WARNER BROS: NO MORE DIRECT-TO-DVD MOVIES

Given the fall-off of DVD/Blu-ray sales, it now no longer makes sense for a studio to produce movies that bypass a theatrical release and go directly to home video. At any rate, it no longer makes sense for Warner Bros. to do so, the studio indicated on Monday. As reported by Home Media magazine, Warner Bros. has shut down Warner Premiere, its direct-to-video unit, and will relocate its employees, including Warner Premiere chief Eva Davis, to other positions at the studio. In its report on the studio’s decision, Home Media observed, “With home entertainment shifting to rental, the market for packaged-media retail has waned.”