Where are all the back catalog titles? (1 Viewer)

Where are all the back catalog titles?

I've noticed more and more older catalog title DVDs (some released only a few years ago) are disappearing from store shevles and on-line retailers. Is DVD starting to die?

Short answer? Yes. But it'll be a very slow death.

It also seems to have something to do with not carrying any stock in this economy. Warners is practically giving stuff away with their massive dumps of stock onto Big Lots.

There are benefits to their sudden need to decrease stock, or raise cash, or what ever is going on.

I still cannot believe Barnes and Noble discounted ALL of their Criterion titles by 50%. Since I just joined their $25 per year discount program, I found this sale to be amazing fun. And the titles, on sale and with my Barnes and Noble card, result in prices less expensive than WarnerArchive's unrestored, extra-less releases.

Due to the fact that I have not bought any WarnerArchive titles since my initial purchase, and since I can count the upcoming box sets of "standard" Warner releases I want on one hand, I had extra money to spend on a few more Criterion dvds.

Originally Posted by mdnitoil

It also seems to have something to do with not carrying any stock in this economy. Warners is practically giving stuff away with their massive dumps of stock onto Big Lots.

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Is Big Lots online or what? I use Amazon Marketplace alot when I have difficult finding an older release title. Or my local stores.

Richard, I know what your talking about. I joined the B+ N program about a month ago when i was buying the Jack Lemmon set. The sales person convinced me by showing me with sale,member discount and a couple of coupons he threw in it was free for me to join. So i did. I have saved on a few things since. They had a buy 2 get one free,plus members discount,and now the criterion sale.So far it's working out pretty well.

Originally Posted by Ray_R



Is Big Lots online or what? I use Amazon Marketplace alot when I have difficult finding an older release title. Or my local stores.

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Big Lots is a closeout retail chain in the US. Most of these Warner titles are going for 3 bucks each, shrinkwrapped. Recently they've started dumping TV seasons for 6 bucks a pop. The word going around now is that a bunch of those Hannah-Barbara animated sets are starting to show up at 3 bucks a pop. It's like they're just dumping this stuff at manufacturing costs to simply get it off the books.

I went into a Big Lots here in the Houston area (actually, Sugar Land, just outside of Houston) and they never have any Warner catalog titles. Just a bunch of cheap DVDs of the sort you'd find at a convenience store.

The problem with Big Lots is that it's "hit-and-miss" on what they get. But I've found the most amazing stuff here in Alabama over the past year, from a $16 Woody Allen Collection to $6 TV box sets to numerous $3 back catalog titles in all genres from the "Dawn of Sound" to the present from most of the major studios. This past weekend, I got 18 DVDs for $2.40 a piece, and most were from WHV.

If DVD is dying, it's gonna be one helluva wake at Big Lots for the near future.

Originally Posted by mdnitoil




Big Lots is a closeout retail chain in the US. Most of these Warner titles are going for 3 bucks each, shrinkwrapped. Recently they've started dumping TV seasons for 6 bucks a pop. The word going around now is that a bunch of those Hannah-Barbara animated sets are starting to show up at 3 bucks a pop. It's like they're just dumping this stuff at manufacturing costs to simply get it off the books.

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They are. It's a choice of either selling them at Big Lots for cost or paying a company to destroy the discs. This is what happens when you oversaturate a market.

Same in the UK, there're going for a song. This year I've been buying a lot of titles that I never got 'round to a few years back, as I'm expecting mass deletions. Then the market can do what it likes, I'll have most of my favorite movies.

Originally Posted by mdnitoil




Big Lots is a closeout retail chain in the US. Most of these Warner titles are going for 3 bucks each, shrinkwrapped. Recently they've started dumping TV seasons for 6 bucks a pop. The word going around now is that a bunch of those Hannah-Barbara animated sets are starting to show up at 3 bucks a pop. It's like they're just dumping this stuff at manufacturing costs to simply get it off the books.

