WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Buy UK Version?

The solution I am looking forward to is buying a single Blu-ray edition of WIZARD OF OZ from a UK vendor.

Of course, I'm assuming that the UK will have a single edition in addition to the deluxe version.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

If those sets drop to $45 again, let us know.

That might be the only reason I could justify buying the boxed sets.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Another thing I don't understand about these box o'junk sets is why they don't include the disc(s) in a keepcase. At least that way if you decided to pay the high prices, you could at least fit the keepcase on your shelf with your other movies.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Not me.


The Woodstock UCE does include a standard BD case for the discs. Hopefully that's a trend (although I still want disc-only sets).

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Honestly, I haven't even read the special features. If they only release some silly overpriced box with watches and other junk I don't want, then I have zero interest in this release.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Mike, thanks. That's good to know. Woodstock has been off my radar every since it was announced in the box o'junk only format. I wonder if that keepcase is what Wal-Mart appears to have gotten as an exclusive of sorts?

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

I would bet so. I wonder if it's really the other way around and the keepcase is available inside the UCE packaging because Wal-Mart wrangled that exclusive.

I HATE retailer exclusives...but it makes sense for Wal-Mart to arrange to have cheaper (read: more "accessible") versions of these titles for their customers (when they are otherwise non-available). If true, they seem to "get" what WB does not.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

I'm hearing rumors of a one disc BR release of "The Wizard of Oz".

Has anybody seen an updated press release from Warner?





Crawdaddy

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Were the 5-disc sans-tchotchkes Blade Runner sets such poor sellers that WB won't consider a similar release for these other classics? Doesn't everybody and his brother own one of those Blade Runner sets?

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

If it were announced we would have the Press Release.

However, unless this decision was made over the last day or two,
there is certainly no indication of it up on Amazon which usually has
a jump on posting artwork and specs prior to any announcement.

I am going to be at the studio next week. I can certainly inquire
about it. I do hope the information you are hearing is accurate.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

As someone who bought the BR briefcase and thought it was cool, I actually have to agree with you. One of the coolest things about picking up The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure 2-disc SEs from 2006ish was picking up the standard Amaray case and wondering WTF was making it so heavy, only to open it and be pleasantly surprised by an envelope containing minature reproduction lobby cards. That brought back memories of when I would actually see lobby cards taped to the windows in the lobby. As cool as the BR briefcase was, lobby cards and press books are 100x better, which is why I love the HTWWW BD. That, and the Smilebox presentation.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

I don't really care about the WOZ Box o'Junk. I just like making fun of it! It's funny to say it over and over: "Box O'Junk! Box O'Junk!" No, I won't buy it--I'll wait until it comes out in a simpler format. But for now I get to make fun of the BOX O'JUNK over and over! Hehehhee.......... box o'junk!

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

There seems to be an assumption here that these expensive box sets don't sell, but Warner Bros must surely be given credit for knowing their business far better than forum posters who are not privy to sales figures, market research etc. Presumably Casablanca met sales expectations or they wouldn't be doing the same for Wizard of Oz. And to keep calling them "boxes o' junk" is silly and insulting.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

The impression I get is that the Box O' Junk models (and to be honest, I prefer the "Box O' Crap" moniker, myself) are in place now BECAUSE the typical low cost simple case releases were not selling in sufficent quantity to justify themselves.
I'm blaming/mocking Warner, but it's more likely they are doing what they feel they have to with respect to (these) catalog titles. They need to see an X $ amount return, and they realize they won't get it from selling a lower cost version in higher volumes...because the high volumes don't exist. My ire at Warner is more frustration that the catalog appreciating base still isn't here for this format.
Anyone know how many units were moved for Quo Vadis, Gigi, and American In Paris?

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

This must be the fourth or fifth DVD release of The Wizard of Oz and it is also the 70th anniversary release, of course WB is going to make this special and the only way to do that is add what some people think is interesting trinkets. I for one am like the other poster and enjoyed the re-production of the original theatre program in the last box. I also like the re-production of the the Life Magazine that was in Woodstock.

I can over look the trinkets to get this on Blu-ray and also the copies of the many different silent Oz films and the John Ritter film. If you look at it, there will be about 6 films in the set. But I don't need a watch, just the films.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Sure and at 3 or 4 times the cost of the regular release, they can sell alot less copies and still have a profitable release. However, it stands to reason that if they released a regular and box set that they'd be able to make more money because they'd sell to both the hardcore and casual fans.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Aren't you assuming that businesses always make correct marketing decisions? Take New Coke, for example. Surely Coca Cola had access to the same sort of "sales figures, market research etc." you tout Warners as having, yet the product didn't sell. Why is that, if marketing decisions are as infallible as you suggest?

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Personally, I hope it sticks as it is as good a way as any to let Warner know 'how I really feel' about them.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

That depends.
Lets say that out of 100 people who would be inclined to purchase this title on this format (as opposed to the people who have no interest in the title whatsoever), there are XX people who will buy it no matter what the cost, XX people who will buy it ONLY if they can get it cheap enough, and XX people who may possibly be swayed into purchasing a more expensive edition- if that is all that is available in a certain season.
I think for an 'evergreen' title like this (and GWTW, etc) that the last category is the largest and, in a holiday season especially, you can sway a good % of that subset into purchasing a bloated, Box O' Junk edition-If that is the only choice they have. If they did release a concurrent low price bare bones edition, it would absolutely cannibalize sales of the higher priced edition. They would have to sell 3 (maybe 3.5) 'basic' releases to equal the same revenue return on every 1 of the Box O' Junk sets.
Given how small the pool of catalog buyers on Blu-ray is, it wouldn't take many sales to exhaust the whole audience for this release.

