Twilight Time Announces Nov/Dec 2012 Releases (1 Viewer)

[iDarren]

Unlikely. But we can hope - as long as we can deal with the disappointment if/when our hopes are dashed.

Hooray for Lost Horizon - I know so much work was put into that title so glad to see it getting a proper Blu release - TT, may I ask, will all the MOD DVD extras carry over to your edition?

 

[Ethan Riley]

Unlikely. But we can hope - as long as we can deal with the disappointment if/when our hopes are dashed.

In other words, you haven't the slightest idea, right?

 

[Dick]

What a bizarre group of films....
THE BLUE LOGOON has always been one of Columbia's best-selling/renting videos in all previous formats, and regardless of what one thinks of it, the film has a vast cult following. That Sony isnt releasing this themselves as an unlimited Blu is beyond me.
But even more beyond me is the list of the remaining titles. Isn't the idea here to sell OUT these limited editions? I can hardly believe there are enough die-hard classics fans and Blu-ray collectors out there to accomplish this with those other titles.
I am sure there will be disagreement with this post, but this seems to me the weirdest of all the T.T. announcements to date.

 

[Alan Tully]

What a bizarre group of films....
THE BLUE LOGOON has always been one of Columbia's best-selling/renting videos in all previous formats, and regardless of what one thinks of it, the film has a vast cult following. That Sony isnt releasing this themselves as an unlimited Blu is beyond me.
But even more beyond me is the list of the remaining titles. Isn't the idea here to sell OUT these limited editions? I can hardly believe there are enough die-hard classics fans and Blu-ray collectors out there to accomplish this with those other titles.
I am sure there will be disagreement with this post, but this seems to me the weirdest of all the T.T. announcements to date.

I don't get the bizarre bit at all. I thought that was the point of Twilight Time, to release films that otherwise wouldn't get a release. I hope they keep going through those 50's Fox cinemascope films.

 

[Virgoan]

Remember, Clifford: "The world is a 'circle!'" (Envision two hands forming the circle a la Jim Whaley)

 

[kingofthejungle]

But even more beyond me is the list of the remaining titles. Isn't the idea here to sell OUT these limited editions? I can hardly believe there are enough die-hard classics fans and Blu-ray collectors out there to accomplish this with those other titles.

I'm a die hard classic film collector and couldn't agree more. The only one of those titles I have the slightest interest in is the Preminger, and at $30, I'll have to think about it awhile. I haven't had much interest in any of their releases since The Big Heat, but with most previous months I could still understand why they were releasing the titles they chose. Some of these are really barrel-scrapers.

 

[JoHud]

I doubt Twilight Time is aiming to sell many of these out in the immediate short term, rather than over the course of years in the future. The deeper catalog niche films that never made it to DVD are a significant part of their original mission statement regarding 20th Century Fox titles. I assume Twilight Time also leans toward deeper catalog Sony titles rather than just the big sellers.
They explained it in the previous thread

As the poster above asks, why is it important if a sell-out happens immediately? Answer: it isn't--and a steady 2 year sell-out of every title would render TT's experimental model very successful. We have outlined numerous times why it is that the studios are in favor of our way of handling things--they receive a revenue stream without complex accounting, and they watch the numbers carefully on each title. We regularly attend meetings and share the data. We aren't operating in a vacuum of secrecy--the studios are always looking for ways to better develop niche marketing strategies targeting small but dedicated groups...we were recently informed that there is virtually no catalog marketing meeting now at the studios where the TT model isn't invoked and discussed. We understand completely that the higher prices / limited quantities idea is unpopular with consumers on the lookout for bargain-bin availability, but they aren't the demographic target for this model. We knew it would be difficult and we would endure the brickbats--we have, and we will continue to do so. The model isn't changing. As of right now, we are slipping below the 500 units remaining on 2 more titles: Mysterious Island and Journey to the...and we are also getting low on a number of others...our title selection as should be obvious to everyone by now is a something for everybody approach, and for those who fail to "comprehend" why we put out things like Fright Night or Night of the Living Dead...it is simple--they pay for The Wayward Bus and Swamp Water, etc.

