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NEWS ANALYSIS
While The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King received a whopping 11 Academy Awards and a May 25 release date last week (see story, this page), some in the video industry may note this Oscar season as the year Lost in Translation, which picked up an Oscar for best original screenplay (Sofia Coppola), brought DVD into the awards spotlight.
In what industry insiders are calling a first, the title came out on DVD Feb. 3 - hailed by a star-studded gala in Hollywood - a mere week after the nominations were announced and while the film was still in theaters. While industry observers question the effect on the theatrical take, Universal Studios Home Video president Craig Kornblau said the strategy didn't hurt either distribution avenue.
"After the Golden Globes, Universal made a conscious decision to go ahead [with the video release], opting for the road less traveled," Kornblau said. "We did more than $10 million dollars more at the box from the day the Golden Globes were announced to the day the Oscar nominations came out, and we also sold 1.5 million...