James Delahunty
23 Feb 2010 16:10
Due to a dispute over the DVD release plans of Tim Burton's new Alice in Wonderland movie, Odeon movie theaters in the UK, Ireland and Italy will not screen the film. Walt Disney Pictures has decided to release the movie on DVD only 12 weeks after it is shown in theaters, instead of the usual 17 weeks.
Odean theaters in Germany, Austria, Spain and Portugal will show Alice in Wonderland however, as there is a longer gap between theatrical and DVD release in those countries. The company said it is worried that Disney's decision to reduce the gap to 12 weeks will "inevitably set a new benchmark" making the 12 week gap more common.
Other cinema chains in Britain have also cried foul about the 12 week gap to the DVD release, but so far no others have chosen to boycott the movie in the region. Odeon said that it had invested "considerable sums of money" in digital projection equipment to display 3D movies and a shorter window to screen films undermines that investment.
The Cineworld chain announced last week that it reached a "satisfactory compromise" with Disney and so would be screening the movie in 150 of its screens in Britain.