We seem to be moving into a new period in this industry, where the major Hollywood studios are looking past physical media so much that their actual Blu-ray and DVD releases seem to be almost an afterthought. The problem is that there are more than 112 million households in this country with HDTVs, and fully half of those (over 60 million) now have a Blu-ray-capable playback device according to the DEG. Damn near every single one has at least one DVD player and likely multiple players. Point is, the consumer base for Blu-ray and DVD has never been larger and is only continuing to grow. So when the Hollywood studios start giving those consumers reasons not to buy physical media, they’re only killing their own business. And nothing will make enthusiastic Blu-ray consumers stop buying Blu-rays faster than charging full price for discs that don’t deliver value.
With Star Trek Into Darkness – of all the titles to skimp on in terms of extras! Star Trek fans are notoriously picky in demanding top quality, value and significant bonus content in their Blu-ray and DVD releases. I simply believe that loyal Blu-ray consumers deserve better than being charged $30 for a Blu-ray (and by the way, Paramount’s originally listed SRP on their press release for Star Trek Into Darkness was $49.99 for the Blu-ray 3D Combo pack and $39.99 for the regular Blu-ray, though you can at least get them for $24 and $19 on Amazon) and then taking half of the extras produced for the title and making them retailer exclusives. Seriously, director’s commentary only on the iTunes download and not on the Blu-ray? Really? Ugh.
Anyway, on to other release news…
Warner has officially announced an Argo: Extended Edition for release on Blu-ray on 12/3 (SRP $49.99). The new cut will include 9 minutes of additional footage “that delves deeper into CIA specialist Tony Mendez’s personal relationships with his wife and son.” The box set will also deliver three new special features – Argo Declassified, Ben Affleck’s Balancing Act and Argo F*ck Yourself. This is in addition to all the features created for the previous Blu-ray release that will carry over. The box set will also include an Argo one-sheet poster (not for the Affleck film but for the fictional film from the story), a map of Tehran, a reproduction of Tony Mendez’s CIA ID card and a 40-page book. Here’s a look at the open packaging…
Look at all that content for just $34.99 on Amazon, on what's now essentially a catalog title! Yes, it's a double-dip, but at least there's real value here. Meanwhile...
20th Century Fox has just announced Glee: The Complete Fourth Season for Blu-ray and DVD release on 10/1, followed by the Blu-ray 3D release of Jumper on 10/15.
Gaiam Vivendi and Sonar Entertainment have set the cyber-terrorism thriller Delete for Blu-ray and DVD release on 9/10. The film stars Seth Green and Gil Bellows.
And finally, Shout! and Scream Factory have just announced plans to release new Blu-ray and DVD editions of Kevin Tenney’s Witchboard and Night of the Demons in early 2014. Demons will be a full-on Collector’s Edition release. More as it comes in and you can see the original post on Facebook here.
Here’s a look at the Blu-ray cover art for Fox’s Glee: Season Four and Jumper 3D, along with Warner’s Argo: Extended Edition…
Stay tuned...
- Bill Hunt