The Twilight Time News and Info Thread (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

Gotcha.

Yeah, I always buy from SAE. I set up an account there a long time ago and am basically a creature of habit.

Their shipping and packaging are always first rate.

 

[PODER]

I very much agree with Billy Batson. Having just scrolled through all the titles Twilight Time still has available at the original price, I think it'll be around for some time just selling off stock. I started making a list of one's I'd love to have, but at a lower price and stopped at twenty. I wasn't even halfway through the list at that point!

 

[Keith Cobby]

I now have all tbe titles i want. Thanks Twilight Time, it was fun while it lasted.

 

[David Norman]

It appears SAE is having some sort of massive sale. 100% of the TT titles appear to be on sale 2.50/4.95/8.95/14.95 levels.

Not seeing anything at TT.com yet, but this is feeling just a bit more like a Goodbye sale.


EDIT:
Saturday morning and twilighttime.com appears to be having the same deal.

 

[The Obsolete Man]

It appears SAE is having some sort of massive sale. 100% of the TT titles appear to be on sale 2.50/4.95/8.95/14.95 levels.

Not seeing anything at TT.com yet, but this is feeling just a bit more like a Goodbye sale.

Let's Make Love has finally reached $14.99, so yeah, this one feels a bit different.
Not just that one title, mind you, but everything on sale? Damn.

 

[Douglas R]

It appears SAE is having some sort of massive sale. 100% of the TT titles appear to be on sale 2.50/4.95/8.95/14.95 levels.

Not seeing anything at TT.com yet, but this is feeling just a bit more like a Goodbye sale.

Looks as if these might be the new standard prices $14.99 and lower - until everything is sold out.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Just purchased Our Man in Havana, Bedazzled, and How to Steal a Million for $14.95 each but don't like paying $9.50 for shipping which seems excessive to me. I see talk of Twilight Time going out of business...is this true?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

They haven’t put out any new titles since the middle of last year with no further announcements, their founder has passed away, they’ve alienated the founder’s wife who had previously contributed to every release, and the studio they primarily licensed content from no longer exists.

It doesn’t look great.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

That's too bad and have purchased close to 20 titles from them starting with Journey to the Center of the Earth from 2012.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Besides the personnel issues, in a way they were victims of both their own success and prisoners of their business model. When they first started up, there was a market for $30 limited editions (really $35 since no free shipping) and the 3000 copy print run encouraged people to purchase sooner then later. Studios got a cash payment for those 3000 copies up front, making them more eager to license specifically to TT.

Since then, the market has declined so dramatically that 3000 copies isn’t a limited edition anymore - in most cases its 2-6 times more copies than these titles can ever hope to sell, but their business model locked them into that number. And other labels are licensing similar content and selling it for less than TT and in more places. Obviously they knew it was a limited endeavor when they began but it’s fascinating to me how much changed so quickly that 3000 copies went from being a small handful to more than anyone could ever hope to sell in just a few years.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Besides the personnel issues, in a way they were victims of both their own success and prisoners of their business model. When they first started up, there was a market for $30 limited editions (really $35 since no free shipping) and the 3000 copy print run encouraged people to purchase sooner then later. Studios got a cash payment for those 3000 copies up front, making them more eager to license specifically to TT.

Since then, the market has declined so dramatically that 3000 copies isn’t a limited edition anymore - in most cases its 2-6 times more copies than these titles can ever hope to sell, but their business model locked them into that number. And other labels are licensing similar content and selling it for less than TT and in more places. Obviously they knew it was a limited endeavor when they began but it’s fascinating to me how much changed so quickly that 3000 copies went from being a small handful to more than anyone could ever hope to sell in just a few years.

Nick and Brian told us almost 10 years ago that they named it Twilight Time because they saw it as the beginning of the end of physical media. It’s amazing how things have changed in such a short time. I never thought I would buy a digital copy over physical, but find myself doing that most of the time now.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Nick and Brian told us almost 10 years ago that they named it Twilight Time because they saw it as the beginning of the end of physical media. It’s amazing how things have changed in such a short time. I never thought I would buy a digital copy over physical, but find myself doing that most of the time now.

