Displaying items by tag: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
The Fugitive, JFK & Color Purple are coming to 4K, plus Barbie & Dead Reckoning P1 updates, support the To Boldly Go Trek doc & much more!
Greetings, Bits-ers! Sorry I missed posting my usual news column yesterday here at the site, but it turned out to be an incredibly busy day of working on reviews and communicating with our industry sources to chase down details and confirm some interesting forthcoming titles. As such, we’ve got a bit of ground to cover today and all of it should prove interesting. First though, let’s start with our latest new disc reviews, as always...
Longtime Bits contributor Adam Jahnke has returned for an in-depth review of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), new on 4K Ultra HD from Disney. The UHD image is spectacular, and we’ve confirmed that the studio went back to the original camera negative for a new 4K scan, remaster, and HDR grade, all of which were approved by director Henry Selick. Most but not all of the legacy special features carry over on the accompanying Blu-ray as well, which also offers better encoding and a higher data rate that the previous BD edition. This title seems to be one more sign that Disney is starting to turn things around with their physical media. So do give it a look.
Also today, Stephen has taken a good look at Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing (1982), which is new on 4K Ultra HD from our friends at the MVD Rewind Collection.
And Dennis has posted a review of Wesley Ruggles’ classic film epic Cimarron (1931) on Blu-ray from the good people at the Warner Archive Collection.
All of these are worth your time, and more new disc reviews are already in the works. In fact, I’m going to be posting my take on Universal’s new Battlestar Galactica (1978) 4K Ultra HD—which streets today—sometime later this evening or early tomorrow. So be sure to watch for that. [Read on here...]
- Warner Archive Collection
- The Nightmare Before Christmas 4K
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe BD box
- Tremors 2: Aftershocks 4K
- Barbarella 4K
- Duel 4K
- Contempt 4K
- Dennis Seuling
- Stephen Bjork
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Barbie 4K
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 4K
- The Color Purple 4K
- Steven Spielberg
- Oliver Stone
- JFK 4K
- Aero Theatre
- The Fugitive 4K
- The Inglorious Treksperts
- To Boldly Go documentary Kickstarter
- Andrew Davis
- Fire Country: Season One DVD
The Muppets Take Manhattan, Meg 2, Contempt, Weird & Barbarella in 4K, plus Arrow & Imprint’s November slates & much more!
We’re closing out the week with a bunch of new disc reviews and a ton of significant new title announcements as well from the likes of Arrow, Imprint, Sony, Shout! Factory, and more. But first, here are those reviews...
First, Stephen has delivered his in-depth takes on James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3 (2023) on 4K Ultra HD from Marvel and Disney, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) on 4K UHD from Paramount, Russell Mulcahy’s Razorback (1984) on 4K UHD from Umbrella Entertainment, Lucio Fulci’s City of the Living Dead (1980) on 4K UHD from Cauldon Films, and Dario Argento’s Tenebrae (1982) on 4K UHD from Synapse Films.
Stuart has chimed in with his thoughts on Henry Koster’s My Man Godfrey (1957) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics, as well as Fred Zinnemann and John Sturges’ The Old Man and the Sea (1958) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Dennis has taken a look at Laura Tarruso’s About My Father (2023) on Blu-ray from Lionsgate, along with Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso (1998) on Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
Rest assured, we have even more new disc reviews coming next week, including Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams, and several other titles.
Now then... in announcement news over the last couple of days, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has officially set Frank Oz’s The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) for release on 4K Ultra HD on 10/24. Look for the film to be mastered in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision HDR and a new Dolby Atmos sound mix, both approved by Oz (the original English 5.1 and mono audio are also included). The 4K disc will also include a new audio commentary with Oz. This will be accompanied by a Blu-ray disc featuring the remastered film with 5.1 audio and 3 legacy special features (including an Interview with Jim Henson, Muppetisms: Miss Piggy & Kermit the Frog, and Muppetisms: Pepe and Fozzie Bear). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below. [Read on here...]
