Amazon In A Tiff With Disney, Halts Some Movie Pre-Orders Like Captain America, Guardians, and Maleficent
It's said that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, but if you tick off Amazon, you'll feel its unpleasant wrath, as well. Just ask Disney. As the two industry behemoths feud over contract terms, Amazon has resorted to stopping pre-orders for upcoming Disney titles on DVD and Blu-ray, including popular flicks like Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians, and Maleficent.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, this is the same tactic Amazon used in a four-month long dispute with Hachette Book Group over e-book pricing. Amazon threw its weight around by halting pre-orders for physical copies of Hachette's books, while also lengthening ship times and reducing discounts for other titles.
Amazon is position to bully its partners when it sees fit, though rarely do the tiffs become public. In this case, Amazon is feeling the heat from investors who are unhappy with the e-commerce giant's performance in the second quarter. The company posted a disappointing $126 million loss even though it bumped up revenue by 23 percent.
Halting pre-orders isn't a new tactic for Amazon, even in the movie space. Earlier this year, Amazon did the exact same thing to Warner Bros. before reaching a deal with parent company Time Warner Inc.
Disney can still lean on stores like Walmart and Best Buy to sell pre-order copies of its upcoming flicks, but when it comes to online sales, none are as big as Amazon.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, this is the same tactic Amazon used in a four-month long dispute with Hachette Book Group over e-book pricing. Amazon threw its weight around by halting pre-orders for physical copies of Hachette's books, while also lengthening ship times and reducing discounts for other titles.
Amazon is position to bully its partners when it sees fit, though rarely do the tiffs become public. In this case, Amazon is feeling the heat from investors who are unhappy with the e-commerce giant's performance in the second quarter. The company posted a disappointing $126 million loss even though it bumped up revenue by 23 percent.
Halting pre-orders isn't a new tactic for Amazon, even in the movie space. Earlier this year, Amazon did the exact same thing to Warner Bros. before reaching a deal with parent company Time Warner Inc.
Disney can still lean on stores like Walmart and Best Buy to sell pre-order copies of its upcoming flicks, but when it comes to online sales, none are as big as Amazon.
