Hachiko straight to DVD

I just got word from shiba Dogster forums that Hachiko will not be coming to theaters on December 18th, but instead will be released on DVD in early 2010. I've been wondering why there hadn't been any publicity about this movie. I wasn't planning on watching it in theaters anyways, so from that standpoint, I'm not disappointed. I prefer watching movies at home with the comfort of my two dogs, who wait patiently for me to drop popcorn out of my uncoordinated hands.