JAMES BOND FILMS SET FOR MORATORIUM

DAN ALAIMO

SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- MGM/UA Home Video will put its entire library of 16 James Bond movies on moratorium after a major sales effort concludes on April 20, said George Feltenstein, senior vice president and general manager.

The spy-adventure titles will stay off the market for an undetermined length of time, although they could be re-issued when a new James Bond movie is released theatrically late next year, said Feltenstein. MGM/UA Home Video is a division of MGM/ UA Home Entertainment.

"We feel that it is very important for a product to be rested, and the Bond movies have been out there a long time," he said.

Until the April 20 pre-order date, MGM/UA will offer distributors and retailers special discounts on the 16 titles, all of which are rated PG, he said. In the promotion, there will be no suggested retail price because of the discounts. The movies had been priced at $19.98. They will be offered in 24- and 48-piece merchandisers, said Feltenstein.

"We decided to go out with a bang and have this big sale. This way, video dealers and supermarkets can buy the product at a very low price and have a field day with the Bond pictures. Then they are going to be gone for quite a long time," he said.

"Supermarkets can really bring the price on these movies down to a tier that will be very attractive to their customers. Bond films are definitely an impulse type of purchase. I believe that a slew of Bond movies displayed by the checkouts will flow as freely as some of the biggest Disney Classics," said Feltenstein.

The James Bond series "is absolutely one of the most powerful franchises in the MGM/UA library. It is the most successful film series of all time," he said.

Except for Disney, which regularly puts its animated features on moratorium, the practice is rarely used by major programming suppliers. Turner Home Entertainment is now bringing back "The Flintstones" cartoon library after a two-year break from the market. MGM/UA has put "Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz" on moratorium in the past, said Feltenstein, but both were off the market for a matter of months. The company hasn't decided when it will bring the Bond titles back, he added. "We honestly haven't made up our mind."