It’s happening to me as well. There have been plenty of times where the TT version was $30 + shipping, while the same master used to make the disc was onsale at iTunes for $5. I like commentaries and bonus features as much as the next guy, but that’s such a huge disparity that I have to seriously consider if the bonus features are worth paying six times more to have.

 

[RMajidi]

They haven’t put out any new titles since the middle of last year with no further announcements, their founder has passed away, they’ve alienated the founder’s wife who had previously contributed to every release, and the studio they primarily licensed content from no longer exists.

It doesn’t look great.

Unvarnished truth makes for sober reading - well summarised there, Josh.

The thing about TT was that I had a sentimental attachment to the label - seeing the efforts of people passionate about classic cinema, trying to make it accessible to others in a sustainable way. So I didn’t balk at their premium prices. They were upfront about what they were doing and why, and I wished them success, and did my bit by buying many dozens of their offerings.

Stripped of that sentimentality by the untimely passing of the label’s champion and active founder, coupled with the reported sidelining of his wife, whose insightful writing, commentary and enthusiasm played such a large part of the attraction, what was left behind was cold business and a matter of stock on hand that must be cleared. So my response has since been equally cold and unsentimental.

Although there were still some titles I wanted from TT, I was no longer prepared to pay top dollar, knowing that it was not going to help sustain a continuing effort to bring classic film to appreciative fans. Responding in kind (i.e. coldly commercial), I didn’t think they could sustain their usual prices, with rehashed sale after sale of the same set of titles (American Buffalo anyone?), so I was prepared to wait it out.

All of which is a sad end to such a nice story. We all expected this story to end at some point - earlier than this, even - however, not quite so anti-climactically, with a bitter aftertaste and no sense of a satisfactory closure. Purely business.

 

[haineshisway]

Listen, let me spell it out, in case it's eluding anyone: Nick Redman was the motor of the company, its heart and soul. Period. He's sadly gone and let me tell you all of his nearest and dearest, of which I am one, miss him every day. Yes, he and Brian began it, but it was Nick's passion and love of film that drove it. And Julie was there every step of the way. She was not treated well and that, let me tell you, is the worst kind of karma for those who were disrespectful.

 

[RMajidi]

Listen, let me spell it out, in case it's eluding anyone: Nick Redman was the motor of the company, its heart and soul. Period. He's sadly gone and let me tell you all of his nearest and dearest, of which I am one, miss him every day. Yes, he and Brian began it, but it was Nick's passion and love of film that drove it. And Julie was there every step of the way. She was not treated well and that, let me tell you, is the worst kind of karma for those who were disrespectful.

Genuinely sorry for the loss of your friend. Hoping time will lessen the pain of your loss.

 

[David Norman]

Emails went out overnight

MARCH MADNESS SALE through 3/31/2020

Several items appear to be Critical Stock levels

Stock updated 8pm ET March 1
The Train (Encore) - SOLD OUT
The Hawaiians -- 12 copies SAE only
Miss Sadie Thompson -- SOLD OUT
Scorpio -- 26 Copies SAE only

Kiss of Death possibly sold out, but the last 30 copies at SAE and all the TT copies seems to go away suddenly so I'm not sure if it's real or a glitch

The Remains of the Day -- 2 copies left at TT

 

[Alan Tully]

I just ordered The Admirable Crichton, down in price at long last (& a brave choice from Twilight Time, as I don't think it would ever sell that many copies in America), & I think that's my lot from TT.

 

[Dee Zee]

I’ve bought many a TT title over the last few years. So thankful to see favorite films on Blu-ray presented with such high quality. All things must pass.

 

[TonyD]

I haven’t bought any since 2017 and in 14 made this ignominious order.


QtyTitleUnit PriceItem Total 37
THOSE MAGNIFICENT MEN IN THEIR FLYING MACHINES (1965)$29.95 each
SubTotal: $1,108.15
Shipping: $38.55
Total: $1,146.70

 

[TonyD]

Also I see that I ordered the signed Sinbad movie but didn’t get it. Oh well.