Any word on The Abyss? (1 Viewer)

[Dave Moritz]

I would just watch movies and tv shows they are offering via streaming and would not be renting individual titles via physical media. I usually save that money to buy physical media for my bluray collection. And one thing I would not do is buy titles to stream.

 

[ahollis]

I just don't see any reason why Cameron would not want to see this released. Unless he is in a money fight with Fox.

 

[Jacksmyname]

Hi all. I'm watching The Abyss right now as I post this from my tablet. It's on Cinemax.
PQ is VERY nice. So, given that we can see this on a movie channel like Cinemax, and, again, PQ is, to my eyes, excellent, why can't we at the very least get a decent DVD?

 

[AshJW]

Almost everything looks very nice on a tablet. I wonder how this one looks projected ...

 

[dpippel]

I believe he meant that he was watching The Abyss on his TV via Cinemax and posting to this thread with the tablet.

 

[AshJW]

Oops

 

[FanboyZ]

https://www.change.org/p/rupert-murdoch-20th-century-fox-home-entertainment-jim-gianopulos-release-james-cameron-s-the-abyss-and-true-lies-on-blu-ray-in-2015?recruiter=32784444&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_facebook_responsive&utm_term=des-lg-share_petition-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

 

[Tino]

I can wait till Cameron is ready to approve and make sure it's right rather than sign a useless petition. Have any of these type petitions ever worked??

 

[Joel Fontenot]

I can wait till Cameron is ready to approve and make sure it's right rather than sign a useless petition. Have any of these type petitions ever worked??

Well, we did... sort of... get the original original Star Wars trilogy on DVD...

 

[Tino]

And you think that was because of petitions?

 

[FanboyZ]

You loose nothing by signing, also Cameron said it was up to Fox.

 

[Tino]

And I gain nothing by signing. Sorry I just think online petitions are worthless. JMHO.

 

[Tino]

Plus it's a poorly worded petition to boot. Sort of a demand. I would think that politely asking Rupert Murdoch to release these films would have worked better than "Release James Cameron's The Abyss and True Lies on Blu Ray in 2015". Again, just my opinion.

 

[FanboyZ]

Demands work.
Apathy doesn't.

 

[Tino]

If you say so. We'll see if that petition with 10 signatures really works.

 

[FanboyZ]

you could be the eleventh, plus it's only been one day...

 

[DVDvision]

Fox will release it around Avatar 2. They have no interest in releasing it right now without any marketing incentive.

It will make a killing when it connects to Avatar 2 and the underwater theme. That's the greatest exposure the film will get.

 

[Ric Easton]

Uh... So. Still nothing? And FOX will release it around Avatar 2, huh? I remember when there was talk about releasing it around Avatar 1! I won't hold my breath. Anyway, this is my yearly post. I started this thread back in 2009. I cannot believe I am still hoping for a Blu-ray of the extended cut. I have the original cut sitting on my DVR from HBO, but I much prefer the extended version.

 

[Jobla]

What proof is there that THE ABYSS will be released around AVATAR 2? I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Nick*Z]

I think we're all forgetting a fundamental truth about the home video market these days: namely, that these apparatuses responsible for releasing content have been shrunk to a bare-bones few staffers, most of whom have little to zero knowledge about the vast storehouses of history currently sitting right under their noses.


In a perfect world each studio would hire (1) full-time archivist - nee film lover and (1) business savvy managing exec, both of who would sit together in a board room rubbing elbows and ironing out the particulars of each release. Their conversation might go thus.


Archivist: we have this wonderful movie from 1946 called The Big Sleep. I want to release it to Blu-ray.

Business: forget it. We've a new 3D horror film coming down the pipeline. That's getting the gravy.


A: Yes, but Bogart still sells. Besides. It's been long overdue for a release.

B: Fine. We'll do an archive release.


A: Yes, but if we do that no one but the die hard fans will know about it.

B: What if we do an ad campaign timed with Bogart's birthday. We could do a national tie in. Maybe get a film noir screening at the Egyptian and advertise it on a few of our new releases as a coming soon title.


A: It's part of a good idea. But what if we do a box set with a few other Bogie flicks like To Have and Have Not and Key Largo.

B: We could do it just before Christmas too. Get the old timers appetites whetted. Do it at a price point to make it a great stocking stuffer for Uncle Fred or Grandpa Jones.


A: But you're forgetting the film schools and the younger generation - both catering to the younger generation's interest for old movies.

B: We could offer a sneak peak and a cool trailer. Promote it on Facebook and Twitter. Maybe tie it into the new actioner coming down our pipeline. Advertise Bogie as the ultimate, original man of action. We could also hold key screenings for film students and offer them a chance to buy advanced copies of these discs; pay a couple of them to blog about the experience to their friends. Get the internet traffic interested. What do you think?


A: the more word of mouth, the better. Hit it from all angles. Give it the same PR you would that crappy 3D horror flick nobody will remember ten minutes after they leave the theater. Spread the marketing dollars evenly. New stuff doesn't need the same push in the same way that classic catalog does.

B: Agreed. Let me give this one some serious thought.


Then the best way to market each title and still figure out a lucrative way to make a hearty profit at the end of the trail might be attained. Before simply pumping out a disc, content would be inspected by (1) film preservationist/restoration expert (think Bob Harris or Bob Gitt here) and a cost effective breakdown would be figured out to make the preservation/restoration profitable. Then, (1) marketing expert would get behind it and prepare a national ad campaign to ignite public interest. There: I've effectively distilled the process down to four individuals who could make this happen overnight - roughly the same number each studio currently has in place working for them right now. Except the 4 currently employed are probably mid to low grade execs with virtually no understanding of the movies as art. Remember the ole Charlton Heston maxim: "The trouble with movies as art is that they're a business. Of course, the troubles with movies as a business is that they're also an art!"


Today, someone leafs through a catalog the way you or I peruse a Sears catalog. They pick up the phone, find out which title has a hi-def scan ready to go, or the one with the least amount of new work required to get it up to snuff, then they simply dump that disc on the market without fanfare or respect and then expect it to turn an immediate profit. Making certain discs 'Best Buy' or Amazon exclusives, or opening their own 'archives' and or 'clubs' (Disney, are you listening) and then releasing major catalog only to these restricted areas of distribution only cuts down the amount of people who would buy their product if only they knew where to look for it online.


It's dumb, silly delays like The Abyss and True Lies - to say nothing of countless other deeper catalog titles still MIA that sour consumers on buying physical media. The studios have forgotten that certain movies, like the aforementioned 'fictionalized' crappy 3D horror flick are disposable commodities while deeper catalog titles are not only the touchstones of a generation but the cornerstones of their own historical foundation. Without movies like The Big Sleep, they wouldn't be here today debating the merits of where to go from here.


Delays and silence can really kill interest in a particular release. They can also sincerely outrage another segment of the consumer base who would buy these titles in a heartbeat. Either way, having pissed off or bored consumers as their only clientele really isn't a very smart move. High time someone working in home video figured this simple fact out for themselves and became busy rectifying the oversights. But for that you need my 4 guys doing the heavy lifting; not 4 individuals who navel-gaze at a printed list of thousands of titles and spin the wheel randomly to select which title next gets the prize for being slapped out on disc.