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MGM -- quietly downgrading special editions

post #1 of 141
7/16/04 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
From DavisDVD...

It looks like MGM is quietly stripping features from the "Special Edition" DVDs when they receive price reductions.

Titles listed include: Bowling for Columbine, Bull Durham, Jeepers Creepers, Legally Blonde, The Sure Thing, Thelma and Lousie, and Valley Girl.

Be warned that they're removing special features but keeping the UPC code intact, so if you order one of these special editions online, you may get the stripped version instead.

But they're keeping the pan and scan versions on the DVDs when both were included.

to MGM.
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post #2 of 141
7/16/04 at 3:30pm
Yeah, what an inane and evil and abysimally mind-boggling practice.
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post #3 of 141
7/16/04 at 3:35pm
It sounds just like Columbia, but with removing special features instead of the Widescreen side like Columbia does. Now I am really worried that CTHE will get the MGM library since they both seem to have similar business models.
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post #4 of 141
7/16/04 at 3:55pm
Has this already gone into effect? I really want to get Bowling for Columbine, but I don't want to miss out on the extras.
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post #5 of 141
7/16/04 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Has this already gone into effect? I really want to get Bowling for Columbine, but I don't want to miss out on the extras.

Yes, a number of these new editions are on store shelves, often mixed in with the true special editions. I don't know when BFC's price cut takes effect, but I wouldn't expect the new versions of that one to hit the shelves until it takes effect. If you act quickly, you should probably be able to find all of these older SEs still on store shelves.
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post #6 of 141
7/16/04 at 4:51pm
Wow, that's horrible.
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post #7 of 141
7/16/04 at 4:52pm
Jeez, what's the point of this??? While it's not as bad as removing the actual movie (like Columbia), it still doesn't seem fair. Valley Girl's been out for less than a year fergawdsakes! (Will they at least reinstate the missing Men At Work song on the reissue?)
Oh well, someone will be glad to sell illegal copies of the missing extras for those who still want them.
They should at least mark them as "Limited Editions" if they're going to pull this crap a few months later.
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post #8 of 141
7/16/04 at 5:16pm
I think this is one of the crappiest stunts yet. No sale for me
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post #9 of 141
7/16/04 at 5:32pm
I'm sorry to say that MGM pulled this stunt on "It's A Mad,Mad,Mad,Mad World" as well.
HEY MGM! I would rather pay $14.99 for the special feature edition. I don't want your $9.99 bare-bones edition! Can you hear me?
Bill Parisho
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post #10 of 141
7/16/04 at 8:00pm
But Valley Girl was already only $14.99, wasn't it?
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post #11 of 141
7/16/04 at 8:08pm
This is just so idiotic. Once they have the master, it actually would cost them money to remaster it to have a stripped down version, all to sell it cheaper.

Why why why? MGM is run by buffoons, it would seem.
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post #12 of 141
7/16/04 at 10:56pm
Valley Girl SE and The Sure Thing SE are part of this week's 3/$20 sale at Best Buy. I guess now (as in today) is the time to buy, if you want those editions. On a tangentially related note, Best Buy also has many of the OAR discs (for $5.99) that Wal-Mart now carries only in MAR.
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post #13 of 141
7/16/04 at 11:16pm
Quote:
This is just so idiotic. Once they have the master, it actually would cost them money to remaster it to have a stripped down version, all to sell it cheaper.

Why why why? MGM is run by buffoons, it would seem.


Do the stripped-down versions have fewer discs than the originals? If not, then I also don't see how this saves them any money.
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post #14 of 141
7/16/04 at 11:54pm
first FOX
then COLUMBIA
now MGM
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post #15 of 141
7/17/04 at 1:20am
The stripped down versions are one-sided versions of things that were originally two-sided. I doubt they're paying royalties on the special features, so this is just a manufacturing savings. Anyone know the difference in cost between printing a DVD-9 and a DVD-14? I'm guessing it's well under a dollar.
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post #16 of 141
7/17/04 at 1:46am
Quote:
I really want to get Bowling for Columbine, but I don't want to miss out on the extras.
I ordered this a few weeks ago from DVD Pacific, and it was still a special edition. The only confusing thing was that for some reason the ROM extras were missing (Teacher's Guide and Mike's Action Guide).

