Big screen to small in record speed

You can imagine my surprise when I opened my New Releases email from Redbox this week and saw Zero Dark Thirty at the top of the list.

Is this the same Zero Dark Thirty that didn't even get a wide release until 2013?

Yes indeed. In fact, its wide release was January 11th. Its DVD/BluRay release was March 19th.

That's two months and eight days.

My my. Or, Maya Maya.

I remember first registering my shock three years ago over the quick release of another best picture nominee, Up in the Air. That release at least took 76 days.

ZDT got to home video in only 67 days. I said two months and eight days, but one of those months is the shortest of the year.

I suppose what made it extra shocking is that Redbox usually has to wait an additional 28 days before new releases are available. Not in this case, apparently.

On the one hand, I should not be so shocked. Once the Oscars have passed, people kind of forget about the previous year's movies, so teasing out their release dates has little to no value. Plus, we're also living in a time when many movies, even ones with prominent actors or directors, premiere on VOD on the same day as their theatrical release. Sometimes even before their release.

But 67 days for a best picture nominee and one of the most critically acclaimed films of last year? I still needed to register my shock, even if it's not all that shocking.

Of course, I saw it on video back on December 30th, via a screener borrowed from a friend.

That's big screen to small screen in -13 days, which would definitely be a record.