Each DVD costs $19.95 plus shipping and takes about five days to reach consumers after ordering. Windows Vista users will be able to download the movies as well. Obviously, Warner doesn't expect to sell its classics in the same volume as new releases, but that's probably what makes the idea possible. I wonder if Warner will eventually expand the concept to include existing DVDs that go out of print.
Speaking to Variety, Warner commended itself for being ahead of the pack, saying its on-demand effort is the largest to date from a major studio.
