Wal Mart sells <i>Brokeback</i> DVDs amidst protest
News
-Staff
By Staff
Thursday,
April
06,
2006
Los
Angeles
(Reuters):
Wal-Mart
Stores
Inc,
the
world's
largest
retailer,
went
ahead
with
plans
this
week
to
sell
DVD
copies
of
the
gay-themed
film
Brokeback
Mountain
despite
protests
from
a
Christian
advocacy
group.
The
American
Family
Association,
which
called
for
a
boycott
against
Ford
Motor
Co,
for
advertising
in
gay
publications,
recently
began
pressing
Wal-Mart
to
refuse
to
carry
the
award-winning
movie
in
its
3,700-plus
US
stores.
The
Tupelo,
Mississippi-based
group
accused
Wal-Mart
of
abandoning
its
''family-friendly''
corporate
image
by
selling
the
film,
about
two
cowboys
who
carry
on
a
homosexual
love
affair.
Movie
posters
for
the
film,
featuring
stars
Heath
Ledger
and
Jake
Gyllenhaal,
have
been
displayed
prominently
in
Wal-Mart
storefronts
to
promote
the
DVD
release.
In
a
notice
on
its
Web
site,
the
group
urged
''concerned
Christians
to
let
their
local
Wal-Mart
managers
know
how
they
feel
and
that
they
are
not
pleased
over
the
chain's
decision
to
promote
and
carry
the
pro-homosexual
movie.''
A
Wal-Mart
spokesman,
Gail
Lavielle,
denied
the
retail
giant
was
advocating
any
social
agenda.
''The
only
thing
we
take
into
consideration
when
we
decide
to
sell
something
is
whether
we
think
there's
demand
among
our
customers,''
Lavielle
told
Reuters.
''We're
a
retailer.
We
want
to
sell
things
our
customers
will
buy.''
The
film,
which
earned
three
Oscars,
sold
a
hefty
1.4
million
DVD
copies
its
first
day
in
all
retail
stores
on
Monday,
according
to
Universal
Studios
Home
Entertainment,
part
of
the
media
division
of
General
Electric
Co.
Brokeback
already
has
grossed
roughly
160
million
dollars
at
the
box
office
worldwide,
including
about
83
million
dollars
domestically,
which
is
not
a
blockbuster
by
Hollywood
standards.
''It
wasn't
even
a
blockbuster
movie,
so
if
Wal-Mart
isn't
trying
to
push
an
agenda,
why
would
they
put
it
at
the
front
door?''
American
Family
Association
executive
Randy
Sharp
told
the
Los
Angeles
Times.
The
film
is
not
the
first
media
product
to
put
the
group
at
odds
with
Wal-Mart.
According
to
the
Times,
the
association
led
a
campaign
in
2003
pressing
Wal-Mart
to
stop
stocking
magazines
they
considered
indecent.
As
a
result
Wal-Mart
halted
sales
of
some
men's
magazines
and
placed
plastic
shields
over
others.
The
American
Family
Association
boasts
a
membership
of
3
million.
It
launched
a
boycott
against
Ford
last
month,
accusing
it
of
reneging
on
a
pledge
to
drop
its
ads
for
luxury
brands
Jaguar
and
Land
Rover
from
gay
publications.
Wal-Mart
is
one
of
America's
largest
sellers
of
DVDs.
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Streep
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