I think 49.95 was the MSRP for CE3K. If you look online, you'll see the price is typically around $35. It's also a 3-disc set on BD with some truly amazing extras.
As someone who bought the BR briefcase and thought it was cool, I actually have to agree with you. One of the coolest things about picking up The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure 2-disc SEs from 2006ish was picking up the standard Amaray case and wondering WTF was making it so heavy...
I'm hoping they get the message sooner than that. they should look at BD sales of Casablanca, The Notebook and Woodstock, all of which I would guess have been rather lackluster, if what I've seen on store shelves is any indication.