How many times have you been queuing at the supermarket checkout and been tempted by those tactically placed DVDs? Sure, you've never had any inclination to watch The Duchess before but it's right there, go on... just hide it under the Old El Paso Tortilla kit...Well, with that in mind, the news that Tesco are to branch into straight-to-DVD film production should come as no surprise, especially given that short of arms dealing they've tried everything else. The fact that their adverts also feature more British thespians than your average Harry Potter film means they're not short of industry contacts either.
The plan is for Tesco to produce straight-to-DVD movies based on the books of popular authors, with an adaption of Jackie Collins' 'Paris Connections' being the first film to step up to the plate. Whether it'll be encased in a blue and white cover with the word 'economy' on the front is still to be seen.
We think this is a smart move by the supermarket giant who will have no shortage of marketing power behind them, and given most straight-to-DVD films end up in a box by the vegetable aisle anyway it makes sense to cut out the middle man. It will be a joint venture with Amber entertainment which will make the most of Tesco's growing power as a literary and movie retailer, naturally all films produced will be sold exclusively at Tesco.
Currently there are adaptations of the work of Jacqueline Wilson, Dick Francis and Phillip Pullman in the pipeline. Following the failure of Pullman's The Golden Compass in cinemas (produced by Amber entertainment's own Ilen Maisel) what are the chances of a low budget version of the scrapped sequel, The Subtle Knife? Slim, we hope.
What do you think of Tesco getting into the movie business? Let us know.
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