Displaying items by tag: Breaking News

We’ve got some more good catalog 4K news to report for you today, folks...

Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are officially announcing the 4K Ultra HD Steelbook release of Ron Howard’s beloved fantasy adventure Willow (1988) this morning!

And here’s the official word, straight from the studio...

GEORGE LUCAS AND RON HOWARD’S TIMELESS TALE ARRIVES ON 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY DISC FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

Watch The Oscar-Nominated* Adventure Arriving on December 10th

BURBANK, CA (November 12, 2024) – Fans will enjoy the iconic fantasy epic, Willow, from legendary filmmakers, George Lucas and Ron Howard, when it arrives on December 10th in a breathtaking collectible 4K UHD Blu-ray SteelBook. The film will also be available to buy on digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home.

Nominated for two Oscars, the 1988 timeless classic follows a young farmer, Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), who is chosen to undertake a perilous journey to protect a special baby from an evil queen.

*Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing and Best Effects, Visual Effects. [Read on here...]

Here’s a big one, folks! We’ve got more great Disney 4K Ultra HD news to report for you today.

Remember how we’ve been saying that Disney (since their distribution deal with Sony) is going to be expanding their physical 4K UHD releases? Well, today we bring you breaking news of more Disney+ original series coming to 4K Ultra HD! And these are some major titles!

Here’s the studio’s official press release (be sure to read to the very end for some additional comments of our own)...

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K ULTRA HD!
THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 3, AHSOKA SEASON 1, HAWKEYE SEASON 1 AND LOKI SEASON 2

NEW COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS FROM LUCASFILM AND MARVEL STUDIOS, WITH STEELBOOK PACKAGING, EXCLUSIVE ART, NEW BONUS FEATURES, AND COLLECTOR CARDS ARRIVE ON DECEMBER 3

BURBANK, CA. (October 24, 2024) – The Walt Disney Company has revealed that four all-new collector’s editions of popular Disney+ Original series from Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios will be available on 4K UHD on December 3. The special must-have releases feature sleek SteelBook packaging, exclusive concept art cards and never-before-seen bonus content, making them an absolute must-have for fans to add to their collection.

The titles, all to be released on December 3, 2024, are:

• Star Wars: The Mandalorian – The Complete Third Season
• Star Wars: Ahsoka – The Complete First Season
• Marvel Studios’ Hawkeye – The Complete First Season
• Marvel Studios’ Loki – The Complete Second Season

All four titles will be available to pre-order from October 31, 2024.

Like the previous Lucasfilm and Marvel Studios Collector’s Editions released earlier this year (Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Andor Season 1, Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Season 1 and Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight Season 1), each of these new releases will be available nationally on 4K UHD SteelBook with brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka and collectible concept art card. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great news to report for you today folks...

20th Century Studios is officially announcing the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Wes Ball’s highly-successful sequel film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) today!

And here’s the official word, straight from the studio...

THE SUMMER EPIC HIT, KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, REIGN CONTINUES

Be The First To Watch at Home When 20th Century Studios’ Impressive Action-Adventure Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Becomes Available to Buy at Digital Retailers on July 9 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 27

The 4K Ultra HD Package Contains Over 3 Hours of Content
Plus An Alternate Cut of the Movie

BURBANK, CA (June 20, 2024) – The fate of the world is at stake when 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes arrives to digital retailers (Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home) on July 9 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on August 27. Director Wes Ball’s stunning new entry into the Planet of the Apes series has been heralded by critics as “a jaw-dropping spectacle” (Matt Neglia, Next Big Picture) and “a visual masterpiece” (Mark Hughes, Forbes). It is Certified-Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has thrilled audiences worldwide, becoming one of the biggest global box office successes of the year and marking the beginning of a new era for the epic Planet of the Apes franchise.

Set generations after Caesar’s reign in a world where apes are the dominant species, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows an ape named Noa and a human named Mae as they emerge to define the future of how apes and humans will coexist.

Fans can delve deeper into the franchise on 4K UHD editions with Inside the Lens: The Raw Cut, a full-length alternative cut with a split-screen comparison between the final cut of the film and a version with unfinished VFX with optional audio commentary by director Wes Ball, editor Dan Zimmerman and VFX supervisor Erik Winquist. The never-before-seen alternate cut gives fans a unique opportunity to see the actors’ performances before the visual effects were completed. [Read on here...]

All right, we’ve been talking a lot about Disney over the last couple of weeks here at The Digital Bits.

So it’s only fitting that we’re back early this morning here at the site to bring you some great breaking 4K Ultra HD news from the studio.

And for those of you eagerly awaiting the studio’s next wave of Disney+ streaming titles, I think you’ll agree that you simply couldn’t ask for a better selection of titles than the ones they’re announcing this morning!

You’ll find the studio’s complete official press release below, along with expanded-packaging images of each of the Steelbooks in question.

Then I’ll be back at the end of this post (below the break) with some additional comments of my own...

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD AND BLU-RAY!

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER SEASON 1, MOON KNIGHT SEASON 1,
ANDOR SEASON 1 & OBI-WAN KENOBI

BURBANK, CA. (MARCH 5, 2024) – The Walt Disney Company today announced four new Collector’s Editions of popular Disney+ Original series from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm will be available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray for fans to add to their collections. These special releases feature Steelbook packaging, concept art cards and some never-before-seen bonus features.

The titles, all to be released on April 30, 2024 are:

• Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season
• Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight: The Complete First Season
• Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi – The Complete Series
• Star Wars: Andor – The Complete First Season

All titles will be available to pre-order from March 12, 2024.

