As you can tell from article about Blockbuster filing for bankruptcy protection, things aren’t going so well for the video store industry. People are getting movies either right in their homes via Video on Demand (VOD) or just by downloading. According to the LA Times:

“Although there are no industrywide charts for digital downloads, Apple reported in December that the most popular movies of the year on iTunes were, in order, “The Hurt Locker,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Iron Man 2” and “Zombieland,” according to CNET News.”

See more on the LA Times.

File this under “just when you thought you’d heard of everything”…So to celebrate the release of New Moon on DVD in the UK…OK, usually we don’t try to editorialize too much around here…but seriously…I can’t help it…I’m just laughing too hard in a kind of freakishly punch drunk way…just read the press release and watch the clips…and if you value your computer monitor…PUT  DOWN ALL LIQUIDS…you have been warned.  It’s Pel writing blame me. This is officially the stupidest thing I have seen since the Renesmee womb and THAT is saying something.  Below is the press release from the UK distributor that last year ran this promotion.

To mark the DVD & Blu-ray release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, E1 Entertainment has held the ‘World Wolf Premiere’ of the DVD to the wolves of Longleat Safari Park.

The first ever ‘World Wolf Premiere’ has been hosted in Longleat Safari Park as wolves watched their counterparts in action on the big screen for the DVD & Blu-ray release of the phenomenally successful The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Monday 22nd March).

Film company E1 Entertainment previewed the vampire vs. werewolf sequel – starring Kristen Stewart, Brit star Robert Pattinson and US talent Taylor Lautner – on a 16sqm screen in one of the country’s only wolf enclosures, with the unique screening deemed a howling success by the pack of 13 Canadian wolves at the park in Wiltshire.

The film, which is HMV’s highest pre-order title of all time, has taken over
£27 million since its theatrical release in November 2009 and is set to become one of the biggest home entertainment releases of 2010 thanks to the loyal following of ‘Twi-hards’ – fans of both Stephenie Meyer’s series of novels and films released so far.
Ian Turner, Deputy Head Warden at Longleat commented, “We’ve certainly never had a request like this before, so we were very intrigued to find out how the wolves would react to seeing their counterparts on screen.  While they weren’t so interested in the romance – the scenes of the wolves certainly got their attention and prompted a series of howls as the film went on.”

E1 Entertainment Senior Product Manager Martin Gough added, “Whilst Twilight was all about the vampires, New Moon develops a new love interest for Bella and in doing so introduces a range of characters that are all werewolves.
Whilst we’re used to deafening screams for Robert Pattinson, it’s a nice change to hear howls of approval for the rest of the cast, including the screen wolves themselves.”

With more of the passion, action and suspense that made Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novels and the first movie smash hits, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a spellbinding follow-up to the international box office phenomenon, and is out to own on DVD & Blu-ray from Monday 22nd March.”

Last night Alphie and Pel had a blast hosting New Moon DVD release parties in Borders in New York City and the Nashville area. So here are the questions:

1.  Did you go to a DVD release event (even if it wasn’t ours)?

2. Where was your event held and how was it?

3. What version of the DVD did you end up buying and what do you think?

4. Any special features that stand out?