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IRON MAN STARTS THE BLOCKBUSTER SEASON
AND INBETWEENERS SETS NEW RECORD
ITV GETS RICHER
READY AND ABEL
THIS WEEK ON THE WEBSITE
AND ON TO FITNESS…
FROM MEN TO CHICKS
AVATAR: EXTRAS AT EXPO
ON THE INTERVIEW ROUNDABOUT
BATTLE RAGES ON
BLU-RAY IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
RELEASE OF THE WEEK – FUNNIEST FOOTBALL FOUL-UPS
AT THE MOVIES
TWEET OF THE WEEK
SITE OF THE WEEK
TRAILERS OF THE WEEK
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 It was a good week for… Well, the Q4 market started in earnest this week with the release of the likes of Iron Man 2 and The Inbetweeners… The latter passed a milestone mark for the franchise's sales too (see below)…
It was a bad week for… Well, the heavy discounting on IM2 has caused a ripple. "It doesn't augur well for Christmas," said one retailer… "It all starts on October 25," as a number of retailers had been saying to us in recent weeks. Many were waiting for this week to help kickstart the Q4 season and, with the arrival of Iron Man 2 from Paramount and the likes of 4DVD's The Inbetweeners, it certainly seemed to succeed in giving the trade the expected and welcome boost. Obviously, the former title was hit by the anticipated round of price cuts, which made some nervous beyond Paramount's release and for the rest of Q4. With some retailers, both in the grocery and online sectors, going below the £10 mark, many were speculating what price Toy Story 3, come November. As one wag commented, "what are we going to do with [the Pixar film], sellotape a fiver to the front?" Sales were, however, brisk for Iron Man 2. And from now on in, there are big, big titles due out every week… Meanwhile The Inbetweeners made a stunning bow as its third series (and a box set containing all three outings of the school sitcom) helped the franchise pass the 1 million mark for units sold so far. The series was the bestselling TV DVD of 2009 and could well be in line for the same accolade at the end of this year (although HBO is wheeling out the big guns of The Pacific in a bid to shoot it down in flames next week). The series has already broken records on transmission, pulling in E4's biggest audiences ever, for both the first episode and the series finale. The first two days' sales totalled some 55,000 plus, with the standalone series three slightly edging it in terms of the split (30,000 to around 25,000). The success comes on the back of 4DVD's strong showing for This Is England 86 (16,000 plus and counting). 4DVD's Karla Berry said: " We're especially pleased with the results of This is England '86 and The Inbetweeners Series 3 as the TV market is down seven per cent year on year, and these brands just prove that high quality TV shows can still achieve great results on DVD. We are really proud of the success of The Inbetweeners brand on DVD and early sales figures this week put the Series 3 DVD firmly on course to be this year's No.1 selling TV DVD." The Inbetweeners writers Iain Morris and Damon Beesley were also moved to comment, saying: "We'd like to thank all the fans of the show. It's incredibly flattering that so many people like the series enough to want to own it. We'd also like to thank everyone who borrowed the DVDs off friends and never gave them back, forcing the original friend to either have an awkward conversation, or just buy another copy." To London's Soho Hotel, where we seem to have spent an inordinate amount of time recently, for a sneak preview of the new Emmerdale DVD bubble, The Dingles For Richer, For Poorer. The screening saw cast and crew turning out, with the assorted Dingle clan giving interviews to the national newspapers and magazines (ranging from The Sun to The Raygun) for the November 15 release. The title is one of two big soap-related bubbles due from ITV Studios Home Entertainment, with a Coronation Street title joining the fray as part of the wider 50th anniversary celebrations for the Street. Back to Emmerdale and ITV is putting the finishing touches to its marketing campaign for the release. ITV's Kylie Featherstone said: "We have a comprehensive marketing campaign supporting this release, including TV and press advertising, utilising ITV.com, facebook and other social networks enabling us to build a strong dialogue with Emmerdale fans. We have extremely valuable mentions in the show complete with trails – all this is complemented by a high profile, talent-led PR campaign. Every Emmerdale viewer in the country will know about this release." As for the programme, we thoroughly enjoyed it, expect to read more on the website shortly.  We'll be doing a full report on what we saw at the London Film Festival on our website in the next week or so – please feel free to send us in your reports of films you saw or, in the case of distributors, the audience and critical reaction to your company's films that screened during the two week event (send to info@theraygun.co.uk). Also on our website this week – our weekly review of the week's press and magazine coverage, as well as, ahead of Halloween, a look at the enduring popularity of Dario Argento, an interview with stand-up John Bishop and the latest for our My Inspiration series (again, if anyone wants to contribute to this, please contact info@theraygun.co.uk). It's at www.theraygun.co.uk. So, there we are, talking about Q4 and the titles that are due to make an impact in the weeks ahead and, as is the nature of our business, thoughts are turning to the post-Christmas market already. Suppliers and distributors are starting to unveil their titles for the all-important