Growing faster than home VCRs, cable, computers

DVDs open new box of surprises for film fans

By Lauren Hunter Showbiz Today Reports

"Forrest Gump" on DVD will include commentary by director Robert Zemeckis and two never-before-seen sequences

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Like the proverbial box of chocolates, when the multiple Oscar-winning film "Forrest Gump" DVD hits store shelves this week it will contain some unexpected surprises.

Included in the film's special two-disc collector's edition is a commentary by director Robert Zemeckis and two never-before-seen sequences. In one, Forrest meets the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In the other, he plays Ping- Pong with the then-U.S. ambassador to China, George Bush.

Why the extra scenes? Consider it a bonus for DVD purchasers -- an enticement that's become increasingly common, and a useful tool in selling the movies to the average fan.

"We know from the research ... that some of the most memorable scenes for the moviegoer were scenes where Forrest met real-life figures," says Michael Arkin, senior vice president of marketing for "Gump" distributor Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment. "So to be able to provide movie-lovers today with two new sequences where he meets two world figures is a big plus, and we think consumers are going to love it."

Customers certainly love DVD. Last year people spent $3.4 billion purchasing the discs, and $573 million on DVD rentals, about half of what's spent on videocassettes. That's expected to increase this year in the United States as the number of homes utilizing DVD technology grows to 25 percent.

"Gladiator" was 2000's top DVD seller with 3 1/2 million sold

In terms of audience penetration, it's the fastest growing media technology in history, having reached its current level faster than VCRs, cable or home computers did when they were introduced.

'Fantastic' technology

"Gladiator" was last year's top DVD film title, with 3 1/2 million units sold. The movie's producer, Doug Wick, calls DVD technology "fantastic."

"DVDs are another way to interest audiences, get them more excited about movies, give them more information, get them excited about the choices you make, about what scenes you put in and what scenes you don't," he says.

"Twister" (1996) was the first film available on what then was the DVD format. Released in 1997 in the new technology, it sold only a few thousand copies, in large part because there were so few DVD players. In contrast, when "Cast Away" in DVD hit video stores in June, it sold 1.1 million copies in its first 48 hours on the market.

DVD is now a major prong in studios' marketing plans. This summer's blockbuster, "Pearl Harbor," debuted in theaters in May; the DVD version, available in December, will feature nearly 13 hours of extra material, much of it planned well before the theatrical release.

Barbra Streisand is set to sing for an upcoming collector's edition of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

"We work with filmmakers right from the beginning of film production now to make sure that a DVD is moving along with film production so that the bonus features can be as good as they can be," says Bob Chapek, president of Disney Home Entertainment, which will distribute the "Pearl Harbor" DVD.

Adding life

That's one reason Barbra Streisand was recruited to sing for the studio's upcoming collector's edition of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," first released in 1937. "We have to appeal to the broad audience, not just to the cinephiles who like the behind-the-scenes director commentary alone," Chapek says. "So we have to recognize that and market to that."

DVDs' interactivity has even found its way to video stores, as consumers can view trailers, read reviews or scan a film's production information while browsing for their night's entertainment. After all, customers know a good thing when they see it.

They are lining up to see it, too, says Anthony Deen, vice president for retain development at the Hollywood Virgin Megastore, where a system allows consumers to view 200,000 CDs or 10,000 DVDs and preview them in the store.

"On the weekends it is crazy. ... People are forming queues and standing in line to use the system," he says.

For director Francis Ford Coppola, creativity is at the heart of consumer interest. It's more than the latest technology.

"Art is not something like business that you just put 'A' plus 'B' and 'C' and get what you want," says the director of "The Godfather" (1972) and "Apocalypse Now" (1979). "Creativity is just putting things together that aren't normally associated with each other, and people watch (a film) 25 or 30 years later because it has life."

Many of Coppola's films have stood the test of time, but that doesn't mean he isn't a fan of the new technology. "The Godfather DVD Collection" will be released this fall, with almost 3 1/2 hours of extras. Even for viewers who can recite the Oscar-winning classic line by line, a DVD version may represent a technology they just can't refuse.