'Pinocchio' Set for Release
Home Video will release the recent theatrical movie, "The Adventures of Pinocchio," on Nov. 5 at a sell-through price of $19.98. Prebook is Oct. 15.
The title will be supported by a $10 million marketing campaign, cross-promotions with four companies, including Hormel, a special collectible cover and a 90-day pay-per-view window. Hormel is offering a $5 mail-in rebate with the purchase of the movie and five of its products, including Spam.
MGM/UA to Reprice Titles
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- MGM/UA Home Entertainment will release a number of fourth-quarter repriced titles. Among them will be "Fluke," a family title about a lost puppy. In clamshell packaging, the movie will be priced at $19.98, with a Nov. 5 release date and an Oct. 9 prebook date. It will be cross-promoted with Chuck E. Cheese restaurants.
Also on Nov. 5, MGM/UA will bring the "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" children's series back to video. Four individual tapes will be released at that time at a suggested retail of $12.95, but an eight-volume set will be offered for $99.92. Prebook is Oct.9. More individual tapes will be released during the first quarter of 1997.
The award-winning series is being promoted with a 30-minute infomercial, which is running now and will continue to run through the release date. "The infomercial proved to be a success for MGM/UA's James Bond video collection, for which we saw an impressive increase in retail sales," said Beth Bornhurst, vice president of market development. "We are continuing this marketing strategy with "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" so that we can capitalize on the enthusiasm for these highly anticipated titles."
Pro Football Video Distributed
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- Trident Entertainment's All Pro Sports Video Productions Inc., an independent entertainment production company, has signed a deal with Quality Video of Minneapolis to manufacture, market and distribute Trident's original 12-part home video, "All Pro Sports Football Series."
The series consists of 12 football videos featuring NFL highlights, game strategies, life stories and the training regimens of superstar NFL players. The first video will be distributed in October and each video will cost $14.95.
Sony Offers Racecar Videos
NEW YORK -- Sony Music Video is releasing two videos this month featuring driving superstars. "Jeff Gordon: Triumph Of A Dream," is a home video of driver Jeff Gordon and his wife, Brooke. The video, which runs 50 minutes and costs $12.98, is a "diary" of Gordon's championship season that culminated in his victorious 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Race at the age of 24.
"Legendary Tracks, Unforgettable Moments" is hosted by former NASCAR champion and TV analyst Benny Parsons. The video runs approximately 50 minutes and costs $12.98.
Sony Music Video's national marketing campaigns for the videos includes a cross-promotion with MBNA/NASCAR MasterCard. Both videos will include a NASCAR mini-catalog of Jeff Gordon merchandise. With any purchase from the catalog, consumers can receive a free color Jeff Gordon Collector Card worth $10 by mail.
Tom Sawyer Video Released
NEW YORK -- The Wishbone video line of PolyGram Video is releasing "A Tail in Twain" on Nov. 5, which re-enacts "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain." The one-hour video has a preorder date of October 18. Suggested retail price is $14.95.
