Disney vs. Netflix & Redbox over 'John Carter'

The Cricket by Sean P. Means

Published: June 20, 2012 7:54 am
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

For a movie nobody saw, "John Carter" is stirring up quite a fight in the movie industry.

The latest, according to this story from Time.com, is that Disney is battling Netflix and Redbox over DVD distribution of the mega-budget flop (which was filmed partly in Utah).

Disney has instituted a 28-day embargo against Netflix and Redbox, refusing to sell the DVD rental services copies of "John Carter" until the title has been on the market for 28 days. This is meant to give Disney a month to sell the DVD to consumers, which is where the studio's real profit comes in, before making it available for rental.

Redbox and Netflix have responded by just buying their own copies of "John Carter" at their nearest retailer, and renting out the copies.

Several studios have formal 28-day agreements with Redbox and Netflix, but Disney is doing this one on its own. Time writes that Disney will probably sign such a deal soon.

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