Roll Out the Magic Carpet

What would early October be without the home video release of some Disney animated blockbuster? As usual, that movie is threatening to break the sales record of some other Disney feature-length cartoon.

Video retailers and discount chains are gearing up for the home video event of the year: the debut next week of Disney’s animated romantic adventure “Aladdin,” which grossed more than $216 million in theaters.

“Aladdin” is poised to obliterate the record of the all-time sales champ--none other than Disney’s own “Beauty and the Beast,” which has shipped more than 20 million units. Though Disney is shying away from projections, some industry executives are predicting “Aladdin” will top 30 million.

The latest animated blockbuster has next week all to itself. No other video company is silly enough to release a major title at a time when it would get so little attention.

Though the retail price of “Aladdin” is listed at $25, only lazy shoppers will shell out that much. Less than $20 is the norm but some grocery and discount stores, using the tape as a loss leader, will offer it below $15.

The official release date is next Friday, but if you wait that long you may be the last one on your block to own “Aladdin.” Start checking video outlets on Tuesday. Disney home-video executive Steve Feldstein said that’s the first day stores have access to the tape and some will sell it right away.

The Disney marketing tornado, including promotional tie-ins with Colgate and Pizza Hut, will hit full force next week. As Feldstein quipped: “If you don’t get hit by some of the advertising or publicity saying that ‘Aladdin’ is out on video, then you live in a cave.”

Usually the annual Disney animated cartoon release is for “a limited time only”--generally until early the following year--spurring retailers to stock up on copies. But Feldstein said the date for pulling “Aladdin” off the market hasn’t been set yet.

Meanwhile, an animated Disney feature will dominate the laser-disc market beginning next week--but it won’t be “Aladdin.” On Wednesday, “Beauty and the Beast” finally debuts on disc, about a year after its video release, at $30, or for $50, a widescreen edition that features extras. Feldstein said that “Aladdin” definitely won’t be on laser this year but probably will be available next year.

Videobits

The biggest “secret” in the industry is that Warner will put out “Free Willy,” which has grossed about $70 million, in mid-November at $25.

With the Christmas season about to begin, the release of those special-edition video packages is around the corner. One of the best is CBS-Fox’s digitally restored and remastered “The African Queen,” the 1951 adventure starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, due Oct. 27. The $60 package features Hepburn’s book, “The Making of the African Queen.” The tape without extras sells for $15.

Next year GoodTimes will start putting out videos of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” one of the most popular TV series ever. The company, which has acquired all 158 episodes, will market three half-hour episodes per tape at a price that hasn’t yet been set.

What’s New on Video

Among the some new releases:

“Married to It” (HBO, $93). The contrived interaction of three Manhattan couples made up of woefully stereotypical characters generates sappy lessons in relationships and commitment. A predictable, corny comedy/drama that wastes a fine cast--including Mary Stuart Masterson, Ron Silver, Beau Bridges and Cybill Shepherd.

“Indian Summer” (Touchstone, $96). In the umpteenth “Big Chill” rip-off, some thirtyish chums stumbling into middle age reunite after 20 years at a summer camp to chase their lost youth and do some soul-searching. There are some amusingly quirky moments, but it’s a mostly uninspired handling of an overdone theme. The talented cast includes Elizabeth Perkins, Diane Lane, Bill Paxton and Vincent Spano.

“Fire in the Sky” (Paramount, no set price). In Arizona in 1975, a logger (D.B. Sweeney) claims he was abducted by aliens and held for five days. Truth or hoax? Who cares? What matters is that this tale, based on a true story, is well-acted, absorbing and often chilling.

“National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon I” (New Line, no set price). In the scatter-gun style of the “Naked Gun” series, this spoof of “Lethal Weapon” movies, with Emilio Estevez and Samuel L. Jackson in the starring roles, offers a barrage of lowbrow humor, with many of the dumb jokes right on target.

“Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice” (Paramount, no set price). Sequel, featuring no stars, to the grisly tale about homicidal brats who spring from the cornfield in a Nebraska town to murder the grown-ups. It’s OK if you can stomach lots of gross-out gore.

“Army of Darkness” (MCA/Universal, no set price). A clerk (Bruce Campbell) is whisked back to the Middle Ages, where he’s attacked by some imaginative villains. Crude humor, cheesy special effects and loony tone add up to a surprisingly effective third chapter, directed by Sam Raimi, of the “Evil Dead” series.

“Concert for Bangladesh” (Paramount, 1972, no set price). After Woodstock, the second most famous rock concert, with an impressive lineup including Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden. But the home-video debut wasn’t worth the wait. Muddy-looking, poorly shot (we’ve been spoiled by MTV) and offering little memorable music and not much information about the Bangladesh crisis, it comes across as an ego trip rather than as a benefit concert.

Upcoming on Video

“Jack the Bear” and “The Night We Never Met” (Oct. 6); “Indecent Proposal” (Oct. 13); “Three of Hearts,” “The Sandlot,” “Cop and a Half” and “A Far Off Place” (Oct. 20); “Dennis the Menace” (Oct. 26); “Posse,” “The Dark Half” and “Born Yesterday” (Oct. 27); “The Muppet Christmas Carol” (Nov. 5).