Change is good
October 2, 2006

So much for online buzz. After the much-hyped Snakes On a Plane brought in a disappointing $33 million in theaters, New Line is reworking its marketing campaign for the DVD. “We are going to go out with a focused message that this is a great action thriller,” New Line executive VP of marketing Matt Lasorsa told VB. “There was so much theatrical awareness, but there might have been confusion as to whether this was a comedy or horror film or what.”

Snakes will writhe into stores on Jan. 2 (prebook Nov. 28; DVD $28.98) backed by a $4 million to $5 million spend in broadcast ads touting the action scenes, and the box will include a slip sleeve that has the feel of snake skin.

“Exit poll research shows that 67% of people who saw it in theaters said it was better than they expected,” Lasorsa said. “Box office was not where we had hoped it would be, but I think people will be predisposed to buy the title.”

Bonus features include commentaries from star Samuel L. Jackson and director David Ellis, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes documentary and a featurette about that not-so-helpful online buzz.

In the pit

Also getting a bit of a change for DVD is Sony’s Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which will race into stores on Dec. 12 (prebook Nov. 9) in the PG-13 theatrical version as well as an unrated and uncut version. Both are priced at $28.95, as is the theatrical version for the PlayStation Portable.

The studio is going all out for the DVDs, offering a trunk full of extras on the regular version plus even more on the unrated disc. The sprinkles on the vanilla version include deleted scenes, a gag reel, alternate lines not used in the film, interviews with Ricky and other characters, bonus race footage, the featurette “Will Ferrell Returns to Talladega” and a “25 Years Later” commentary—imaginative. For the unrated version, add more character interviews, montage and outtakes of Walker and Texas Ranger (Ricky’s kids, for those of you who haven’t seen the movie), more deleted scenes and 13 more minutes in the film itself. Hopefully, there’s not more footage of Will Ferrell naked.

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