The latest incarnation of Superman will try entering Chinese homes from today as the official DVDs hit the shelves of over 8,000 audio and video outlets nationwide.

 

Warner Brothers hopes to surprise and suppress the pirates and score another first in the Chinese audio/video industry by choosing China for the world premiere release of Superman Returns on DVD, two months earlier than in the US.

 

It has already made history by becoming the first US home video company to distribute its DVD/VCDs in China through its joint venture with China Audio Video, which holds 51 percent of the company.

 

"This is one of the latest anti-piracy initiatives CAV Warner is taking together with the government," Tony Vaughan, managing director of the joint venture - CAV Warner Home Entertainment said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

 

The main reasons for DVD/VCD piracy in China are that the legitimate copies are too expensive and released too late. However, Superman Returns was released on July 11 in China and raked in 31.7 million yuan at the box office in the first week.

 

 

In addition to the world premiere release, the DVDs will be sold at relatively affordable prices, at 28 yuan for the presale version with a documentary of on-location shooting, 22 yuan for the silver version and a mere 14 yuan for the simple pack.

 

For its release, CAV Warner has expanded its distribution network from the previous 5,000 for the simple pack to around 8,000, thus turning outlets selling pirated copies into official vendors.

 

Vaughan said that the Chinese Government's "100 day campaign against piracy" allowed DVDs of Superman Returns to scale new heights in China.

 

Official Superman Returns DVDs can be regarded as the latest move to support the on-going campaign against piracy, he said.

 

The 100-day intensive crackdown on piracy, which began on July 15, has mobilized staff from 10 ministries and national departments, including the Ministry of Public Security, the State Administration of Press and Publication, the National Copyright Administration and the Ministry of Culture.

 

Vaughan added that the company has been cooperating with the government to fight with piracy ever since its establishment early last year.

 

(China Daily September 28, 2006)