Sony says "NO" to WITCHFINDER GENERAL DVD, Midnite Movies in serious trouble! (1 Viewer)

[Dave Scarpa]

Well it is a go0d reason why I'm not supporting Blue Ray. If Sony can "F" up a format they will..Beta, UMD, Root Kit, Memory Sticks... need I say more.. They can have the golden goose and they'd muck it up.

 

[Paul Arnette]

Dave,

Well said. I completely hear you. From a purely technical standpoint, I favor Blu-Ray, but Sony's business practices have removed any interest I had in a HD home video format for the forseeable future.

 

[Art_AD]

This was a tricky deal. Sony is only one of the owners(20% only) and based on what is going on at MGM. The owners were not happy with the way Sony one of the small investors but the lead in managing the company was doing. Based on the press releases from MGM they want to grow the company. One way to do so is better manage their video library. They used to release over 20 titles a month and had great catalog sales, but since Sony has managed it it down to about 5 per month. Sony has also taken the easy way out by taking MGM's region 2 Special edition releases and re-releasing them here to save money. We will see what will happen, they have some interesting things on the horizon (The Princess Bride, Guys & Dolls) but in previous years MGM would release several titles with these special ones to back it up while now it is just one. I imagine once MGM gets it's footing again it will be sold again.

 

[Antonio S]

I was going to stay out of this because I'm pretty much at the beginning of my DVD movie collecting. However post #61 and #62 echoed my own thinking concerning the upcoming new formats. Even though Blue Ray appears technically superior, I'm beginning to lose all trust for Sony.
I used to wonder why so many people on the forums hated the brand, now I'm beginning to understand.
After I read through the posts a second time, I went and checked my growing collection. Eighty percent Warner. The reason... Their smart enough to tap into forums like this one, in order to ascertain whats wanted and needed. And they come through.
For my $.02 Jay in post #28 is spot on.

 

[AlanBrom]

This is how Sony is handling their MGM horror catalog:

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-horro...10/1558391.htm



Ok, now how about listening to the REAL hardcore horror fans for a change, many of which can be found here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_pe....cgi?mid2005&1

 

[George Reis]

As stated earlier, I really hope that Sony is looking at this thread. Not only is the quote very embarrassing for them, but it's also very true.

 

[MattHR]

With titles like these, with few exceptions, it's no wonder they're ignoring the 34+ crowd. That's fine -- there are plenty of other ways to spend my money.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

It's a puzzlement to me why the advertisers are still targeting the 18-to-34 demographic they latched onto in the 1950s. Guess what : most of us young people today don't have much money! It's the people who have had good jobs for years, and whose houses are paid off, and who don't have $34 000 in college loans, and who have generous retirement plans and/or big investment accounts, who have all the money. But if a TV show appeals to them, it's taken off the air. Phooey. (speaking as a young person who's more interested in these "old" properties than in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer — spare me!)

 

[George Reis]

Christopher, you are wise beyond your years

 

[Antonio S]

Thanks for that Alan. Imo they deserve each other.
After continuous lieing post Hurricane Charlie, you couldn't give Comcast away in my county. Most went with one of the sat companies.

 

[MatthewA]

You don't only have to be 18-to-34, but 18-to-34 and living in an urban area. Otherwise you are dead to them.

Ironically, the median age in this country, according to the CIA's World Factbook (accessible online at www.cia.gov), is 36.5

 

[Steve...O]

Nice post Christopher. When I was in that age group I didn't have much disposable income and even though I loved classic movies, I never bought many on VHS and could not afford to get into laserdisc.

Now that I'm in the next age bracket, my income has gone up and although I haven't paid off my house, I do have more disposable income. Guess what, I'm buying classic movies on DVD like crazy (or maybe I'm just crazy like my wife says )

This whole notion of only targeting the under 35 crowd with advertising has always made no sense to me. The 35+ crowd is more affluent than their parents ever were.

If Sony is reading this thread, please reconsider your handling of your classic library. For example, there are a lot of Columbia series (Boston Blackie, Crime Doctor, Lone Wolf, etc.) that are still very popular today amongst genre fans and which are heavily circulated in the bootleg market.

Steve

 

[AlanBrom]

I agree. I am now well over 35 and I feel betrayed after years of great product to buy from MGM. Now I feel Sony has taken the MGM catalog and is giving people like me the cold shoulder by not releasing them.:frowning:

 

[MattHR]

Cold shoulder? I'd say it's more like the middle finger.

 

[walter o]

I assume then that the planned FROM BEYOND DVD is scrapped, despite MGM funding Stuart Gordon to put together the deleted scenes?

 

[AlanBrom]

I don't know, but we have proof that Sony has opted to let WITCHFINDER GENERAL sit on a dusty shelf after MGM's restoration work. Perpaps it will be the same deal with FROM BEYOND.

 

[Mark Cappelletty]

This is infuriating, particularly for us horror fans who've waited YEARS for such movies as WITCHFINDER GENERAL, BURN WITCH BURN! and (sigh) FROM BEYOND. Who buys the constant "expanded" versions of movies that have been on the shelves for years or repackaged product like THE CUTTING EDGE? On the other hand, it's clear that people like us on this forum are willing to throw money at Sony to release obvious chestnuts like the ones mentions in this thread.

Big thanks must go out to George Reis, who's been championing this all along (and runs a great site)!

 

[Mark_TS]

WARNER CARES-they have a "presence" they have a personality-they always have-somehow they have learned to both make a profit AND please the customer and have a Corporate face that the average consumer can relate to.
Most other companies are faceless, humourless, and could care less about the Joe-on -the street customer.

 

[Andy Sheets]

That's another thing I don't get: Doesn't Hollywood love to rip itself off? Why is it that Warner can apparently have success in selling their classic catalogue but so many of the other studios seemingly ignore that and are convinced that you can't sell something that's more than a few years old? If I was running a studio, I'd be ripping off Warner's style for all its worth

 

[AlanBrom]

This is very true, even Fox looks to be imitating Warner by releasing more older catalog titles than usual. I wish Sony would be smart enough to follow their lead.