OSCARS MAY FUEL MORE DVD SALES.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

If the musical ``Moulin Rouge'' manages to earn multiple Academy Award nominations next week, it will be one of the few major Oscar contenders unable to translate the awards buzz into more box office dollars.

In the same spot are possible Oscar contenders ``Memento'' and ``Bridget Jones's Diary,'' which like ``Moulin Rouge'' have also completed their theatrical runs and are already out on home video.

But in the new and booming world of DVD, this may be only the beginning of a robust second life for these movies. Industry experts say that Oscar-nominated films already on store shelves can expect a substantial boost in consumer interest in the home video arena much like ``A Beautiful Mind'' has flourished at the box office ($104.5 million domestic gross to date) amid pre-Oscar hype and a plethora of critics' awards.

``Any sort of award recognition can always help boost a title's performance,'' said Blake Lugash, spokesman for Blockbuster Inc., the nation's largest video store chain. ``Most of the movies nominated are still out in the theaters, but when we have videos that have an Oscar buzz, you see an increase in interest from our customers.''

The home video release of ``Moulin Rouge'' came just before the film won several Golden Globe awards last month in the musical-comedy film categories including best picture, best actress (Nicole Kidman) and best director (Baz Luhrmann). A top rental at Blockbuster, ``Moulin Rouge'' is also currently the top-selling DVD on Amazon.com.

``Awards are more helpful for a smaller movie like 'Moulin Rouge' than for blockbusters like 'Shrek,''' said Scott Hettrick, editor of Video Business. ``Awards have brought awareness to a tiny movie like 'Life is Beautiful' and that has happened with 'Moulin Rouge.'''

Based on the critics and industry awards that have been announced already, Kidman and Luhrmann are favorites to get Oscar nods. This would likely heighten the video popularity of ``Moulin Rouge'' much like multiple Academy Awards kept white-heat momentum on sales and rentals of ``Gladiator,'' last year's Oscar winner for best picture and best actor (Russell Crowe).

``It was already a record-selling DVD but the academy recognition had to help sustain sales throughout the year,'' Hettrick said of ``Gladiator.''

Among this year's bunch, the critically acclaimed ``Memento'' is making more of an impression on home video, particularly in DVD sales, than it did during its low-profile theatrical run where it earned approximately $23 million domestically.

``Memento,'' a psychological drama starring Guy Pearce, has an outside shot at some Oscar nominations, particularly for director and screenwriter Christopher Nolan who was nominated for the Director's Guild of America award last week. The DGA awards are almost always an accurate indicator of the upcoming Academy Award nominations.

The popular ``Bridget Jones's Diary'' could extend its DVD shelf life with a best actress nomination for star Renee Zellweger. Although she was defeated by Kidman for the Golden Globe, it was Zellweger who made the final cut in the best actress race for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, which typically mirror the Oscar nominations. Kidman was not nominated for a SAG award, much to the surprise of the industry.

Studios traditionally pull out all the stops in promoting movies that have received nominations in an effort to mine even more box office gold. Unlike VHS rentals, they don't get a cut of DVD rental revenues at Blockbuster at a time when the chain is devoting an increasing amount of shelf space to DVDs.

Still, Hettrick said some video titles will benefit from studio efforts to secure Oscar nominations and the golden statuettes themselves.

``All of the promotion DreamWorks is doing right now for 'Shrek' is geared toward the Academy Awards, and there will be spillover benefits for DVD,'' he said.

Blockbuster will be doing some promotion of its own during Oscar season. Beginning Feb. 26, the chain will unveil special displays featuring films that have been nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe and other awards as well as Academy Award winning films from years' past.