Chris
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post #17 of 141
7/17/04 at 7:54am
I thought that this breakdown from Daily Variety (12/24/03) would be of interest:

Homevid Economics 2002

VHS
Average wholesale price $12
Costs:
Marketing $2.75
Duplication $2.25
Packaging $0.75
Distribution $0.90

Total $6.65

Video Gross
Profit/Unit $5.35


DVD
Average wholesale price $16
Costs:
Marketing $2.75
Duplication $1.00
Packaging $0.90
Distribution $0.80

Total $5.45

DVD Gross
Profit/Unit $10.55

Source: Jessica Reif Cohen, Merril Lynch


Now, seeing that this is from a late last year Variety these Averages were probably from the most recent statistics covering the 2002 year. I have a feeling by now profits have most likely improved.
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post #18 of 141
7/17/04 at 8:13am
If this is going to happen to The Sure Thing, I recommend buying it now. It is one of my favourite movies and I love the special features. For the price I got it for, it's the best DVD purchase I ever made.
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post #19 of 141
7/17/04 at 12:45pm
Sweet Jesus. Seems like I have to buy BfC now, before it's too late.
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post #20 of 141
7/17/04 at 11:10pm
What exactly is different about Bowling for Columbine's supposedly stripped down re-release vs. the original version?

I bought BfC during the $7.99 sale at Circuit City a week or so ago. Is this the messed with version? It still has two discs and says it's the special edition with widescreen transfer. Did I make it under the wire?

Dan
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post #21 of 141
7/17/04 at 11:57pm
I must have lucked out with Bowling for Columbine too. I bought it at Circuit City a few weeks ago and it contains two discs and a ton of features. I guess anyone who is interested in getting it should go to a store soon
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post #22 of 141
7/18/04 at 6:49am
I guess I'm lucky that I decided to go to Best Buy
yesterday. I got the 3 for $20 deal on Valley Girl,
the Sure Thing and A Beautiful Mind WS. There was only
1 copy of The Sure Thing left.
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post #23 of 141
7/18/04 at 8:26am
Back in 1997 I was the only person I knew anywhere who had a DVD Player. I was an early adopter. I knew it was only a matter of time before DVD became mainstream because it was such a great format. Unfortunately, now that it's become the staple of every "Joe Six Pack," we're getting less care, OAR and extras to satisfy the true collector. It's a shame.
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post #24 of 141
7/18/04 at 11:36am
Thanks for the heads up, Joshua. I was able to get the SEs of THE SURE THING and VALLEY GIRL at Best Buy last night in the 3 for $20 sale, and I picked up the LEGALLY BLONDE SE at Target for $7.50 this morning.

It looks like the good LEGALLY BLONDE DVDs are in the black Amaray, and the newer stripped-down version is in the pink Amarays.

I had already noticed this on BULL DURHAM and was able to pick up a cheap copy of the SE a few weeks ago. I'll definitely be on the lookout for a good price on THELMA & LOUISE.

Jay
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post #25 of 141
7/19/04 at 12:50am
We're getting something a bit like this in r4, although it's a bit different.

I think here MGM titles were often distributed by a different company. But now MGM has taken over and is replacing old special editions with downgraded extras.

At best, we have two disc sets reduced to one disc sets. At worst, we have excellent one-disc sets released without extra (save a trailer if you're lucky). We lost excellent special editions of Fargo, A Fish Called Wanda, and Misery, among many others . (In the case of Misery, we even lost the 5.1 mix)
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post #26 of 141
7/19/04 at 1:29am
(In the case of Misery, we even lost the 5.1 mix)


Not only that, the cover has been changed for the worse too!
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post #27 of 141
7/19/04 at 4:35am
Absolutely - the special edition cover of Misery was very good. Snow white background, a few small blood spatters, and great image of Paul Sheldon in a wheelchair being pushed by Annie. Unsettling, but subtle.

Now we get a lowest common-denominator cover with Annie holding a sledgehammer. Awful.
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post #28 of 141
7/19/04 at 5:11am
This...is ridiculous. I really can't see the purpose here. Even if they only have to press one side of the disc, they still have to rearrange the content and design disc art. I don't see how this is saving them that much money, especially if they're lowering the prices.

Just re-promote it, why spend even more money to change the disc? At least they're retaining the widescreen version of the movie, but still...why do anything? There's just no point, except that you piss your customers off when they find out.
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post #29 of 141
7/20/04 at 1:34am
I own The Usual Suspects SE and it's a DVD-14, does this mean any of the anything?
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post #30 of 141
7/20/04 at 3:01am
And, unless I'm wrong, isn't their new non-SE release of Dances With Wolves pan'n'scan only?
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