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MGM Midnite Movies "dead again" remark (1 Viewer)

ahollis

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Originally Posted by Martin Welch




MGM has a lot of new and some HD transfers (check out the MGM HD Channel's Halloween schedule, though you might want to cry for what's being shown that's not out on DVD) of older cult films ready to go. If Warner was to take over, let's hope that they'd still let MGM function as it's own unit. Just a hopeful theory.
There is also speculation of another private investment company might step up. Since MGM bonds are worth about half of the face value, the company is ripe just on the library its self.
 

AlanBrom

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I noticed too that MGM HD, which I don't have, is showing a few of the old American International released Italian "sword & sandal" epics. I would love to see a box set of those if MGM ever gets back on its feet. Something's gotta give for this vast library to once again be available to consumers like us.
 

cineMANIAC

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Originally Posted by Martin Welch

I've noticed that Shout Factory is releasing a number of MGM owned television series. Fingers crossed that they license some their movies to them, or that they might pick up the Midnite Movies line.
Code Red approached MGM to try to licence a couple of titles and were flat out rejected, something which I will never understand. If you have a bunch of movies sitting around in a vault but have no interest or desire to release them, why wouldn't you want someone else to? You're not giving them away. Funny thing is, I've seen the MGM logo on a couple of movies released by independent labels recently so maybe there is some hope. Shout Factory is emerging as a serious player in the cult movie market after starting out as a TV-on-DVD outfit and their recent Stepfather disc has made me optimistic for what the future may have in store for us cult flick aficionados. We have 1977's Kingdom of the Spiders to look forward to from Shout early next year and I'm hoping they're the ones jockeying for Dark Night of the Scarecrow after Image (?) decided they weren't interested in it.
 

AlanBrom

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Originally Posted by Luisito34

Code Red approached MGM to try to licence a couple of titles and were flat out rejected, something which I will never understand. If you have a bunch of movies sitting around in a vault but have no interest or desire to release them, why wouldn't you want someone else to? You're not giving them away.
Yeah Code Red would do wonders with some of the AIP catalog. They already got actor Alex Rebar to be on a featurette for their deluxe edition of BEYOND THE DOOR, and since he's the star of THE INCREDIBLE MELTING MAN, I'd love to see them give that title the ultimate treatment.
 

ahollis

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I don't think MGM is going to consider licensing out many if any titles they own. If they want to get top dollar for the company and show it's greatest worth, then they do not want any rights tied up for any time with another company. That would devalue the assets.
 

AlanBrom

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Originally Posted by ahollis

I don't think MGM is going to consider licensing out many if any titles they own. If they want to get top dollar for the company and show it's greatest worth, then they do not want any rights tied up for any time with another company. That would devalue the assets.
Obviously they believe the Midnite Movies type titles to be worthless since they haven't done anything with them for two years, and it's Fox making the decisions anyhow. If they license shows like MR. ED and MR. BELVEDERE, I'm sure they wouldn't blink an eye to license QUEEN OF BLOOD or BLOOD BATH.
 

ahollis

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Originally Posted by AlanBrom



Obviously they believe the Midnite Movies type titles to be worthless since they haven't done anything with them for two years, and it's Fox making the decisions anyhow. If they license shows like MR. ED and MR. BELVEDERE, I'm sure they wouldn't blink an eye to license QUEEN OF BLOOD or BLOOD BATH.

MGM has not done anything with any of their film titles for the past two years, except re-issue them. They have been making excellent HD transfers on many of their films for HD cable channels such as MGM HD and the new one coming up with Lionsgate and Paramount, Epix. MGM does know what their film Library is worth and it is worth much more than the TV shows. Licensing out MR. ED and MR. BELVEDERE was easy for them. They see no value in MR. ED since their experiment with the show did not sell five years ago and MR. BELVEDERE is a dead show. Not saying that it is not good and enjoyable, but it has never been a success in syndication. Those shows did not enter into MGM's long term goals.

Those license deals would not devalue their library as would licensing off several movies for another Midnite Movies collection. They want to control what is released. Fox is only a distributor for MGM and does not make the decisions. Also the main reason they can not license movies out, it is prohibited due to the Fox agreement.

MGM will not do anything with their film library until the Fox agreement concludes, The Fox agreement started in the summer of 2005 and should last until August 2010, less than a year. With any other company, I would expect them to ramp up their own video division, but with the financial problems MGM has, who knows what they will do. Since they last controlled their own destiny in the home video area thinks have changes. Brick & Mortar stores are basically no more. Warners is having a huge success with the Archive collection. And the last one is the catalog titles are hard to sell. I speculate that MGM may go the Warner Archive route or even just put the titles up for download.

We all have favorite genres we want. I want more AIP, and can not get enough, I also want more of the UA westerns and the UA 60's sex comedies like HOTEL PARADISIO & BUONA SERA, MRS. CAMPBELL. When we get them, that is an answer that I don't think anyone knows and it gets tougher with MGM's economic conditions.
 

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