 

[Alan Tully]

Yeah, stick to you guns TT, only next year bung a few westerns into the mix, Garden Of Evil, The Last Wagon & Rio Conchos will do for a start.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by Billy Batson /t/322870/twilight-time-announces-nov-dec-2012-releases#post_3959886
I don't get the bizarre bit at all. I thought that was the point of Twilight Time, to release films that otherwise wouldn't get a release. I hope they keep going through those 50's Fox cinemascope films.

Yeah, keep those Fox CinemaScope films away from the FOX MOD program, where they can't release them right.

 

[bryan4999]

It's hard for me to believe that BYE BYE BIRDIE, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS and now BLUE LAGOON wouldn't do well as actual mainstream studio releases. I am pleased to have them on blu-ray period, But now I am thinking titles like TOOTSIE and THE BIG CHILL will go to TT as well. I am not criticizing TT at all, just wondering at Sony's business decisions on some of these titles.

 

[rsmithjr]

It's hard for me to believe that BYE BYE BIRDIE, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS and now BLUE LAGOON wouldn't do well as actual mainstream studio releases. I am pleased to have them on blu-ray period, But now I am thinking titles like TOOTSIE and THE BIG CHILL will go to TT as well. I am not criticizing TT at all, just wondering at Sony's business decisions on some of these titles.

I suspect that they have a whole lot of data about these issues by this time to inform their business decisions.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by bryan4999 /t/322870/twilight-time-announces-nov-dec-2012-releases#post_3959913
It's hard for me to believe that BYE BYE BIRDIE, STEEL MAGNOLIAS, AS GOOD AS IT GETS and now BLUE LAGOON wouldn't do well as actual mainstream studio releases. I am pleased to have them on blu-ray period, But now I am thinking titles like TOOTSIE and THE BIG CHILL will go to TT as well. I am not criticizing TT at all, just wondering at Sony's business decisions on some of these titles.

Don't know about the other three since they have not been released, but AS GOOD AS IT GETS has not hit the low inventory mark yet, so it appears that Sony was correct in a low want for this in Blu. Actually the only one I want from the four titles is BYE BYE BIRDIE. The rest are fine on DVD and that is IMHO.

 

[bryan4999]

Don't know about the other three since they have not been released, but AS GOOD AS IT GETS has not hit the low inventory mark yet, so it appears that Sony was correct in a low want for this in Blu.  Actually the only one I want from the four titles is BYE BYE BIRDIE.  The rest are fine on DVD and that is IMHO. 

You make a good point, but it does seem to me that the people who browse at Walmart or glance through the new releases on amazon are not the same people who go out of their way to search for and pay a bit more for Twilight Time releases. No doubt Sony (and all the others) has a whole division devoted to studying sales trends and that they are absolutley correct, I am just surprised to see these bigger titles released in small inventory lots on a website targeted mostly at collectors and serious afficionados. What it comes down to for me is the fear that some films from other studios, however popular in their day and well thought of in the present day, will never get blu-ray releases. For example, VICTOR/VICTORIA is now a Warner MOD. Hopefully, it will be like LOST HORIZON and show up on blu-ray in some fashion, but if it has already been relegated to MOD they must have run their statistics and decided that was the best plan.

 

[rsmithjr]

What really needs to happen in this whole area is to get Blu-ray MOD disks into production.
Warners recently said that they are working on it. It is hard to imagine that it isn't possible.
Basically, this will make a whole new ballgame for catalog and Blu-ray.

 

[Moe Dickstein]

What really needs to happen in this whole area is to get Blu-ray MOD disks into production.
Warners recently said that they are working on it. It is hard to imagine that it isn't possible.
Basically, this will make a whole new ballgame for catalog and Blu-ray.

When I see how snobby people are about burned discs I get worried about that plan. Personally I don't care if it's a pressed disc or a burned disc, but I do feel that the burned discs should be a bit cheaper than they are, unless it's something like Lost Horizon where there were extensive extras, and of course that's going to be rare in the MOD arena.

