The idea that one movie could transform a technology from niche to mainstream may seem extreme.
Yet that is what Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios home entertainment, is suggesting will be the effect of the yet-to-be released new thriller starring Angelina Jolie.
The studio executive believes the film’s highly visual nature could be the trigger to mass sales of Blu-ray devices.
James McAvoy plays an average guy who’s recruited by Jolie to become a contract assassin.
Kornblau told Variety Magazine he thought Wanted, which is released in US cinemas on Friday, could do for HD disks what The Matrix did for the standard-def DVD.
The Matrix, a sci-fi action hit starring Reeves, was an immediate success on DVD, particularly in the sell-through category.
Previously, most DVD owners were satisfied with renting movies.
“What The Matrix did for DVD, this could do for Blu-ray,” said Kornblau.
Variety reported that an audience at an LA Film Festival screening of Wanted applauded the action scenes half-a-dozen times, a reaction unseen since the premiere of The Matrix.
Kornblau, who was attending the festival, did not say when the movie would be available on Blu-ray.
But the studio could be preparing to coincide the release with the much speculated introduction of Blu-ray players priced at under US $200.
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