Like the previous Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm Collectors Editions released last year, each of these new releases will be available nationally on 4K UHD and Blu-ray Steelbook with brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka and collectible concept art cards. [Read on here...]

Regarding the Disney/Sony physical media news that we broke this morning on The Digital Bits (link here), we’ve learned the following additional information from our industry sources:

• Once again, we’ve confirmed that Disney is indeed in the process of transitioning to a licensed physical media distribution model via an agreement with Sony Entertainment.

• As part of this deal, Sony will market, sell, and distribute new Disney releases plus catalog titles on physical media (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, etc.) to consumers through retailers and distributors in the U.S. and Canada.

• This shift is consistent with other strategies that Disney is working to implement company-wide, as exemplified by the company’s recent transitions in other markets.

• Per usual, Disney regularly evaluates their approach to the physical media market as the home entertainment business and industry at large continue to rapidly evolve alongside consumer behavior.

This update is continued below the break... [Read on here...]

There are some significant developments happening within the home video industry of late, developments that I’ve been spending a lot of time investigating and really digging into these past few weeks here at The Digital Bits.

And I can now confidently report that one of them is this:

Disney and Sony have just inked a major deal for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to take over all of Disney’s physical media production going forward.

This means that Sony will handle and oversee the actual authoring and compression of discs, that they’ll work with the replicators and packaging vendors, and that they’ll oversee the titles as they go out to the distributors and on to retailers.

I first received word of this deal about two weeks ago, apparently within twenty-four hours of the ink drying, and I’ve now confirmed it with multiple independent sources within the industry—people that I trust and have known and worked with for many years.

This deal makes sense for Disney for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that Sony is far more efficient and cost effective at producing their discs, whereas Disney’s physical media operation has been subject to no small amount of internal/organizational turmoil recently. [Read on here...]

This is no joke, folks! We’ve got more great Disney 4K Ultra HD news to report for you today.

And no, it’s not the long-awaited James Cameron titles, but have faith—those are definitely still coming (and should be announced in the next few months). But in its way, this news is just as good.

Remember how we said that Disney might be turning a corner with their physical 4K UHD releases? Well, today we bring you breaking news of the company’s first Disney+ original series coming to Blu-ray and 4K! And these are some major titles!

Here’s the studio’s official press release (be sure to read to the very end for some additional comments of our own)...

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD AND BLU-RAY!
LOKI SEASON 1, WANDAVISION, AND THE MANDALORIAN SEASONS 1 AND 2

NEW COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS FROM MARVEL STUDIOS AND LUCASFILM WITH STEELBOOK PACKAGING, EXCLUSIVE ART AND NEW BONUS FEATURES

BURBANK, CA (August 21, 2023) – The Walt Disney Company today announced a number of popular series from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm will be available on Collector’s Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray for fans to add to their movie collections, featuring Steelbook packaging, concept art cards and some never-before-seen bonus features.

The titles and dates announced are:

• Marvel Studios’ Loki: The Complete First Season – September 26, 2023
• Marvel Studios’ WandaVision: The Complete Series – November 28, 2023
• Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season – December 12, 2023
• Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season – December 12, 2023

All four titles will be available to pre-order from August 28.

Each title will be available nationally on Blu-ray Steelbook with cohesive and collectible brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka and collectible concept art cards. [Read on here...]

We’ve got some great news to report for you today folks: As we first reported here at The Bits last month, 20th Century Studios is officially announcing the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Dan Trachtenberg’s Hulu original film Prey (2022) today! And here’s the official word, straight from the studio...

FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD, BLU-RAY AND DVD, ADD THE 6-TIME EMMY NOMINATED PREY TO YOUR MOVIE COLLECTION

The Newest Entry in the Popular Predator Franchise, Prey Arrives on October 3 With Over 2 Hours of Bonus Content

BURBANK, CA (August 14, 2023) – The chilling prequel to the critically-acclaimed Predator films, 20th Century Studios’ Prey, arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 3. As part of a special artist line, a collector’s edition 4K SteelBook, designed by popular digital artist Attila Szarka, will also be available exclusively at Best Buy.

Nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie, the science-fiction film welcomes new viewers into the Predator story while entertaining long-time fans of the celebrated franchise. All formats include a full-length Comanche audio track and never-before-seen bonus content.

Film Synopsis

The epic Predator legacy continues with this action-thriller set in 1719 on the Great Plains with a band of Comanches. When Naru, a fierce and highly skilled young warrior, sets out to protect her people, the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator—leading to a vicious and terrifying showdown. [Read on here...]

History’s Greatest Hero Returns! Harrison Ford reprises his role as the legendary archaeologist when Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Arrives on Digital August 29

BURBANK, CA (August 14, 2023) – From Academy Award–nominated writer-director James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line) comes the final chapter in the saga of one of cinema’s greatest heroes. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sees Harrison Ford reprise his iconic role as the whip-smart archaeologist one last time for a “rip-roaring adventure” (Maureen Lenker, Entertainment Weekly) full of “exciting action, wonderful banter and fantastic twists and turns” (Germain Lussier, io9).

The film will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu on August 29, with never-before-seen bonus content including five chapters that chart the making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Join the cast and crew on an epic, globe-trotting adventure showcasing new characters, stunts, music, locations, production design, and visual effects.

Film Synopsis

Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for this highly anticipated final installment of the iconic franchise—a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure. Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther), Thomas Kretschmann (Das Boot), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), Olivier Richters (Black Widow), Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange) and newcomer Ethann Isidore. [Read on here...]