Warner Bros. Catalog Blu-ray releases...? (1 Viewer)

[Alan Tully]

I agree with the limited edition model for classic titles. It concentrates the mind and injects some urgency into the buying process.

Yup, I'd agree with that, I suppose Warner have looked into it, I dunno. They could set up a very small lean & mean company, & license titles to it. That company could do an exclusive deal with Amazon, who sells the licensed titles for a limited time, say six months, then no more. It's a thought.

 

[bruceames]

Well, yeah, one can dream, but the truth is the majors look at the low profit margin of Olive's releases and see it as not at all viable. The reason Paramount has licensed so much of their catalog is because they get paid up front and they can wash their hands of it.

What do you mean by washing their hands of it? It appears to me that Paramount licensed a batch of titles to Olive at a great deal (for Olive), and Olive is taking advantage by releasing as many as the market allows, while they still have the rights to them. Not sure Paramount will make the same mistake in the future.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Paramount had a couple years of seeing how Olive was releasing their licensed titles.... and then they licensed 600 to Warner. I'm pretty sure Paramount has little interest in distribution aside from what they see as guaranteed sellers (Spielberg, DreamWorks Animation, Transformers, Star Trek, etc.)

 

[David Weicker]

consumer are far more likely to pay a higher price if they know it's value won't decline too much.... they hold their value well after purchase.

A film's "value" doesn't decline depending on how much it is selling for in the future.The value comes from the viewing experience.A change to the experience (such as the increase in PQ from DVD to Blu-Ray) can change the value, but a simple price change doesn't.

 

[Jari K]

Nothing is ever truly "limited". There are other markets, other countries and other releases. Some "limited edition" can be available elsewhere, or available again after a few years (sometimes with a better A/V quality and with more extras). Titles go to "vault" and then back to the markets again. Titles go OOP and then they're re-released."Limited Edition" is mainly a marketing slogan for collectors. It's not really a slogan for "movie lovers", even if people can obviously be both.

 

[trajan]

I was kicked off the Warner Archives site. I guess they dont want others to hear how bad they are with their catalog releases .

 

[Stephen_J_H]

Yup, I'd agree with that, I suppose Warner have looked into it, I dunno. They could set up a very small lean & mean company, & license titles to it. That company could do an exclusive deal with Amazon, who sells the licensed titles for a limited time, say six months, then no more. It's a thought.

That's what the Warner Archive BD model is supposed to be.

 

[bruceames]

I understand where you guys are coming from, but the fact remains that releases from distributors like Buena Vista (Disney) and Criterion hold their value well over time. This is speaking in relative terms, compared to other releases. I think consumers are getting weary of the rapid price erosion which is the norm on most releases, and it affects their buying habits.

As for Warner's astonishingly rich classic library, I think they can make it as limited as they want, as they probably control distribution rights worldwide as well. There is limited in marketspeak and there is limited as in actually limited. I was referring to the latter.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Consumers aren't weary about price erosion; they're weary about catalog titles in general. Consumers are primarily not interested in catalog titles, but rather New Releases. Catalog title buyers are a small percentage (maybe 10% at best) of consumers.

 

[bruceames]

Consumers aren't weary about price erosion; they're weary about catalog titles in general. Consumers are primarily not interested in catalog titles, but rather New Releases. Catalog title buyers are a small percentage (maybe 10% at best) of consumers.

Maybe DVD buyers are, but I doubt that Blu-ray fans are weary of seeing too much catalog. Blu-ray has never in any single year released as much as 1/3 the debut catalog titles that DVD still does even today.

I think most casual DVD buyers with a decent collection regret buying so much because their collection is essentially worthless, resale-wise. Perhaps the term "wary" is better apt.

I believe Blu-ray catalog makes up for about 20% of its revenue and about 30% of unit volume. It's probably even higher than that with DVD, which also has the benefit of having so much out there being sold in every corner drugstore and supermarket. Although nothing like the glory days of DVD, to be sure.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Well, in any case, we all have our wish lists. Might as well throw mine out there (WB Top 20, Par Top 10) since I will buy these if released on Blu-ray, via regular or Warner Archive distribution:

Warner Top 20

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (1990)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Battleground (1949)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
The Crowd (1928)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
A Face in the Crowd (1957)
I Confess (1953)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Matchstick Men (2003)
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Ninotchka (1939)
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
White Hunter, Black Heart (1990)

Paramount Top 10

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
The Court Jester (1955)
The Elephant Man (1980)
Hud (1963)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)
Paper Moon (1973)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Targets (1968)
The Tenant (1976)

 

[bujaki]

Love your list, Brandon.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Astounding that no Marx Brothers titles have made it to Blu-ray. Or maybe not astounding, but definitely disappointing...

 

[bruceames]

It would take me hours to compile a WB top 20 list, but I have more in mind that I'd like to see them release a few of their actor-based boxed sets on BD. Particularly Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Astaire & Rogers, Bogart and the MGM musicals. I guess goose bumps just thinking about all that star power!

 

[Brandon Conway]

Astounding that no Marx Brothers titles have made it to Blu-ray. Or maybe not astounding, but definitely disappointing...

Love Happy is getting released in May by Olive Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Edward Weinman]

...how many times over the years have we expressed our concerns about the vast MGM library that WB controls...our interests, desires, wishes all fall on deaf ears as I see it...

...time passes, the public that worships and adores the "old" library of controlled films is slowely passing into history...I wish above all to have availability to, for example, the Technicolor MGM musicals or yore before I have to consider a retirement home (for which I dread thinking about)...

...no responses, no anouncements, ... is anybody listeneing...

 

[Brandon Conway]

Blu-ray is always gonna be a limited number of releases as compared to DVD. Warner started the Archive for a reason. Most of their holdings will at best get released via Warner Archive on DVD.Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

 

[bruceames]

Blu-ray is always gonna be a limited number of releases as compared to DVD. Warner started the Archive for a reason. Most of their holdings will at best get released via Warner Archive on DVD. Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

Maybe they did, but they must have forgot what that reason was. Let's face, the Warner BD Archive is a joke. They've only released an average of one title a month since it started over a year ago. They release hundreds of DVDs a year on it, as does Fox.

 

[Brandon Conway]

I meant they started the DVD Archive for a reason. My personal expectations are 1 BD for every 100-150 DVD releases.Sent from my VS920 4G using Tapatalk

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I'm looking forward to the day when the Warner Archive comes up with a viable way of releasing on Blu-ray the films that they have streaming in HD on demand, on Amazon, etc. They're coming out at such a slow pace right now. And I hope that they're creating HD versions of the films they're remastering for the WAC (The Bride Wore Red, Show Boat, etc.) so they can also be released on Blu-ray through the WAC someday. I'm hesitant to purchase those films for fear of that...