Even though I acknowledge this is probably the rationale for these Box O' Junk releases, I think Warner has other options to mitigate the central problem (not a large enough base to adequetely support these releases).
How about instead of an $80 Box O' Junk Version vs a $30 'basic' release, they make a truly limited number of the $80 versions...making them honestly collectable, and then have a $50 version (that could hit a $30 price point with typical street discounts) that fits the needs of most collectors better- i.e. better shelf/form factor, no trinkets just a classy, compact case design.

After three years I still think the best HD release so far in terms of balancing a higher cost with a feeling of semi-luxuriousness in packaging is Sonys Close Encounters set. I hold this thing in my hands and it feels substantial, it looks classy, and just as important- it doesn't hog space on the shelf or require it's own special storage solution.
Blade Runner is easily a better value release while it matches for excellence of presentation of content- but I think Warner got burned on how they priced this for what they offered (especially in the basic edition) and that is another reason we aren't seeing a dual release for WoO.

I sympathize with the situation Warner (and other studios) may be in with this format...but I just think there are more reasonable options available than what they seem to be limiting themselves, and us, to.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

Ah, but I do my small part in letting WB know that I find the "Box O'Junk" release to be silly and insulting, simply because it's the only option available. It's insulting because how dare they think I'm such a fan geek that I'd actually want all that fan-crap in my house? I just want the movie, not more junk. I will wait. And in the meantime, to be silly and insulting is actually my goal in life--

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

You go, Ethan!

A little surliness and lack of taste never hurt anybody. Personally, I descended from a long line of rock throwers and pugilists.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

I agree with Paul Scott.

I mentioned earlier that they should've offered a no frills set (much like Sony did with Close Encounters) at $49.95. This would've been far more realistic, imho, than making the $84.95 edition the only thing available.

As far as growth of the format, It's interesting that Blu-ray catalog titles appear not to be selling. Every month we are fed upbeat data (propaganda?) about how great the format is doing, but apparently studios are seldom releasing catalog titles pre-1970. I'm assuming that as Paul Scott stated, WHV is going this route because the poor sales of previous catalog titles simply don't warrant a regular release. Outside of this explanation, this strategy simply makes no sense. Now my question is, how long will it take for Blu-ray to attain the kind of penetration that'll see the floodgates open on pre-1970 catalog titles? There is a side of me that believes that this will POSSIBLY never happen, and that Blu will never attain the mainstream popularity of standard dvd.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

There is a limit to how many Blu-Rays can be produced. I think that we are lucky to be getting all of the "old" movies that we are getting. With the limited (getting better now) capacity to manufacture the discs, most of the capacity has been for new, high sellers. As the capacity grows, we should see more catalog titles.

We are basically only a year into this format. We can't expect to have every movie ever made on Blu already.

Not to mention that bringing an oldie to Blu takes a huge effort as far as mastering etc.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

With regard to Blu-ray catalog titles not selling, I think many people may be like me. I recently got my first Blu-ray player (Oppo BDP-83), and I would love to have lots of classic BD titles on my shelf.

But I find myself holding back. DVD pricing spoiled me. As much as I appreciate the improved product, I can't bring myself to spend upwards of $20 per movie, unless it's one I really want. I have over 900 DVDs (including too many still unwatched), and less than 15 BDs. Until BD prices drop I think I'll continue to be very selective with my purchases and wait for good sales to build my BD library. I should probably sign up for Netflix too.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

That doesn't mean Blu is not doing well. New and recent titles sell significantly better than catalog and are thus the majority of releases, DVD or BD. The catalog is not going to make or break Blu.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

That may be true except in this thread. Any further disparaging remarks towards Warner will be deleted without warning.






Crawdaddy

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

You know, i wouldn't even want the box of junk if I was flat-out rich.

I'd rather give $50 to charity and buy a 'movie & features' only set for $30.

Why would i need that box of stuff sitting on my shelf? If you're not a rabid collector it's just conspicuous consumption.

I mean if that's what you want and you like it, great, but to make it the only version available is just crazy.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

If everyone would just wait and see. Probably there will be a 'no thrills' package available. If it isn't in the US, it's bound to be somewhere else. You'd just have to import. But I also said it about Casablanca, and many people are still complaining about that one, so I don't know if it matters.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

It appears that WB is starting to fall from their lofty perch in the opinion of some people with their pricing methods. Really too bad they feel the need to gouge.

Re: WHV Press Release: The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary UCE (DVD/Blu-ray)

How many years did it take to get rid of Snappers?

I agree that insulting the studio isn't going to help anything.

I'm sure the Oz in Blu will look stunning, but I still haven't opened the last collector's DVD I bought. I don't need all the fluff either. I'm sure a regular release will come eventually.