BERLIN, Jan 25: Leading German cinema chains said on Thursday that they had pulled three Hollywood movies from their line-ups in protest against their early release on DVD. Fantasy film ‘Eragon’, the Ben Stiller vehicle ‘Night at the Museum’ and the romantic comedy ‘John Tucker Must Die’ -- all from Twentieth Century Fox -- have been replaced with other pictures at the Cinemaxx and Cinestar chains.

The crux of the row is the planned release of ‘Eragon’ and ‘Night at the Museum’ by Fox Home Entertainment on DVD in Germany in March, only three months after their cinematic release there.

A Cinemaxx spokesman said the plans violated a ‘gentleman's agreement’ in which films were generally only released on DVD six months after they hit movie theatres.

The spokesman said the cinemas and Twentieth Century Fox were in talks on a compromise. “We assume that we will reach an agreement,” he said. —AFP