Moratorium (entertainment)
Encyclopedia
A moratorium in the home entertainment business refers to the practice of suspending the sales of DVD
movies or DVD boxed sets after a certain period of time. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment practices moratorium more than any other production company, often with releases of classic animated movies
in the Disney catalogue.
Disney is not the only studio that puts movies on moratorium. Universal Pictures
used this practice with the release of the Back to the Future
DVD boxed set, and George Lucas
used this practice with the Star Wars
DVD boxed set. However, the moratorium was lifted on Back to the Future
for a 20th anniversary edition of the boxed set and on Star Wars, once Star Wars Episode III
was released to theatres. Disney itself states that moratorium is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children.
The practice of moratorium has been frowned upon by consumers because it forces higher sale prices. A normal DVD that is sold under moratorium can sell at retail for a very high price relative to the general run of DVDs. However, prices are known to drop near the end of the issue. In the past, a moratorium created urgency for people interested in a film to obtain it before it became unavailable. A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of films, once they are placed on moratorium, become collector's items. Additional unintended side-effects to the practice of moratorium has made films a prime target for on-line video-sharing site distribution and the proliferation of counterfeit DVD
manufacturing.
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
movies or DVD boxed sets after a certain period of time. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment practices moratorium more than any other production company, often with releases of classic animated movies
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
in the Disney catalogue.
Disney is not the only studio that puts movies on moratorium. Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
used this practice with the release of the Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
DVD boxed set, and George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
used this practice with the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
DVD boxed set. However, the moratorium was lifted on Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
for a 20th anniversary edition of the boxed set and on Star Wars, once Star Wars Episode III
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
was released to theatres. Disney itself states that moratorium is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children.
The practice of moratorium has been frowned upon by consumers because it forces higher sale prices. A normal DVD that is sold under moratorium can sell at retail for a very high price relative to the general run of DVDs. However, prices are known to drop near the end of the issue. In the past, a moratorium created urgency for people interested in a film to obtain it before it became unavailable. A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of films, once they are placed on moratorium, become collector's items. Additional unintended side-effects to the practice of moratorium has made films a prime target for on-line video-sharing site distribution and the proliferation of counterfeit DVD
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
manufacturing.