Exactly What is a Straight-to-Video Release?

Technically speaking, a straight-to-video or direct-to-video (DTV) movie is one that was never released in a movie theater in any way, shape, or form. But because rules were made to be bent, we’re going to do just that. The general rule of thumb for this site is this: if the majority of people don’t recognize the movie when they see it on the shelves of their local video store, it qualifies as a DTV release.

But for clarification purposes, here are some specific instances in which we’ll accept a movie as a straight-to-video release:

1. The movie was released in a limited number of theaters.

2. The movie was released in theaters for a very small amount of time.

3. The movie was first aired on cable television before hitting the video shelf.

4. The movie was first aired on network television before hitting the video shelf.

5. The movie is an independent film. (Click here to see our Independent Film Gallery.)

Please note that the Straight-to-Video Scoop staff has final say as to whether a movie is a straight-to-video release or not. Hey, we’ll bend the rules, but we won’t break ’em.

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