Ladies and gents, I have tremendous news for every film fan from here to Timbuktu. WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) has decided that they’re no longer going to shoot for theatrical releases for their film productions. Instead, they’ll focus on the direct-to-video market. From the Hollywood Reporter article:
The CEO (Linda McMahon) said she still feels WWE’s film strategy is “sound,” adding its first three theatrical releases were important to get a foot into Hollywood and expand the visibility of the firm’s brand beyond its traditional fan base.
See, they feel they have done exactly what they wanted to do. Box office success would have been nice, you know … but that’s really not what they were after. They really wanted a nice stake in that DVD market all along. After all, think of all the press they got from releasing turkeys:
“Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t see … The Marine.”
“See No Evil, see no movie.”
“The Condemned … we knew it’d suck.”
No such thing as bad press, eh? The fact is the WWE as a business is doing just fine with that whole wrestling thing and paltry box office returns aren’t going to bring them down. What I find odd is their expectations.
“Condemned,” starring “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, has grossed about $4.4 million since its release on Friday, which is “below our aspirations for the film,” she said. “We clearly were disappointed with the first weekend.” The film was distributed by Lionsgate.
You mean, you weren’t expecting a $4.4 million dollar return? Somebody’s been in a head-lock way too long. I’ve actually heard The Condemned is a fun, nasty little film. I guess I’ll check it out on video … with everyone else.
