Meanwhile, while we’re awaiting the studio’s official press releases, Paramount has just listed a trio of long-anticipated new 4K titles for pre-order on Amazon as well: Tony Scott’s Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), and a new release... Antoine Fuqua’s Infinite (2021). All are expected to street on 5/17, and you can see the cover artwork below. Valance is being presented as a Paramount Presents title.
We can’t overlook Arrow Video, which also announced their May release slate, now set to include Girls Nite Out (Blu-ray – UK, US, and Canada – 5/17), The Scaremaker (Blu-ray – UK and US – 5/17), Candyman (4K Ultra HD – UK only, Scream has the US rights – 5/23), Enter the Void (Blu-ray – UK only – 5/30), Lux Æterna (Blu-ray – UK only – 5/30), One Armed Boxer (Blu-ray – US and Canada – 5/24), One Armed Boxer with original poster artwork (Blu-ray – US only – 5/24), and no less than THREE versions of John McNaughton’s Wild Things (1998) (Blu-ray – UK, US, and Canada; a Dual Format Blu-ray and 4K Steelbook Limited Edition – UK, US, and Canada; and Deluxe 4K Steelbook Limited Edition – UK, US, and Canada – all on 5/24). Here’s a look at the Dual Format Blu-ray and 4K Steelbook Limited Edition...
And now we circle back to Shout! and Scream Factory. Here is their complete May release slate as just officially announced on their website and social media. Look for Dinosaur World (2020) on Blu-ray and DVD on 5/3, followed by Two for the Money: Shout Select (2005) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) on Blu-ray only on 5/10, Femme Fatale (2002) and Belle (2021 – for GKids) on Blu-ray only on 5/17, as well as Escape from New York (1981 – in three SKUs, two of which include soundtrack LPs) and The Craft (1996) on 4K Ultra HD on 5/17, a Trekkies: 25th Anniversary Edition (1997) on Blu-ray on 5/24, Lifeforce (1985) and Candyman (1992) on 4K Ultra HD both on 5/24, and finally Poupelle of Chimney Town (2020 – for Anime) on Blu-ray on 5/31.
Not all of the A/V specs are announced for the 4K titles above, but what we do know is as follows...
- Escape from New York is essentially the same restoration recently released by StudioCanal.
- The Craft is a new 4K restoration by Sony Pictures.
- Lifeforce will include a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, with the Theatrical Cut in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray and also the Director’s Cut newly restored in Blu-ray only. (Apparently, the OCN for the DC trims weren’t saved, so Shout! felt it was too jarring to cut them into a 4K release.)
- And Candyman will include both the Theatrical and Unrated Cuts in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio, sourced from a new 4K restoration by Arrow Video.
I would recommend checking the Shout! Factory website here for all the developing details on the extras and specs as they’re added by the company.
All right, here’s a look at the cover artwork for a bunch of the titles mentioned above, with Amazon pre-order links (all are now available). Keep in mind that once Amazon lists a title, it often takes a few days for their usual sale price to kick in (but don’t worry—if you pre-order now at the higher price you WILL get the lower sale price once it’s added into their system)...
Whew!
That’s all for now, but we’ll be back tomorrow with an update on some newly-announced regular Blu-ray titles as well. Stay tuned...
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