Amazon has made preorders of some Disney movies unavailable on its website, possibly due to a contract dispute.
According to CNET, preorders of physical copies of “Muppets Most Wanted,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Million Dollar Arm” and “Maleficent” are currently unavailable with the online retailer. However, digital copies preorders are still available.
“It’s rare in physical retail to have contract disputes become so public. Most retailers just aren’t willing to hurt themselves by cutting off sales,” Sucharita Mulpuru, a Forrester Research analyst, said, Wall Street Journal reported. “Amazon has demonstrated that they’re not going to be one to blink in these negotiations.”
The giant online seller had done the same time of cutting preorder option for several Warner Home Video films, including “The Lego Movie,” “Transcendence” and “300: Rise of an Empire,” earlier this summer due to a contract conflict. Amazon did not confirm the action’s intention at the time, but it was possible the retailer wanted to apply pressure on Warner’s sales.
While Amazon did not publicly speak about its relationship with Warner, it has admitted certain books from publisher Hachette are unavailable on the website because of contract negotiations. The company did not further explain the dispute, but said it only used the strategy to gain more value for customers.
Photo Credit: Maleficent
