Genius Products Inc. (GNPR)

[fredman]

Wal-Mart, Target sell Zack and Miri sans ‘porno’
Family-friendly packaging offered to larger retailers

Wal-Mart and Target are using family-friendly packaging for The Weinstein Co. and Genius Products’ Feb. 3 release Zack and Miri Make a Porno, with DVD and Blu-ray Disc boxes at those retailers using the title minus the naughty reference.

The artwork for the more conservatively packaged Zack and Miri edition and the version stamped with the film’s original title, as sold at Best Buy and Amazon.com, among others, is exactly the same. The only real difference is the absence of the word “porno” on the copies offered at Wal-Mart and Target.

Wal-Mart chose to sell the stripped down Zack and Miri edition when given the option by the film’s distributor, said chain spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien. Producer TWC is selling the title through Genius.

“We have taken the other titled DVD the studio decided to offer as an alternative for some of the larger retailers,” said O’Brien. “We do not edit the DVDs or CDs we sell, but when a studio or label offers variances, we will provide what we know to be the best assortment for our customers.”

Target and Genius did not respond to requests for comment at deadline.

This is not the first time TWC has had to clean up its act for Zack and Miri. TV stations and newspapers around the country also rejected theatrical ads with the full title.

Director Kevin Smith also had a long fight with the Motion Picture Assn. of America to avoid an NC-17 rating for the film. Zack and Miri eventually scored an R rating.

Victoria Ahearn of The Canadian Press quotes Smith as saying that TWC complied with Wal-Mart’s request in creating the edited DVD cover. But Smith said he worries that the move could backfire. “Some Wal-Mart-er could buy it and think: ‘Oh, Zack and Miri, looks lovely,’ and pop it in and there’s … some pretty graphic stuff … I mean, at least with the word ‘porno’ in the title, you can kind of give people a warning about what they’re in for.”

Source: http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6634179.html