Does anybody know what's going on with MGM's James Bond releases on Blu-ray? I have the first two boxed sets (which contain three movies each)that came out last fall. MGM was going to put out two more boxed sets in the Spring, but dialed that release back to one box. However, they have since released License to Kill and The Man with the Golden Gun on individual discs, and neither one is included in the three boxed sets currently available. It makes things rather messy for people who only want to collect the boxed sets. So, what I'm wondering is, will MGM release any more Bond Blu-ray boxed sets? If so, when? Will the boxes eventually include the two titles currently available only as single releases? And, most importantly, *** is MGM thinking? Does anybody have any "insider" information they've picked up through the wires?
James Bond Blu-ray
- Thread starter HoratioCaine
- Start date
Here's my deductive reasoning on the whole thing. The Blu Ray editions were not the huge hit that I think MGM was expecting. Too soon, I think. Everybody just purchased the Definitive DVD editions not even two years ago, so the first two Blu Ray sets didn't meet expectations. So, in order to test the waters a bit more, they release individual sets of the two lowest grossing films of the entire series in order to get a "worst scenario" estimation. If they only sell, say, thirty thousand copies of MWTGG and LTK, they will then have a high mark and a low mark to go by when figured with the previous Blu Ray sets. They can then gauge whether or not they should re-do the rest of the series now or postpone it until a later date.
Tentative half assed marketing. Blu Ray is not DVD. Yet. We're already numb from endless double dipping by the same companies that want us to believe that in this fractured economy we need to buy the same frigging movie we've purchased eight times in the last ten years. (Anybody that is familiar with the Evil Dead trilogy will understand how much of a farce this can be). Most consumers don't see such a huge difference in Blu Ray and DVD- yet- unlike the night and day difference between VHS and DVD that helped spread the DVD phenomena like wildfire ten years back.
So, I say don't hold your breath waiting for the new sets. I don't see them realistically putting them out for awhile.
Tentative half assed marketing. Blu Ray is not DVD. Yet. We're already numb from endless double dipping by the same companies that want us to believe that in this fractured economy we need to buy the same frigging movie we've purchased eight times in the last ten years. (Anybody that is familiar with the Evil Dead trilogy will understand how much of a farce this can be). Most consumers don't see such a huge difference in Blu Ray and DVD- yet- unlike the night and day difference between VHS and DVD that helped spread the DVD phenomena like wildfire ten years back.
So, I say don't hold your breath waiting for the new sets. I don't see them realistically putting them out for awhile.
Check out http://www.digitalbits.com
They're the absolute go to when it comes to rumors, release dates, etc. Plus Bill, the site owner, is a super nice guy.
They're the absolute go to when it comes to rumors, release dates, etc. Plus Bill, the site owner, is a super nice guy.
- Thread starter
- #4
Funny you should say that. I learned of Blu-ray Disc for the first time the very day my complete set of Bond DVDs arrived in the mail from Amazon. I hadn't even opened the package yet, and I just learned that these discs, which I had been coveting for years prior to their release, were to be superseded. Double dipping indeed. That still hasn't stopped me from getting the first two Blu-ray boxes - which were actually a Christmas gift - but I'm holding off on more until I see which way MGM is going with their releases. If they would just be consistent about it, I'd suck up my indignity over the double dipping and get them. But this "tentative, half assed marketing," as you put it, really fries my fellas.
After my above post, I did a little more research and learned that the MWTGG and LTK Blu-rays were originally part of a Best Buy exclusive set that also included a Quantum of Solace Blu-ray. So, I'm not sure if the release of the titles is test marketing so much as added incentive to buy QoS. Or maybe it is the other way around: package the two lowest grossing Bond films with the newest release to increase their sales. But now they're available individually anyway, so go figure.
As for your thoughts on future releases, you may have a point. All of the Bond Blu-ray releases to date have been used as cross-promotional vehicles for Quantum of Solace: the first two sets marked the theatrical release of the film, and the third (plus the Best Buy oddity) came out at the same time as the QoS release on home video. Even the Ultimate DVDs were timed to coincide with the theatrical release of Casino Royale. Without another big event to come, at least for another year or so, what's the motivation for more releases? Christmas?
