Sticking to the formula that made ID4 topple box office records, Fox has promised to promote the alien-invasion film from here to Pluto. The studio hopes to sell 25 million copies of the tape at $25 each. So far, Independence Day has grossed more than $280 million (and counting) in the United States.
Family films have traditionally dominated the retail video market, but that might change this year. ID4's chief competition at Christmastime will be from Mission: Impossible and Twister along with The Nutty Professor, Multiplicity and Eraser. This group will compete against kids' flicks, including Muppet Treasure Island, Oliver & Company, James and the Giant Peach--and Toy Story, which could displace The Lion King as the all-time sales champ.
Traditionally, video sales have been a small chunk of the industry's $16 billion annual business. But it's growing: Sales have doubled since 1991. Last year, while rentals dropped off about 4 percent from the previous year, sales rose 13 percent. Media analyst Paul Kagan Associates predicts sales of 580 million videocassettes this year.
The holiday video release season, which usually begins October 1, will kick off early this year, when The Beatles Anthology--an eight-cassette collection--hits store shelves Thursday.