Oscar Gold Likely to Shine in DVD Sales

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

And when you leave message for your movie-loving friends, be sure to mention that today's last work in business is Oscar.

There may be a reason the statuette is made of gold. Winning an Academy Award can generate $10 to $50 million sales, according to some analysts. But increasingly, the big windfall is in DVD sales, not box office sales. In the past, movies nominated for an Oscar were available on DVD only after winners were announced.

This year, three of the five nominees for Best Picture were available on disc well before the awards ceremony. "Little Miss Sunshine" has been out since December - "Babel" came out last week. When "The Departed", last night's winner for Best Picture came out on DVD two weeks ago, consumers bought more than 3 million copies - no doubt going to buy a few more now.

And that's business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

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