 

[rsmithjr]

When I see how snobby people are about burned discs I get worried about that plan. Personally I don't care if it's a pressed disc or a burned disc, but I do feel that the burned discs should be a bit cheaper than they are, unless it's something like Lost Horizon where there were extensive extras, and of course that's going to be rare in the MOD arena.

As I understand it, the Warner Archive offers lifetime guarantees on the MOD disks. This seems like a good way to address reliability issues.

 

[ahollis]

Originally Posted by bryan4999 /t/322870/twilight-time-announces-nov-dec-2012-releases/30#post_3959965
. For example, VICTOR/VICTORIA is now a Warner MOD. Hopefully, it will be like LOST HORIZON and show up on blu-ray in some fashion, but if it has already been relegated to MOD they must have run their statistics and decided that was the best plan.

WAC has already said that just because they release a title in their MOD program does not mean it will never see a Blu-ray pressing and they used VICTOR/VICTORIA as an example.

I have said this so many any times that I am sure people are tired of hearing it, but there are so many titles that the companies put out on Blu-ray that never see the racks in the individual stores of Best Buy, Wal-mart and Target. I'm sure that THE WAYWARD BUS would not have hit any of the stores. Just this week either Paramount's CLUE nor Warner Brothers THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET were listed as being in the stores, but you can order on line from those store's websites. I don't see any difference than what Twilight Time and Olive are doing by selling over the Internet.

It is a sad day that you can not go into a store on a Tuesday and leave with the releases that you want. I remember some days leaving Best Buy with about a dozen titles. I rarely, and I mean rarely buy a title at Best Buy. For if I want to buy CLUE then I order from Amazon and while I'm at it, any major title that I want, I get at the same time and they are on my doorstep either the day of release or a few days after.

I don't fault Sony and Fox for releasing titles through Twilight nor Paramount releasing through Olive. The brick and mortar stores just are not supporting the release of classics anymore, unless it is one of the top 20 sellers of all time. I wonder if we will see the Universal Monster Blu-ray Collection in the stores?

 

[Moe Dickstein]

As I understand it, the Warner Archive offers lifetime guarantees on the MOD disks. This seems like a good way to address reliability issues.

I agree with you 100%, but go read some of the posts on the Warner Archive thread in the DVD forum...

 

[Moe Dickstein]

It is a sad day that you can not go into a store on a Tuesday and leave with the releases that you want.  I remember some days leaving Best Buy with about a dozen titles.  I rarely, and I mean rarely buy a title at Best Buy.  For if I want to buy CLUE then I order from Amazon and while I'm at it, any major title that I want, I get at the same time and they are on my doorstep either the day of release or a few days after.

I never thought I'd see the day when something like Clue couldn't be found even at Fry's! As a rule I only go to Amazon as a last resort for a rare out of print title, I'll pay the premium to have it in my hands today, also I live at an apartment and am not always comfortable having my package just sitting out where 100 people could take it until I get home from work.
In the end, unless it's something I desperately want, I may just wait to see it show up used somewhere, rather than get it day of release through amazon. I realize I am in a definite minority on this point.

 

[Bryan^H]

 
It is a sad day that you can not go into a store on a Tuesday and leave with the releases that you want.  I remember some days leaving Best Buy with about a dozen titles.  I rarely, and I mean rarely buy a title at Best Buy.  For if I want to buy CLUE then I order from Amazon and while I'm at it, any major title that I want, I get at the same time and they are on my doorstep either the day of release or a few days after. 

It is a sad reality isn't it? Best Buy used to be the place to go for any new release(catalog or otherwise). I'm sorry to say I no longer shop there. They have failed me time, and time again the past two years. Often telling me I can find the BD at their online store. No thanks, I have an Amazon Prime membership for that. Sometimes I just like to go in a store and browse titles to pick out. however not carrying anything I'm interested in ruined that. Simply cannot believe they were my absolute favorite store just a few years ago.