fitness market. Latest among these is Revolver, which has inked a deal to release a title with Chantelle, the former Big Brother contestant who returned to the limelight this year with her appearance in Ultimate Big Brother, the final series of the reality show. Revolver is due to film its December 27 release Chantelle's Boot Camp Work Out this week and believes that, where the younger fitness market is concerned, it is on to a winner. The fact that the boot camp concept is popular with the fitness audience as well as the before and after feel (Chantelle lost 18lb and dropped a couple of dress sizes in one before appearing on Big Brother this summer), along with her popularity (she was third in the contest), adds up to what head of marketing Jon Sadler called a "powerful package". Sadler said: "Chantelle is very popular with younger women, there's that likeability factor and there's a weight loss story too."  Also on the fitness side here's a question for our readers: Which title has spent 29 weeks at number one in its genre chart out of 140 plus weeks on release, and yet its worst ever week's sales were in week one and its lowest monthly sales in month one? The answer is Acorn Media imprint Acacia's 10 Minute Blast Off Belly Fat. The title has now racked up sales of a hugely impressive 160,000, and its presenter Suzanne Bowen is returning on December 27 with a new release Belly Blitz. Referring to the first title's success, Acorn's Paul Holland said: "Its performance is proof if it were ever needed that all this week one, month one stuff isn’t a perfect science." As for Belly Blitz, well, as anyone who has seen us recently will concur, it's hardly like The Raygun has been performing this. But our fitness correspondents who know a thing or two about this kind of programme, tell us that it really does the trick. So maybe we should have a crack at it… Next week sees Uk acquisitions executives and others all heading to the West Coast for the AFM, the annual market at which they try and find a zombie/vampire/British gangster film that hasn't been picked up by a rival company. Ahead of that, here's an interesting acquistions story… It's taken some 30 years to get there, but Brit director Alex Cox has at last made a follow up to his breakthrough film Repo Man. The title, which helped Emilio Estevez make a name for himself, was an old theatrical and VHS hit (despite its poor sleeve); now, decades later, Cox has made Repo Chick, which while not strictly being a sequel, shares similar themes and the same punk rock attitude. The film has been signed for the UK by Scanbox, which is planning a January release for the title. Commercial director Steve Jackson said: "Building a relationship with the David Lynch production company has led to numerous acquisitions in recent years that have both strengthened the Scanbox label, and helped to raise our profile, and Repo Chick is the next one in line. We look forward to maintaining this relationship and delivering sought after, and collectable features to retail going forward." This weekend will see scores of kids, teens and adults who should know better filing into London's Excel centre of the London Expo, the bi-annual gathering of fans of sci-fi, fantasy, film, comic book, anime and all other manner of cult items. As previously stated here in the newsletter, distributors and suppliers from our industry will be on hand to show off their wares. As well as the likes of Manga and MVM on the Japanese animation side, Fox is also taking the opportunity to show off the hardcore devotees present a sneak preview of some of the new additional material that will be featured in the November 15 extended collector's edition Blu-ray release of Avatar. This will include a look at the bonus features, clips and deleted scenes. The Raygun will report on the event next week…  More on Arrow Video's impending Blu-ray (and welcome new DVD version) of Japanese classic Battle Royale. After our story last week announcing its strategy for the November 22 release , the company has revised its plans and upped the quantities for the limited edition title. Battle Royal will come in a limited edition of 5,000 DVD units and 10,000 for Blu-ray, a figure doubled for the latter after it received unprecedented advance orders. Arrow's Alex Agran said: "The Battle Royale Limited Edition was always going to be special, just how much demand for it, we couldn’t exactly forecast. When it came to the pre-orders, we were absolutely blown away. We have had a fantastic response across the board and we had to up our Limited Edition numbers from 5,000 to 10,000 units purely because of demand. We’re now in the very nice position of having to restrict how much stock goes to each retailer whilst ensuring that the number printed is low enough so that everyone who buys one, feels that they have their own unique limited edition numbered (with certificate) set." Agran added that, thanks to the two versions of the film and an additional disc of features and its packaging and booklets, it was not only the best release Arrow has ever done, but it was also shaping up to be a "thing of beauty". We'll end with an interesting article from America, where it appears as if the Blu-ray format is, at last, managing to make inroads taking it further into the mainstream, thanks in no small part to family Blu-rays. It's especially prescient given the barrage of family and children's titles due on the format in the coming weeks, not least Disney's activity, including Beauty And The Beast, A Christmas Carol and Toy Story 3. Find it at Variety's website here.  EVENTS OF THE WEEK
