Consumers prefer gross for Day of the Dead packaging
First Look offers two designs for DVD box
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 4/29/2008
APRIL 29 | Although several retailers were grossed out by the zombie-puking-eyeballs design of Day of the Dead, consumers widely embraced First Look Studios’ packaging.
First Look's original vomiting packaging (l.) was a winner with consumers over its tamer box art.
Anticipating controversy, First Look offered stores a choice of either the shock option or a tamer packaging alternative for the April 8 straight-to-DVD release.
But on shelves, the vomiting zombie look, enhanced with 3D lenticular graphics, far outsold its safer counterpart, featuring flat art of floating zombie heads. On Day of the Dead’s street date, First Look sold through 40% of its initial shipment of the puking zombie copies and just 10% of the tamer DVDs.
“There was a lot of negativity, where people looked at the three-dimensional vomiting zombie and asked, ‘What, are you crazy?’” said Dean Wilson, First Look chief operating officer. “But the fact is that the horror market is saturated, and we needed to make a change. This sell-off was exciting for me, because we stood our ground and went with something outrageous.”
Going forward, First Look will present many of its horror flicks in similarly gross-out designs. Shark in Venice, produced by Nu Image Films, is one such Day of the Dead-styled follow-up, streeting on DVD in February. First Look also promises to provide retailers with a more subdued package choice with each horror title.
“We will look for anything that will grab attention to make titles stand out on shelves,” said Wilson. “But the retailers will always come first, and we will do what we have to do to make them happy.”
Wilson also promises to find some wall room for his own Day of the Dead poster.
“The actors signed it—a poster of a zombie vomiting body parts,” said Wilson. “I like it a lot better since the movie has been a success.”
Starring Mena Suvari, Day of the Dead is a new spin on the 1985 George A. Romero horror flick by the same name. First Look declined to provide sales figures. But sources indicate the title sold about 35,000 copies, combining both packaging options, during its first few weeks on shelves.
