Why the high MSRP for Femme Nikita? (1 Viewer)

[Ollie]

TSoD has a news items showing the MSRP for the upcoming season 4 of Femme Nikita at $99.95! I've just recently discovered this series on DVD, and have been working my way through Season 1, renting the disks from Netflix. I am liking it enough that I was thinking of adding it to my collection, having no idea it was such a high price point. Why is is so much higher than other 1 hour crime dramas which usually retail in the $45-$55 range?

 

[ElijahS]

I think it's primarily due to the niche, cult favorite status of the show. I doubt that at a lower SRP it would be a significantly better seller, but there are fans of the show who want the sets. So the sets are coming out at an average of once per year (more specifically if you go by the original release date for Season 2) for the fans, which is probably a better scenario for fans than having one season out at $49.99 SRP and no further seasons.

That being said, I haven't purchased any of the sets, and won't most likely until the entire series is out, so that I can try to get a better deal. There is one (short) season to go after Season 4, after all.

 

[Pete Battista]

I personally never seen this show... but always wanted to... except these sets cost a bit more then I am willing to pay for a blind buy purchase. :frowning:

 

[Ollie]

Thanks for the insight. I didn't know that it had a "cult" following. Acutally, I don't remember it being on USA , and didn't even know the show existed. I only heard of it, because I'd read that two of the writers for 24 got their start with that show. Since I am a HUGE fan of 24, I thought I'd check out their earlier work.

It doesn't come close to the edge of the seat suspense of 24 for me, but I do find it entertaining none the less. I received Season 1, Disk 3 in the mail today, and will continue to work my way through the series. Hopefully, it remains interesting. But there are too many forthcoming releases that I want REALLY, REALLY want, for me to spend nearly $100 bucks a season on these.

 

[Gord Lacey]

Elijah is right; they're selling fewer copies of the sets so the price is higher. This is the same SRP that B5 had, and Brisco County Jr will have.

Gord

 

[Linda Thompson]

In addition to the show's cult/niche status, I would also think that music licensing plays at least some part in the high price point. The show used a LOT of music...but thankfully no Top-40 crap. So far, only one singular song has been replaced. That was the reason for the Season 2 recall...a licensing deal apparently fell through at the last moment, necessitating the replacement of that one song. (I was lucky enough to snag one of the recalled sets, and I also bought the re-issued set.)

LFN is, quite possibly, my all-time favorite show. I've said it before and I still say it...I'm one of the "cult followers" who'd buy the show at twice the price, simply because I love it THAT much. But I can definitely understand the concerns of more casual potential buyers. That price point is definitely a bit much to take a chance on.

 

[LeonaB]

I'm with you, Linda. I love, love, love La Femme Nikita and will pay whatever it takes to have the series on DVD. I concur that the high price has something to do with the music licensing. I'm just grateful that the music has been left intact, because it is so necessary to the show, IMO.

 

[Mark_TS]

I guess anything with a hot chick on the cover commands a higher list price-meh

 

[billGR]

hi everyone in my honest opinion the company that makes the la femme nikita tv serie dvd sets should realy consider lowering the price of each dvd set from $100 to maybe 39.99 or lower in my opinion. thanks bill

 

[Jeff#]

That's why they're shooting themselves in the foot!

If they lowered the price by half, they would definitely sell many more units than they already have. I was into La Femme Nikita when it first aired on the USA Network during those 5 years, but I won't pay $100 for any season. So far only the first season has come down to sell-through and even used (at some Suncoast Video stores) that is in the $50 range.

The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. is only a single season anyhow, but it wasn't much more than a Wild Wild West retread -- the only western / fantasy series to attempt to revive that genre.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Twice as much? Three times as much? Four times as much? Because that's probably what it would have to be to make it worth doing. Warner is trying to maximize $x * (people willing to pay $x), where $x is the profit as opposed to price... not the number sold.

 

[Jeff#]

Well, it could be that the special features on Le Femme Nikita probably justifies the higher pricing. Not having purchased any of them, I don't know just how many there are.

At least 20 Century Fox was able to put out affordable season sets of The X-Files, and some of the extras were sporadically included (particularly with the 6th season collection).

 

[Scott_F_S]

I have the first set. Nothing "special" about the special features. Run-of-the-mill.

 

[Jeff#]

Thanks, Scott. Maybe someday they'll re-release each season of La Femme Nikita in the $50 range just the way they are. We can always hope. That will probably be the price of the final season, in which there were only 8 episodes anyhow.

 

[Linda Thompson]

I second that. They're nice to have, but I honestly don't feel that they're of a high enough caliber to rank as a major factor in setting the price point.

I still believe it all comes down to a combination of the limited consumer fan base targeted for the show, as well as some pretty heavy music licensing issues. And I, for one, am extremely happy to pay the premium price to have the show unbutchered, with all the music intact, instead of having something like the Quantum Leap fiasco. That's another show which I loved (not as much as LFN), but I steadfastly refuse to buy any of the R1 releases beyond Season 1, because of the hack job done to the music on the subsequent seasons. As with LFN, the music was an integral part of the show. On QL specifically, the music was quite often very attuned to an episode's time period, the plot, and even the characters themselves.

I'd gladly have paid a premium price to have QL complete and untampered with, but it looks like I won't have that option with R1 sets. I'm just glad not to have had that situation with LFN.

And, yes, I fully realize I'm talking about two entirely different studios in comparing these two releases. But, Universal proved they COULD do it right if they wanted to...witness Miami Vice. They apparently just didn't want to take the time or make the effort for QL. (Please refer to the QL thread itself for further discussion.)

I'm glad WHV did LFN right, and I very happily voice my satisfaction at the cash register.

 

[SettoKaiba]

nikita is hot!!

 

[SettoKaiba]

worth every penny to buy the dvd!!

 

[SettoKaiba]

where is she now?

 

[ethanTo]

A bit part (from the sounds of it) in Superman Returns. The last thing I saw her in was League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which was beyond terrible. :frowning: