NEW LINE TO RELEASE FAMILY-EDITED VERSIONS

DAN ALAIMO

LOS ANGELES -- Following years of requests by retailers in more conservative parts of the country, New Line Home Video here has decided to release five movies in versions that have been edited for family viewing.

The studio hopes to release the movies, all of which originally had a PG-13 rating and which will be released in a version suitable for television viewing, sometime in the first quarter of 2000, said Pam Kelley, vice president of sales at New Line. "We've had requests for this for a long, long time," she said. "We believe that this is product that could be very valuable in the marketplace."

Titles initially targeted for the program include movies like "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," "Dumb and Dumber," "The Mask" and the two "Mortal Kombat" films. The edited versions will sell at the same price as the originals, in many cases at $14.95.

"Supermarkets could be a very strong market for these titles. We expect it to appeal to all classes of trade," said Kelly.

One of the industry's most vocal advocates for releasing family-edited movies was pleased by New Line's decision, but restrained in his enthusiasm for the plan to release edited PG-13 movies. "I am excited to see them test the edited versions of movies and I am sure that they will sell," said Gregg Wright, president of Sound Vision, Orem, Utah, and a former racker of supermarket video departments.

"But if they could get more R-rated movies in an edited format into the selection they are releasing, I think they would have more success," Wright said. For example, he would like to see family-edited versions of titles like "Wag the Dog," "Air Force One," "The Rock," "Jerry Maguire" and "Ransom." "I think there is a bigger market for adult movies rather than children's, but we will see," he said.

"I would really question the value of going from PG-13 to PG," said Larry Hage, division supervisor/video buyer for C&K Markets, Brookings, Ore. "I don't know a lot of families are concerned about their kids screening PG-13 movies."

However, Hage said, "If it were a major box office hit that was edited for family viewing, I'd probably take a look at it, especially since we are not looking at putting much money into it. I would pick some up and come up with some method of promoting it. For instance with a sticker saying, 'Now available in a G rating."'