It's been a hectic couple of weeks for us at The Raygun, we've been to scores of films (there's a full LFF report coming up), and we've been at drinks receptions for the aforementioned Diego Luna and his directorial debut Abel. Last week we not only got to interview Paul Haggis, the man behind Crash and, now, Lionsgate's forthcoming The Next Three Days, but also to share a drink with him alongside assorted press and industry types at a special reception held by Lionsgate at Soho House. We also went to the BFI's own screening room to look at its new Central Office of Information release, complete with a new soundtrack by cutting edge electronic label Mordant Music (and it really is rather excellent). A full report next week from assorted London Zoo events… QUOTE OF THE WEEK "You remind me of these knock-off DVDs. At first glance you're quite convincing and afterwards, you're just impossible to follow." Lord Sugar on message for the video industry on The Apprentice this week… RELEASE OF THE WEEK Danny Dyer is, for the cognoscenti, video gold. His name alone guarantees instant sales, with the likes of City Rats being hugely successful propositions. After his debut own goals and gaffes-style release last year (65,000 plus units in Q4 in 2009), the Cockney returns to his spiritual home, Revolver, for Danny Dyer's Funniest Football Foul-Ups, featuring all new clips linked by Dyer (it was filmed, quite naturally, in a pub). Revolver will be TV advertising the title, with press to support it. As the company's head of marketing Jon Sadler said: "There's little else like it in the market this year, we've kind of cornered this area. Danny will be supporting the release with PR, which proved to be really successful last year." AT THE MOVIES If it ain't broke, don't fix it… Paranormal Activity 2's remarkable success was the box office story of the weekend, with Paramount in the UK keeping a similar tone to Icon's UK campaign for the original last year and, in the US, mirroring what it had already done to help the film to hugely impressive opening figures. The film bested the original's opening weekend in both the UK and US, the latter's $40 million plus made it the biggest horror debut ever, the figure of £3.76 million helping it to the number one slot. Also in the UK, Despicable Me still leads the charge of half-term friendly kids' films ahead of Warner's Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'hoole and Lionsgate's Alpha And Omega. Red (eOne) was the other new entry with £1.6 million. Fox is readying itself for the November 15 release of the new collector's editions of Avatar, but news is now breaking of James Cameron's plans for the sequel to the most successful film ever. Or rather, sequels. The director will make not one but two follow-ups to his tale of Pandora, production maybe starting towards the end of next year. Cameron has yet to decide if the films will be shot back to back, although the release dates are pencilled in for 2014 for the second Avatar film and late 2015 for the third. So that's at least another five or six years' worth of dominance then… Mere mention of anything Batman-related is currently sending the Internet into regular meltdown. This week's news from the production of Christopher Nolan's next take on the Gotham hero is that the film will be called The Dark Knight Rises. One rumour he has killed off is that the baddie won't be The Riddler, as many expected… Strangest story of the week is the one doing the rounds about the film based on Michael Jackson's Thriller. Hang on, you might think, hasn't that been done already? Directed by John Landis, 14 minutes long… No, this one is more based on the song, alumni from High School Musical and The Hangover are said to be attached, with the tale following the Vincent Price character from Jacko's groundbreaking song… Less so film, more television now, but we couldn't help noticing a case of life mirroring art this week, as Mad Men character Roger Sterling's autobiography – much discussed in the series currently airing on BBC4 ahead of its home entertainment bow next year courtesy of Lionsgate – is going to be published as an actual book in the real world. The book, Sterling's Gold, has featured in the series (last week when Don Draper discovered his tapes), but now publisher Grove/Atlantic ha made those thoughts flesh with a book due to be published in November. If you don't believe us, check it out here. SITE OF THE WEEK We flagged this a few weeks ago on the newsletter, but it's up and running now, it's from Icon to mark its release of The Collector: http://apps.facebook.com/collectorgame/ TWEET OF THE WEEK We've been reviewing pretty much every film we've seen at the LFF over the past week or two using our own unique marking system. Follow us on http://twitter.com/theraygun TRAILERS OF THE WEEK Icon has this for UK release, we can't wait… http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/rareexportsachristmastale/ Not entirely sure what's happening here, but it does look like fun…http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/summit/driveangry/ Basically, we cried in the trailer, so heaven knows what we'll be like when we see the whole thing…http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/rabbithole/ More laughs for parents everywhere: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/inhale/ If you're going to bleach your hair, sort out the moustache… http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/hemingwaysgardenofeden/ To subscribe to The Raygun newsletter, please email info@theraygun.co.uk
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