It used to be that “Direct to DVD” releases were restricted to films with titles like, The Night of the Living Dead: The Musical! or The Land Before Time 27. No more. Many movie studios are concentrating more on direct-to-DVD products, because many of them can make more money than their traditional theatrical releases. For instance, American Pie Presents: Beta House, a DVD release from Universal Studios, will likely rake in $30 million just in sales. Rentals and distribution rights could make millions more. Because the film only cost $10 million to create (including probably $6.25 in screenwriting costs), Universal stands to make a tidy profit. Compare that to Universal’s Evan Almighty, which took in a whopping $173 million worldwide—but cost a staggering $175 million to make. (New York Times)
