Here is the first Blu-ray announcement from Paramount. It only covers May and June, so I anticipate more announcements as we get closer to summer. While this announcement has been a long time coming, the titles are coming much faster--the first three titles will be released in three weeks, and the first day and date release will be in June. Here a quick summary of the titles, features and release dates included in this announcement. I have requested technical specs for each release and will post them here as soon as I receive them.
May 20th: Bee Movie, Next and Face/Off
Bee Movie: Special features include "Barry's Trivia Track" with pop up trivia, changeable menus, Build-A-Bee avatar creation, lost scenes, alternate endings and more.
Next: Special features include a making of featurette, "Visualizing the Next Move", the Next Grand Idea" and Two Minutes in the Future with Jessica Biel".Face/Off: Special features include multiple commentaries, deleted scenes, alternate ending, making of and more.June 3rd: Cloverfield and There Will Be Blood
Cloverfield: Special features include feature-length "Special Investigation Mode" with added details about the film, directory commentary, making of featurettes, deleted scenes, alternate endings with commentary and more.
There Will Be Blood: Special features include a slideshow of vintage photos selected by director Paul Thomas, deleted scenes, a featurette on dailies and more.
June 24th: The Spiderwick Chronicles (first day and date release)
The Spiderwick Chronicles: special features include behind the scenes featurettes, an exploration of the Spiderwick world, and exclusive peek inside Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide and much more.
August (International releases): The Spiderwick Chronicles, Cloverfield and No Country for Old Men
Official press release:
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT’S FANTASTICAL HIT THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
LAUNCHES DAY-AND-DATE WORLDWIDE ONBLU-RAY
There Will Be Blood, Cloverfield, Bee Movie, Face/Off and Next
Also Released in Time for Memorial Day and Father’s Day;
Focus Remains On Immersive High-Def Home Entertainment Experiences
LOS ANGELES (April 29, 2008) – Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE), a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA), today announced its first day-and-date Blu-ray release, The Spiderwick Chronicles on June 24 and rolling out in key international markets beginning in July. Continuing its commitment to offer the best possible movie experiences for consumers, the studio will deliver the highest quality picture, sound and special features available with these upcoming Blu-ray releases. In the U.S., There Will Be Blood, Cloverfield, Bee Movie, Face/Off and Next will begin arriving May 20 to capitalize on Memorial Day and Father’s Day. Internationally, The Spiderwick Chronicles will be followed by Cloverfield and the AcademyÒ award-winner for Best Picture, No Country for Old Men beginning in August.
“Paramount Home Entertainment continues to focus on the consumer and to explore avenues that allow fans to get more out of their home entertainment experience,” said Kelley Avery, President of Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. “We will have a strong slate of titles for Blu-ray release throughout the year worldwide and are enthusiastic about expanding the format’s offerings for a broad consumer audience while delivering an experience that goes beyond what viewers love about DVD.”
The Spiderwick Chronicles launches PHE’s day-and-date new release strategy. Based on the best-selling series of books, The Spiderwick Chronicles takes viewers on a fantastical journey into the unseen world all around us and the Blu-ray disc will include behind-the-scenes featurettes, an exploration of the Spiderwick world, an exclusive peek inside Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide and much more.
PHE’s 2008 Blu-ray titles debut on May 20 in the U.S. with two sensational action-adventures: a Special Collector’s Edition of Face/Off, the mind-blowing crime-drama starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, with special features such as multiple commentaries, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, the Making Of Face/Off and more; and the sci-fi thriller Next, which stars Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel in an adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story. The Next Blu-ray includes a Making Of featurette, “Visualizing the Next Move,” “The Next Grand Idea” and “Two Minutes in the Future with Jessica Biel.”
DreamWorks Animation’s smash hit Bee Movie also will buzz onto Blu-ray on May 20. The hilarious animated adventure from renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld took audiences by swarm and earned approximately $287 million in worldwide box office. The Bee Movie Blu-ray features a wealth of bonus materials including “Barry’s Trivia Track” with fun pop-up trivia, changeable menus, a Build-A-Bee feature to allow viewers to create their own avatar, lost scenes, alternate endings and much, much more.
Following the initial wave of titles, Producer J.J. Abrams’ monster hit, Cloverfield, arrives on Blu-ray on June 3. Earning over $166 million in worldwide box office to date, Cloverfield thrilled critics and audiences alike with its shocking, first-person video account of a horrifying attack on Manhattan by an unknown—and seemingly unstoppable—force. The Cloverfield Blu-ray will include an exclusive feature-length “Special Investigation Mode” with added details about the film. Additional features include a director commentary, Making Of featurettes, deleted scenes, alternate endings with commentary and more.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically-acclaimed epic There Will Be Blood also arrives on Blu-ray June 3. The film was named by more than 200 critics as one of the top 10 movies of 2007 and stars Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and SAG Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis. The Blu-ray features a slideshow of vintage photos selected by the director and set to the unforgettable score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, deleted scenes, a featurette on dailies and more.
About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the worldwide sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Studios, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS, PBS and Hasbro and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.
