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Topic: Studios Fight Blockbuster for Millions in Unpaid Fees

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Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi

Posts: 215

Registered: Apr 2004

posted 02-23-2011 11:44 PM

Studios Fight Blockbuster for Millions in Unpaid Fees

Source: hollywoodreporter.com

quote:
Studios are lining up to get what they can from bankrupt Blockbuster.

On Wednesday, Universal Pictures joined 20th Century Fox and Summit Entertainment in submitting a claim for millions of dollars in unpaid fees.

In Universal's case, the DVD-rental chain owes the studio $6.4 million, according to a filing, and it is at risk for an additional $7 million due soon.

Universal seeks immediate payment or asks that Blockbuster return the DVDs it hasn't paid for.

Summit says Blockbuster owes it $9.5 million and Fox says it's owed $7 million, though not for another few months.

Blockbuster is struggling for its life as it tries to keep its doors open long enough to find a buyer for the company.

Blockbuster already has a $290 million bid from a group of investors, but it is hoping for something more. The existing bid calls for Blockbuster to shut down another 609 of its estimated 3,300 stores.

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

Posts: 1121
From: El Paso, TX
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 02-24-2011 02:41 AM

Poor, poor blockbuster.

Its time to shut the doors.

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 02-26-2011 09:33 AM

If I bought stuff and didnt pay for it, I'd be under the jail.

Looks like the vultures are circling the dead Blockbuster carcass on the ground.

The Blockbuster near my theatre looks closed most of the time now. They had a good long run, but now....

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John Lasher
Master Film Handler

Posts: 493
From: Newark, DE
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 02-26-2011 11:26 PM

Brick & mortar video rental stores are obsolete. Even when I started working at Hollywood, I remember thinking, "This is a job that could be done by a machine." guess what...

I was right.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 02-27-2011 01:50 AM

I'm curious how Redbox works. Obviously there is a guy who runs around and changes the stock for all the machines (one guy does all the machines in the USA, obviously). What happens when stupid people are trying to use it while he's there changing stock? There's always a line of stupid, slow and indecisive people hanging at pretty much any Redbox at almost any time. Some people simply run up to it on their way to work or something to return a movie and don't have time to wait around for the slow as molasses line AND Redbox guy. What if it mechanically breaks down and people can't return their movies and get charged up the corn hole?

Unless you are only a casual renter, then Redbox sucks compared to Netflix. The Redbox has a great price, though.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-27-2011 03:59 AM

quote:

Universal seeks immediate payment or asks that Blockbuster return the DVDs it hasn't paid for.

Yah, like they are going to be able to recoup 6.4 million dollars by getting back physical DVDs that no one would pay more than a couple of bucks for, if even that, if they are even saleable at all. Blockbuster should ship back a couple of dump truck loads of DVDs to Universal corporate offices and dump them on the front lawn.

quote:
Brick & mortar video rental stores are obsolete -- and I was right.

....as are mechanical metal boxes painted red, doleing out physical discs that have to be returned and which have to be changed on a weekly basis by a fleet of gas guzzling trucks and a horde of salaried laborors. Streaming is the future, not those stupid boxes....and guess what...I am right!

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Bruce Hansen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 847
From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-27-2011 01:57 PM

Streaming quality sucks.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 02-27-2011 03:43 PM

True, Bruce, but remember: Nobody cares about quality anymore. If you can make out Justin Bieber's face on your iPhone, well that's good enough!

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John Wilson
Film God

Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-27-2011 05:37 PM

quote: John Lasher
Brick & mortar video rental stores are obsolete

Major chains are, yes...but there's a spot here for independent DVD stores to do rather well once the chains are gone. Maybe not forever, but long enough to see some real profits for their businesses.

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 02-27-2011 10:48 PM

quote:
....as are mechanical metal boxes painted red, doleing out physical discs that have to be returned and which have to be changed on a weekly basis by a fleet of gas guzzling trucks and a horde of salaried laborors. Streaming is the future, not those stupid boxes....and guess what...I am right!

Your not right Frank, the Blockbuster and Redbox machines will be around for awhile still. The poor family with 5 kids can't afford your Streaming content nor do they probably have a device that can do it. They go to the Redbox and Blockbuster machines because they can all see a movie for under 5 bucks.

As far as how they are loaded, the company that my mother works for does the loading and unloading of the Phoenix area Blockbuster machines. There arn't fleets of gas guzzling trucks and not a horde of salaried laborors. For all the machines in the Valley. Which there are over a 100, there are about 6 people that service them each week, making sure that there are plenty of movies for the people that "Arn't" using them to select from.

Joe - Any movie rented from either Redbox or Blockbuster machines can be returned to any machine in the country. It doesn't have to be at the same one you rented it from. Considering there is a machine at every gas station and grocery store I don't think its a problem to make sure its returned.

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 02-27-2011 11:42 PM

quote: Kurt Zupin
The poor family with 5 kids can't afford your Streaming content nor do they probably have a device that can do it.

Although netflix doesn't advertise focus on it anymore, the devices they support include a computer (assuming it's running either OSX or windows). And around here, even fairly poor people have computers that would be able to do netflix streaming.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 02-28-2011 12:30 AM

And at their entry level subscription, Netflix allows as many streaming films as you can watch and without the hatchet hanging over one's head to return it next day or the price goes up.

Streaming suck, but depending on who you are. I have a household where a room full of teens play Netflix films streaming thru a little Roku box to an old 27in CRT TV and they love it just fine....they don't seem to mind the big blocks of unresolved color shading that dance around in dark scenes or the occasional pixilation or even the occasional stuttering, not to mention the other common video artifax -- stuff that drives me out of the room. Thing is, they are perfectly fine with it. In fact, they have to have a curfew and a per week limit put on them or they would be watching day and night.

But sucky, for sure, but it's cheap, and it's getting better and it's the way movies will be reaching a huge growing market. Netflix has a campaign to move people toward it and being happy with it. If it doesn't kill the brick and mortar (and mechanical red vending machines), it certainly will give them stiff competition.

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Tom Petrov
Five Guys Lover

Posts: 1121
From: El Paso, TX
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 02-28-2011 01:49 AM

quote: John Wilson
Major chains are, yes...but there's a spot here for independent DVD stores to do rather well once the chains are gone

I kind of agree but I don't think rental is the way to go. There will always be people who want to see hard to find titles. We have a store in the GTA called "The Beat Goes On" which sells second hand titles.

I just picked up Burn After Reading, LA Confidential, 9.5 Weeks, and Fast and the Furious for $2.99 each. They are in perfect quality. I also got the Criterion 400 blows for $8.

There is no point in renting older stuff at prices this cheap.

For new releases, there will always be Redbox and the machines.

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Kurt Zupin
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 989
From: Maricopa, Arizona
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 02-28-2011 04:16 AM

I agree with both of you about Netflix. I have it, have had it for almost ten years now. I don't need a lesson in how to use Netflix what Netflix is. I'm sorry Chris but the family that has a home computer isn't going to crowd around their computer monitor with a bowl of popcorn to watch a movie. I don't disagree that streaming is the way of the future. I love Netflix streaming, but to say that the Rental Boxes are going to be dead in a year or two is just plain uninformed.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 02-28-2011 09:13 AM

More and more devices allow Netflix streaming to be "enjoyed" on the TV. My PS3 has it. The Wii has it. I think the Xbox 360 has it. Most new Blu-ray players have it built-in. Hell, I think even some TVs have it. I have streamed a bunch of movies from Netflix, but I have never streamed it to my computer. I think you need a lesson on how to use Netflix. [Wink]

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