Warner Bros, looking to boost its stagnant DVD sales, announced the release on DVD of Tales of a Black Freighter and Under the Hood on March 10, 2009 just five days away from the release of Watchmen in theaters.

The adaptation of Watchmen was made after a extremely popular graphic novel about a group of retired superheroes and the big-budget picture si already in production at this point.

The plan is to offer a DVD with Tales of a Black Freighter, which is based on one of Watchmen’s side storylines, as soon as possible once the main story will be released in theatres. Under the Hood will present a documentary-style feel and will give fans information about the characters’ back-stories.

Warner Brothers, part of Time Warner, the Number 1 distributor on DVDs, decided on this strategy as a response to its poor DVD sales, which fell 3.2 percent to $15.9 billion in 2007, as part of its first ever annual drop.

“There is a fear that if the DVD category declines over time that any well-run retailer is going to re-evaluate its commitment,” said Ron Sanders, the president of Warner Home Video, according to the New York Times. “We are offering retailers a meaningful opportunity to be involved with the theatrical event, to have a product that will generate foot traffic and sales,” he added.

The idea was rapidly embraced by retailers who are looking forward to the results of the strategy.