"Freaks" in keep case from Warner? (1 Viewer)

[Eric Huffstutler]

Just received my copy of "Freaks" and even though it was originally an MGM movie, there are Warner shield logos all over including the spine yet it's in a keep case, not snapper! No MGM logo on it anywhere.

What gives?

Eric

 

[Matt Czyz]

Warners owns the MGM library. They bought it awhile ago.

 

[Douglas Bailey]

Specifically, as I remember it, WB owns all MGM films made before 1986. Films made by UA still belong to MGM, as do MGM releases from 1986 forward...

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

That's not the point. We know they bought MGM but normally I find that if it was an MGM title, they put the MGM logo on the cover art and pack it in a keep case. If it has the Warner logo it is packed in a snapper unless it is a multi-disc set. I have even seen titles such as Gone With the Wind, the Wizard of Oz, etc... which were originally MGM and re-released by warner in snappers. "Freaks" doesn't display the MGM logo but only the Warner logo, even on the disc, yet it is in a keep case. That is the puzzling part!

Eric

 

[Malcolm R]

I believe Warner has started phasing out snappers, or at least using them more selectively.

I thought they'd ditched them altogether, then out came "Mystic River" in a snapper.

I wonder if they're also ditching the digipack for their 2-disc editions? New ads in Entertainment Weekly show upcoming 2-disc sets in keepcases.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Warners has been commonly using keepcases for a while now - nothing unusual about that...

 

[Eric Huffstutler]

Commonly using meaning "selective" use as Malcolm indicated or exclusively? If exclusively then why are some titles still coming out in those crappy cardboard cases?

 

[Matt Czyz]

It's as simple as Warners is moving on to keepcases, but the occasional snapper case still gets used. Why? Who knows.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

At least the MGM lion is still intact at the head of the film; most home video companies when they acquire another studio's films will chop the logo off and slap on their own instead. That's all that really concerns me.

 

[Patrick McCart]

It looks like Warner's fully switched by now. Pretty much all future releases have keepcase artwork (even Rainbow Brite vs. Predator or whatever the title is...)

I think the only other case they'll be using is the gatefold for 3+ discs.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

w.r.t. WB finally embracing keepcases, I think I speak for most on the forum when I say. "We accept you. One of us! One of us!"

Regards,

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Patrick,

I wouldn't go by what you see from photos of case art, especially those from websites like DVDanswers and other non R1 websites that leak cover art as even the early photos of the Mystic River DVD were shown in keepcases, but of course Warner released it in a snapper - for R1.

Warner has been very slowly phasing out the snapper, but it is still in use, and will be probably for a little while longer, especially for restocking older DVD titles.

 

[Mark_TS]

old titles will eventually be switched over to keepcase, ive read.

The only reason a snapper will appear on a new title now is if it was contracted out before the cut off date-some titles have been in the hopper, assigned cat #s and contracts for packaging long ago. Some titles are delayed, but with an original contract for snappercases.

Any titles contracted for relase after the cut-off date will be Keepcases.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Boy, it seems pretty exclusive to me - I can't recall the last WB title I got in a snapper. Not saying there aren't still a few, but it's been a while since I've seen one...

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Mark,

What "cut-off date" are you referring to? Is this something you read from WHV?

The Whole Ten Yards is another very recent release (7/27/04) in a snapper (and another example of the early case art showing it in a keepcase). It is a new catalog number (#28414), and was certainly contracted out well after most current WB keepcase releases.

Of the hundreds of older WB releases, can anyone point out any examples where they replaced the snapper with a keepcase when re-stocking supplies?

Again, where are you getting this information?

Frankly I'd be very surprised if WB re-stocks older titles with keepcases without changing the UPC and possibly even the DVD itself as otherwise they might be faced with countless dissatisfied customers demanding that Warner offer them the new keepcases to replace their snappers. While legally they certainly would not be required to do so, but the risk of damaging their position in the market place would be too great not to - and the cost of mailing those replacement cases would be severe. As such I suspect they will continue using the snapper for those older releases until they replace the title with a new release, even if it only means a change in the UPC.

The coffin is closing on the Snapper, but it's not quiet dead yet.

 

[James Reader]

I believe one of the conditions on the sale is that the MGM logo and intro would be kept intact on all of the films transferred to Warner ownership. So Warner should never remove the MGM ident on any of their MGM films.

 

[Douglas Bailey]

This is true of other films that have changed hands, too: I believe the Paramount Hitchcock films—which were released to DVD by Universal—still have the Paramount logo at the top of the film. And I'm sure there are other examples...

 

[Patrick McCart]

Of the 6 that were moved to Universal (Rope, The Trouble With Harry, Vertigo, Rear Window, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Psycho)...

Only The Man Who Knew Too Much has a replaced logo. The rest have original logos... although, Rope, Vertigo, and Rear Window have the Universal logo attached to the head of the film.

 

[Malcolm R]

Their New Line Cinema division has been using keepcases for awhile now. They also replaced the snappers with keepcases on restock copies of the first two Austin Powers films.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

It wasn't until after the Rear Window film restoration that Universal included the cleverly placed Paramount logo for Rear Window on home video. Tapes and laserdiscs appearing after the film's 80's re-circulation were missing this.

Regards,