Twentieth Century Fox Nordic has chosen not to release a stand-alone DVD copy of the title Prometheus in three Northern European markets - Sweden, Denmark and Finland, observes IHS Screen Digest. The film is still available on that format via two different Blu-ray Disc multi-disc packs; a three-disc 2D version with the film and bonus material on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and Digital Copy, and a four-disc collector's edition on Blu-ray Disc 3D as well as the standard 2D versions and bonus material on DVD, BD and DC. Fox is releasing Prometheus on stand-alone DVD outside of the three Nordic markets.

Fox Nordic has been releasing new movies in multi-disc BD packs with DVD and Digital Copy in the Nordic market since early 2012, under the marketing slogan 'En Film, Alla Format' ('One Film, All Formats'). However, Prometheus is the first time the studio has released a new blockbuster without a separate stand-alone DVD version. Indeed, it is the first time the studio has done so since the launch of the DVD format in the late 1990s.

In unconnected developments, in the US, Fox tested releasing Prometheus digitally three weeks before the physical release, as a premium priced UltraViolet download/stream (see separate story).

"The DVD format remains the backbone of the video industry, and the format continues to be the biggest source for distributor revenues in almost all world video markets," comments Screen Digest analyst Tony Gunnarsson. "Fox Nordic's experimentation with a BD-only release of Prometheus is therefore a little premature, though it will undoubtedly assist in promoting the BD format further in a region where it has, to-date, sold relatively well."

"Indeed, the use of this release strategy for such a title is not unreasonable - action and sci-fi blockbuster movies have proven to be particularly BD-friendly - not least because the film performed particularly well in Swedish cinemas, due in no small part to the Swedish lead actress," Gunnarsson continues.

The analyst reckons Fox's hope is that a substantial amount of consumers buying Prometheus on disc will opt for one of the two BD versions. "This will mean any resulting loss of sales from the lack of a stand-alone DVD version will be covered by consumers paying extra to get the DVD via a one of the two BD SKUs and lower distribution and manufacturing costs resulting from a lower number of SKUs."

Indeed, Nordic consumers are already accustomed to paying generally higher prices for physical video than the European average. As the film moves though the physical video promotional lifecycle, Gunnarsson believes additional manufacturing will need to take place to meet expected demand and the fact that a DVD-ready version of the film already exists would make the eventual release of a stand-alone DVD copy inevitable.

Story filed 11.10.12