Where's The Weinstein Company? (1 Viewer)

[ReggieW]

Have they abandoned HD-DVD? They presently have no releases scheduled. This is a bit odd, as I would certainly expect them to have SOMETHING on their schedule.

I would love to see the Grindhouse and the Kill Bill Whole Bloody Affair films on HD-DVD.

Any news?

 

[Will_B]

I'd assume they've switching to BluRay. Not saying that to start a war, but rather, since Blockbuster's roll out to physical stores is going to be BluRay only, and the Weinstein's direct-to-video fodder are Blockbuster exclusives, they need to either drop Blockbuster or take on BluRay.

I couldn't help but add that insult in about Weinstein's exclusives being crap, but so far the Weinstein "Blockbuster Exclusive" banner is like a big "STAY AWAY" sign.

 

[Jeremy Little]

It isn't. The Weinstein Company has a very small catalog to work from, and from a business standpoint it doesn't make sense to release them all right up front.

 

[ppltd]

Give them a break. They just released two films in June, and have always taken the time to ensure their masters are up to stuff. They have also been the on HD studio to consistently give us lossless tracks on their releases.

As they have a relatively small catalog, I assume they are just pacing their releases.

 

[ppltd]

Well, stay away then.

 

[Thornhill]

I noticed that Hard Boiled is being released on Blu-Ray with the Stranglehold
video game being released for PS3. I believe that Weinstein owns the rights to this film. Hard Boiled is also being released on its own as a Dragon Dynasty DVD release. I'm surprised they allowed this to be released on BD considering their HD-DVD exclusivity. The BD version is apparently being released for a limited time with the game though. So who knows what they're actually planning?

 

[Paul Arnette]

Oh, I have been, and, believe me, it wasn't even a conscience decision.

 

[Jim_K]

Same here Paul. If all they're willing to release to HD are new films then there's only 1 title of theirs I'm interested in (Grindhouse) but it looks like Harvey Scissorhands is already mucking up the SD version by splitting it into two seperate releases.

 

[Paul Hillenbrand]

Over at High-Def Digest:

The reason Weinstein is okay releasing "Hard Boiled" on Blu-ray ...


Paul

 

[Paul Arnette]

Paul, I've personally never bought into the whole idea that Hard Boiled on the Stranglehold PS3 game meant they were going neutral or flipping to BD. However, when I look at their catalog, no company outside of Starz Home Entertainment (previously Anchor Bay Home Entertainment) screams "movies that gamers would buy" more. This combined with the recent Blockbuster announcement and The Weinstein Company's previous exclusivity contract with them does make it seem like it would be a logical move on their part in the future. Again, outside of Kill Bill and Grindhouse they really have nothing of interest to me whatsoever.

 

[TravisR]

I think you can 'blame' Tarantino and Rodriguez just as much as Weinstein. If they wanted Grindhouse to be released as it was in the theaters, it would have been. As it stands, they all know they can make more money by selling them individually and then (maybe) going back and re-releasing the original later.

 

[Jim_K]

I don't necessarily agree. Grindhouse was a bomb at the BO so I don't think they have much pull in regards to how this title is released on video.

 

[Douglas Monce]

That all depends on what their contract with Weinstein says. They may very well have complete say over how the film is released on video.

Also just because it didn't do well at the boxoffice doesn't mean it won't do well on video. Just look at Austin Powers as an example of a boxoffice dud that became a huge hit on video. Big enough in fact that it had two sequels.

Doug

 

[Jim_K]

I never said it "won't do well" on video. In fact I think it would do very well on DVD and would also sell pretty good on HD if there is a HD release.

This was a major box office bomb costing $53,000,000 and grossing only $25,000,000. A $28 million hole for a small company like Weinstein can't endear them to Tarantino/Rodriguez. Tarantino has clout but not like a Spielberg or Lucas.

 

[Vincent_P]

In no way, shape, or form was the original AUSTIN POWERS a "box office dud". It was a lowish-budget film that came out of nowhere and grossed $55-million at the domestic box-office alone (remember, Mike Myers hadn't had a hit in several years at that point, not since the original WAYNE'S WORLD). Yes, it got even more popular on home video and the sequels did much better box-office, but the first film was no more a "dud" than the original THE TERMINATOR was in that regard. AUSTIN POWERS: INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY was a true "sleeper hit", NOT a "dud", not even close.

Vincent

 

[TravisR]

No but I think that he's got enough clout (and a long term relationship with the Weinsteins) that if he really wanted it to happen, it would.

EDIT: There's also the possibility that Tarantino isn't interested in seeing the shortened version of Death Proof available on home video.

 

[ReggieW]

I agree that there aren't many titles in the Weinstein catalog that are "must haves" for me. Aside from Kill Bill/Grindhouse, the only other titles they have which would interest me would be the Bronston epics and the Dragon Dynasty titles. I do believe that they feel that the market isn't mature enough for the Bronston & Dragon Dynasty titles yet, and being a newer company with a small catalog, they have to be more careful with these decisions.

I don't THINK they're switching, but if they did, it seriously wouldn't bother me much. I presently don't have a SINGLE Weinstein title in my library (SD or HD-DVD).

 

[Douglas Monce]

Your correct in that Austin Powers wasn't a money loser at the box office. It cost 17 million and made about 53 million. In Hollywood today that is a modest money maker but most films doing those kind of numbers fade into obscurity. It wasn't until the DVD was a HUGE hit that New Line started thinking about sequels, and Austin Powers became a pop culture icon. In fact this was one of the first films where Hollywood started to realize that the home video market was bigger than the theatrical market.

Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

This may also still be an issue over all production capacity for HD DVD. Also I imagine the Bronston epics are probably in need of restoration, so I wouldn't look for them to start showing up for a while because of the amount of work needed to be done.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Well its not always a matter of clout, its a matter of what his contract says. I know that Tarantino has final cut rights on all of his films. He may also have the right to supervise all home video versions of his work.

And no one has the kind of clout that Spielberg has other than Spielberg. He is the 800 pound gorilla of Hollywood. Lucas has the kind of clout that he has because he finances all his own films. The studios have very little risk with his films.

Doug