What’s That Stomping? Here Comes ‘Jurassic Park’

A video retailer joked that “Jurassic Park” should be subtitled “The Beast That Ate the September Rental Market.”

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What he meant was that with MCA/Universal releasing Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur adventure on home video Oct. 4 at $25, retailers’ September budget for new titles will be gobbled up by stocking up on that movie.

But that’s only part of the story.

The other part is Snow White.

Disney hasn’t announced it yet, but industry retailers and distributors are saying that the home-video release of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” is a sure thing--for late September. Naturally this animated cartoon will be chewing up its share of the retailers’ September budget too.

Between “Jurassic” and “Snow White,” there won’t be room left for much else in September. “Don’t look for a lot of other releases that month,” said John Thrasher, Tower Video’s president of purchasing and distribution. “How can retailers bring in other titles after they’ve spent their wad on ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Snow White’? “

But retailers may not have to worry about overlooking something. Thrasher figures other video companies won’t even bother to compete with those two colossal titles. “They may try to hold off on some releases until November or maybe rush them out in late August or early September.”

What does this mean for renters?

If you thrive on new movies, you’d better count on other forms of entertainment in September and much of October. But September is usually a slow month for new home-video releases anyway.

“There are so many other competing activities that month,” Thrasher said. “For instance, kids gearing up to go back to school, the new fall TV season, the beginning of the football season and the baseball pennant races.”

Videobits

With the baseball season opening Sunday, look for a flood of baseball movies to be freshly promoted and price-reduced. One of the early moves in this market is FoxVideo repricing last year’s “The Sandlot,” featuring Karen Allen and James Earl Jones, to $20 next Tuesday.

Buy your James Bond movies in the next few months or you may have trouble finding any. David Bishop, executive vice president of MGM/UA Home Entertainment, announced his company will cease shipments of the 16 movies on May 18. Though this marketing strategy is associated with Disney, MGM/UA has executed it successfully before with “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind.” “Demand for the title grows while it’s off the market and you can reintroduce it with a flourish at some later date,” Bishop explained.

What’s New on Film

“The Joy Luck Club” (Hollywood). A rare American movie focusing on the Asian American community. Based on Amy Tan’s 1989 best-seller, it’s about the strife-ridden relationship between four immigrant Chinese women and their Americanized daughters.

“M Butterfly” (Warner). Adapted from the hit play, it’s based on the true story of a meek French diplomat (Jeremy Irons) who has a 20-year romance with a Chinese actor (John Lone)--all the while believing the actor is a woman. It suffers badly in the translation to film, needing theatrical artifice to really work.

“Father Hood” (Hollywood). Patrick Swayze fans, beware. He’s totally wrong for the role of a tough ex-con suddenly forced to be the father to his son and daughter, who’ve been in a foster home.

“Dazed and Confused” (MCA/Universal). In the summer of 1976, on the last day of school, a group of teens meander, chatter, joke and smoke pot. No real plot, no stars, no artificial dramatics--but director Richard Linklater’s lazy, upbeat movie is strong on mood and naturalistic dialogue.

“The Thing Called Love” (Paramount). Getting some interest because it’s the late River Phoenix’s last movie. But Samantha Mathis has the leading role, playing a New Yorker intent on becoming a star country singer-songwriter in Nashville. Playing one of her suitors, neither Phoenix not the movie is very good.

Upcoming

“Fearless,” “The Age of Innocence,” “A Bronx Tale” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” (Wednesday); “Malice,” “Carlito’s Way” and “Cool Runnings” (April 13); “Mr. Jones,” “Flesh and Bone,” “Ruby in Paradise,” “The Saint of Fort Washington” and “Another Stakeout” (April 20); “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (April 26); “Ernest Rides Again” (April 27); “The Remains of the Day” and “A Perfect World” (May 4); “Addams Family Values,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Orlando” and “Into the West” (May 11); “The Piano” and “Rudy” (May 25); “Wayne’s World 2” (June 8).