Studios Launch Oscar Tie-ins

Though none of the best-picture nominees for the 75th Academy Awards—which will take place March 23 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles—can yet be found on video-store shelves, many studios are taking advantage of Oscar season by promoting past winners and nominees.

In the weeks leading up to the telecast, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will market its Fox Studio Classics line, which showcases past Oscar honorees. The series launched Jan. 14 with the release of All About Eve, Gentlemen's Agreement, and How Green Was My Valley. An Affair to Remember arrived Feb. 4, and The Day the Earth Stood Still streeted March 4. Each title lists for $9.98 on VHS and $19.98 on DVD.

Fox spokesman Steve Feldstein says, "There is certainly extreme interest in all things Oscar."

Fox, which is releasing Oscar favorites throughout the year, is targeting consumers through print, broadcast, and Internet advertising. Consumers who purchase three Studio Classics titles are eligible to receive a free copy of 1927's Sunrise through a special mail-in offer.

Warner Home Video's (WHV) Oscar-oriented campaign centers on two gift sets that were released March 4: The Epic Dramas Collection will feature recently remastered DVDs of Ben-Hur, Casablanca, and Gone With the Wind, and its Classic Musicals Collection includes An American in Paris, Gigi, and My Fair Lady. Each set will retail for $49.98.

WHV senior VP of catalog George Feltenstein says, "We are finding that younger people may not know about these older films, and our hope is that these will whet their appetite." Turner Classic Movies, which is airing Oscar-winning or -nominated movies daily throughout this month, will also feature advertising for WHV's Oscar favorites.

After the Oscar telecast, MGM Home Entertainment will debut a special-edition DVD collector's set of West Side Story ($39.98) April 1. MGM is also launching a print campaign that will tie in with 1-800-Flowers.

Retailers are enthusiastic about consumer interest for these catalog titles. Donna Beadle, spokeswoman for the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based Best Buy chain—which owns Suncoast, Sam Goody, and Media Play stores—says Suncoast is promoting a sale for Oscar honorees throughout this month.

The first major release of a multiple-Oscar nominee from this year's contenders is Far From Heaven (Universal Studios Home Video, $26.98), which will street April 1.