New Line Home Entertainment will release DVD and VHS versions of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” on May 25, much faster than the home-video debuts of the two previous films in the series. The 11-time Oscar winner will be available on VHS ($24.97) and as a two-disc DVD ($29.95). An extended version is expected in the fourth quarter.
In the last two years, both “LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “LOTR: The Two Towers” were released in August, with special editions following in November.
“We waited until August in the past because we put the preview for the next film on there,” says Matt Lasorsa, senior VP of marketing for New Line. “To incorporate that footage, we had to wait a longer period of time. Given that there is no new movie this year, we had the opportunity to get the video out earlier. This also allows us to capitalize on the Academy Awards.”
Lasorsa says the “LOTR: The Return of the King” DVD will include extras such as a National Geographic special and a six-minute “super trailer” featuring clips from the entire trilogy.
New Line is partnering with Duracell, Verizon, Air New Zealand and others for the DVD release.
