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BERLIN — German exhibs are claiming victory after 20th Century Fox gave in to demands to postpone the DVD release of "Eragon" on March 19, just three months after its theatrical release rather than the traditional six months.

Cinestar, Cinemaxx, UCI, Cineplex and Kinopolis followed through on threats not to carry Fox films in multiplexes over the weekend, resulting in huge box office drops for "Night at the Museum," which plunged 75% in revenue, and "John Tucker Must Die," which slumped 72% and fell from fourth to 13th in the charts.

Fox has patched things up with exhibs, agreeing to maintain the six-month window for DVD releases. As a result, "Night at the Museum" and "Eragon" are due back in major theaters this week.

Exhibs had also threatened to knock "Rocky Balboa" off their lineups unless Fox agreed to their demands. The Feb. 8 release of Sylvester Stallone's pic now looks set to go ahead unhindered.

For local exhibs, the victory is a return to the status quo after a push in recent years by major distribs to narrow the window between theatrical and DVD releases.