According to various sources, Warner Brothers will release Inception on DVD as well as Blu-Ray sometime in the first three weeks of December, 2010, but an exact date has yet to be pinpointed. Although, the date that has been making the rounds is December 7th, 2010 (according to my sources).
This information has yet to be confirmed by the studio itself, but it seems extremely logical as it's right on-line with how Warner Brothers has released their biggest late Summer earners over past years to DVD.
For example, the studio released The Hangover to theaters on June 5th, 2009, and after earned over $277 million domestically at the box office, Warner Brothers released it to DVD/Blu-Ray on December 15th, 2009.
Warner Brothers also released Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on July 15th, of 2009, and then delivered it to audiences on the Video Market on December 8th, 2009.
In 2008, the studio's big earner was another Christopher Nolan directed film, The Dark Knight, which earned more than $533 million at the box office following its theatrical release on July 18th, 2008.
Warner Bros then released the then highest grossing movie of all-time to the Home Video Market on December 9th, 2008. Travel back another year, it's 2007, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was the studio's totem release of the summer.
They released that long-awaited film to theaters July 11th, 2007, and once again, it was up for purchase on December 11th, 2007.
As if that wasn't proof enough of Warner Brothers habit of releasing their big-budget hits of the summer to DVD during the early weeks of December, one could look even further back in 2006, and you'd find that Superman Returns debuted in summer and was further released on DVD on November 28th, 2006.
These dates speak for themselves, and it's quite evident that Warner Brothers has been using this release strategy for nearly half a decade, and quite successfully I might add.
This makes these "whispers" as to Inception's DVD Release date seem all the more logical, and could very well come into fruition.
The date that seems to be the consensus is December 7th of this year, though, it could be some other day in month. Though, again, this again unconfirmed. Inception is a special film, so it's plausible that Warner Brothers could have something more innovative in mind, but we'll have to see.
I fully predict that Inception will post exceptional DVD Sales numbers whenever it is released, even despite a dwindling Home Entertainment Market.
The percentage of purchases of Inception on Blu-Ray will likely be very high, as it is a film people will want to see in Hi-Def.
In fact, Inception could cause a substantial boost in the sale of Blu-Ray players, especially if it is released in December when retailers will likely significantly slash the prices on the devices.
Which could ultimately, bring a spurt of life to the Home Video Market, that is if it's executed correctly. It would certainly be warmly welcomed among both retailers, but especially every movie studio (who makes on most on the sale of a movie on DVD/Blu-Ray).
Either way, even with the diminishing DVD market, I firmly believe that Inception will be able to earn well over $100 million, and possibly $100's of millions worth of revenue from the sale of copies on DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital Downloads.While this might seem excess in the minds of some, here's something to remember. Nine out of ten times, when a news source lists the amount of copies a movie sells, or the amount of revenue it takes in, they're only listing figures from the United States and doesn't take into consideration the rest of the world.
Additionally, Inception isn't just some high-grossing movie that fizzled out at the box office. It's a movie that people love, and they're shelling out their hard earned money to see multiple times, not to mention paying a premium for the IMAX Experience.
Inception has already taken in more than $230 million at the box office domestically after just 3 1/2 weeks of release, and more than $480 million worldwide, which is a number that only continues to grow with each passing day.
This is a film that will become a very valuable asset in Warner Brothers vault, and does a lot for their image. I expect multiple releases in the coming years, including special editions, and Anniversary releases.
Long playability in coming years is key, and Inception has already been hailed by many as an instant classic. It's future looks bright.