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for the suggestion. I'm a regular visitor to that site, although I don't always keep on top of things there. Since the site doesn't feature a search function, one has to sift through all the archives in chronological order to locate a past announcement. Last I remember from The Bits was information I've already stated in my previous posts. If they've announced anything since, I missed it. I've though about writing to Bill, but the last time I did - inquiring about a Pulp Fiction Blu-ray release - I never heard back. Should I try him again?
I didn't know about the Best Buy deal. Weird- I can see packaging QoS with Casino Royale- but what's the point in packaging it with LtK and TMWTGG? If they were indeed trying to gauge projected sales, their data would be skewed by the fact that QoS was going to be a hot seller. Or... they could have had it planned out that they would print up several copies of the two "weak" films, and not only would they give Best Buy their obligatory "exclusive", but they could distribute the remainders for individual sale in order to do this hypothetical marketing research.
And you're correct- all the previous "Collectors Sets" coincided with new films. The four individual box "Ultimate DVDs" preceded the theatrical release of Casino Royale, and then these four individual sets were wrapped up together with the DVD of Casino Royale for a new "comprehensive" collectors set. I feel that MGM thought that they were going to be able to get away with this every year or so, and ended up jumping the proverbial shark.
Another thing that irked me about the previous DVD set was that the boxes weren't chronological, and the staggered releases meant I had to wait until the very last box to get my favorite (Dr. No) which was the frigging first film in the series! I know they did this figuring that everybody would buy the Connery and Brosnan sets and ignore the Moore and Dalton eras, but come on! I hate that if you try to arrange the sets chronologically on the shelf, the titles on the boxes won't match the titles inside.
Yeah, I have OCD. What's your point?
And you're correct- all the previous "Collectors Sets" coincided with new films. The four individual box "Ultimate DVDs" preceded the theatrical release of Casino Royale, and then these four individual sets were wrapped up together with the DVD of Casino Royale for a new "comprehensive" collectors set. I feel that MGM thought that they were going to be able to get away with this every year or so, and ended up jumping the proverbial shark.
Another thing that irked me about the previous DVD set was that the boxes weren't chronological, and the staggered releases meant I had to wait until the very last box to get my favorite (Dr. No) which was the frigging first film in the series! I know they did this figuring that everybody would buy the Connery and Brosnan sets and ignore the Moore and Dalton eras, but come on! I hate that if you try to arrange the sets chronologically on the shelf, the titles on the boxes won't match the titles inside.
Yeah, I have OCD. What's your point?
- Thread starter
- #8
If I recall, Ultimate DVD boxes three and four were released together, only two weeks or so after boxes one and two (also released together), meaning collectors only had to wait a few weeks to get them all. Granted, they're still packaged out of order, but once you've got them all, that annoyance is minor on the scale of annoyances, at leat I think so. Then again, I've seen a lot of people grumble about the packaging, so I might be in the minority. As for Blu-ray, we're nine months to the day into the release schedule, and at most we have thirteen of the twenty-two films (not including Never Say Never Again, which is also now available on Blu-ray), and only nine are in boxed sets. At this rate, collectors are going to have to wait years to get the whole set in high def. Oh well, at least the DVDs are pretty darn good.
And speaking of OCD, how the heck are they going to make the boxes jibe with the number of films? There are twenty-two films total, so far, and each Blu-ray box has three films. The numbers don't add up. I suppose they could include all films up to QoS, and leave that one as the odd one out. Or, seeing as how there are only nine films left that haven't seen any Blu-ray release, maybe MGM will just release three more boxed sets, and leave the four current individual relases (CR, QoS, LtK, TMwtGG) as the odd ones out. Do you suppose that the folks at MGM are wondering the exact same thing and haven't figured it out themselves? What a mess.
Edit: Or maybe they'll put out the remaining nine in three boxes, then put out a final box containing the four currently individual releases. That would actually be something resembling fair, since those who already bought the individual titles wouldn't have to spring for a boxed set to get a title they don't already have. Which means they won't do it that way. I swear, movie companies are almost as bad as Gillette.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #9
I'll try him again. I'm not on Facebook, though, so I'll have to take my chances just e-mailing him at The Bits.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Article
- Locked
- Article
