Following its relatively disappointing performance at the box office, some Christian retailers are being cautious about the second "Narnia" movie as it releases on DVD in time for the Christmas season.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian goes on sale Dec. 2, with single-, two- and three-disc sets ranging in price from $29.99 to $39.99. The second screen adaptation of C.S. Lewis' classic children's fantasy series took in $140 million at the domestic box office following its May release, significantly less than theater receipts for the 2005 release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—which earned nearly $750 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run.

But Prince Caspian was one of the top 10 box office films of 2008, said Greg Bays, senior vice president of sales and marketing for EMI CMG Distribution, which is distributing the DVD to Christian stores. He believed there would be "very strong" anticipation for the DVD this holiday season.

"Retailers will benefit from the December release during the highest traffic time of the year as opposed to the spring release of the last installment in the series," he said. Promotions from pre-sales through Christmas were in place with all of the major Christian chains and marketing groups.

Bill Breyer, co-owner of Skia in Bentonville, Ark., winner of CBA's first Retail Innovator of the Year award in July, said there were "no big plans" for the film at his store. "We'll give it some in-store support-endcap placement, signage, a trailer on our TVs if we get one." But "we don't see it being a 'strong' item for Christmas."

Read the full report in the Oct. 13 issue of Christian Retailing.

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