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I guess they're just clearing their bulk inventory to make way for more storage? Can you PM me what "classic" 1930's-1950's films you've found there? Are they also online? I'm sure there's one near my Moms house in San Jose.

Through a friend on another forum, I was able to get 3 seasons of The Flintstones, Josie and The Pussycats box set, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, Pebbles and Bam Bam Show and at least one other which I forget for $20... and most of that cost went to shipping!!!!


That said, it's kind of frustrating that my local non-chain retailer's classic film section has shrunk about 80% in the last year. Back catalog stuff is almost impossible to find anymore at even the best boutique shops in major cities, sales are almost exclusive to online ordering these days. Kind of sad that day has passed..

I struck gold at my local Big Lots; all for $3.00 each:

ANNA CHRISTIE
BOOM TOWN
BORN TO KILL
THE CHAMP (original)
FLYING DOWN TO RIO
I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG
THE INCREDIBLE MR LIMPET
LITTLE CAESAR
THE NARROW MARGIN
THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN
ROBERTA
ROMEO AND JULIET (1936)
THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO
THUNDERBIRD 6
XANADU
FREAKS
ALL THE KING'S MEN
BRAINSTORM (remaster)
THE BRAVADOS
DOCTOR FAUSTUS
CABARET
EYES OF A STRANGER
FORTY GUNS
HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE
HUMORESQUE
KITTY FOYLE
LILITH
NEVER SO FEW
NINOTCHKA
PAT AND MIKE
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981)
THE PETRIFIED FOREST
ROLLOVER
STEELYARD BLUES
ZEBRA IN THE KITCHEN

I'm heading back in a few weeks to see what comes out of the back room, as these discs do not sit around the store for long.

I would have loved to have found Boom Town, ...Fugitive From A Chain Gang, and Penelope Pitstop. I was able to find a few good classics (Ninotchka, Born To Kill, Gay Divorcee, East Side West Side, My Reputation) and some other HB sets so I can't complain.
I may go back for Steelyard Blues tomorrow. Unfortunately a lot of stuff I've found I paid a lot more for originally- and plenty that I still haven't gotten around to watching yet

They're also breaking up boxed sets, because I saw slim pack versions of THE LONG LONG TRAILER and FOREVER DARLING from the Lucy/Desi set.

Originally Posted by David_B_K

I went into a Big Lots here in the Houston area (actually, Sugar Land, just outside of Houston) and they never have any Warner catalog titles. Just a bunch of cheap DVDs of the sort you'd find at a convenience store.

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Exactly my experience as well. This Sunday's (07/26/09) newspaper ad features TV box sets for $3 on their website. Maybe fresh stock will hit the floors some places.

Now the Big Lots story comes out.

Warner Home Video is suing a California-based company called IWMB for not only failing to destroy hundreds of thousands of excess DVD product, but also for secretly selling the titles to third parties at cut-rate prices. The studio says the end result was a flood of DVDs being sold for prices far below market value. Warners is seeking $10 million in damages from the company. In fact, Warners did not hire IWMB to destroy the product - the company was subcontracted by DVD replicator Cinram, which apparently was unaware of the alleged scheme. According to the suit, IWMB provided Cinram with false documentation indicating that the DVDs had been destroyed when, in fact, they had been sold to other parties who retailed them to the public. Warners estimates that at least 750,000 DVDs were illegally sold into the marketplace. The suit does not name the third parties who allegedly bought them. Warners is seeking a jury trial. Home Video Magazine reports that IWMB president Cal Jones, who is personally named in the suit, has not responded to requests for comments.

Crazy. Did they think that Warner just wasn't going to notice that this stuff was getting dumped all over the marketplace?

Originally Posted by ahollis

Now the Big Lots story comes out.

Warner Home Video is suing a California-based company called IWMB for not only failing to destroy hundreds of thousands of excess DVD product, eports that IWMB president Cal Jones, who is personally named in the suit, has not responded to requests for comments.

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Why didn't Warner sell them off at cheap prices? Or donate them to public libraries, rather than just paying for them to be destroyed?