- Via Vision Entertainment
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Lionsgate
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Stephen Bjork
- Stuart Galbraith IV
- Dennis Seuling
- Guardians of the Galaxy V3 4K review
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 4K review
- Razorback 4K review
- City of the Living Dead 4K review
- Tenebrae 4K review
- My Man Godfrey BD review
- The Old Man and the Sea BD review
- About My Father BD review
- Drylongso BD review
- The Muppets Take Manhattan 4K
- Frank Oz
- Meg 2: The Trench 4K
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story 4K
- Shout! Studios
- The Girl from Rio 4K
- Blue Underground
- Contempt 4K
- Jean Luc Godard
- Duel 4K
- Arrow Video's November slate
- Imprint Film's November slate
- Barbarella 4K
- Tremors 2: Aftershocks 4K
- Inside the Mind of Coffin Joe BD box
- David Lynch's Dune 4K
- Koch Media
- Plaion Pictures
- Spicediver Cut
- The Sleeper Must Awaken
- Extended TV Version
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- White Lightning BD
- Tokyo Pop BD
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season Two BD & 4K
- Neill Blomkamp
- Gran Turismo 4K
- CBS
- Adam Yeend
- AFrame
- Henry Selick interview
- The Nightmare Before Christmas 4K
- Michael Mann interview
- Warner Archive Collection
Paramount sets Trading Places & Scrooged for 4K, plus Titans: S4, Walking Dead: Complete, Theater Camp, Punch Drunk Love 4K, a Cameron update & more
All right, we’ve got a lot of catching up to do in terms of release news today, in the wake of the recent Disney and Fox title announcements. So let’s get right to it...
Paramount has just set a pair of fan-favorite catalog films for release on 4K Ultra HD on 11/7... John Landis’s Trading Places (1983) and Richard Donner’s Scrooged (1988). We haven’t seen official announcements yet, so we don’t know for sure what the details are, but they’re now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. You can see the cover art at left and also below the break, where we’ll include the Amazon links. If the studio follows their usual release pattern however, the discs should include Dolby Vision HDR, DTS-HD MA soundtracks, and (possibly) the previously-released extras. It appears that Scrooged will not include a Blu-ray copy however—it’ll will be 4K UHD + Digital Code only.
Speaking of Paramount, their previously-announced South Park: The Complete Twenty-Sixth Season is finally available for pre-order on Amazon and you can see the cover art below.
Lionsgate has just announced a new John Wick: Chapters 1-4 Blu-ray collection for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on 10/17. All of the previous special features will be included.
Also newly-announced by Lionsgate for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital that same day is The Twilight Saga: The Complete Collection – 15th Anniversary Edition. Included will be Twilight (2008), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009), The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and the Breaking Dawn: Part 1 – Extended Edition (2022), as well as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012). The package will also include “three alternative artwork cards that can be swapped into the front cover of the package” and most or all of the previous legacy extras.
And here’s the big one: Lionsgate and AMC are releasing a massive The Walking Dead: The Complete Collection Blu-ray box set on 10/17. SRP for this one is $209.97. You can see the cover artwork for all three of these Lionsgate sets below the break. [Read on here...]
- Lionsgate
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Trading Places 4K
- Scrooged 4K
- Titans: Season Four
- The Walking Dead: The Complete Series BD
- Theater Camp
- Punch Drunk Love 4K
- James Cameron
- Jon Landau
- Lightstorm
- The Abyss 4K
- True Lies 4K
- Titanic 4K
- Aliens 4K
- The Hitcher 4K
- Second Sight
- Mean Streets 4K
- Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero 4K
- Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken
- Mark Kermode
- Blue Beetle
- Barbie
- Via Vision Entertainment
- Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 4K
- John Wick: Chapters 1 to 4
- The Twilight Saga: 15th Anniversary Edition
- 20th Century Studios
- Comedy Central
- South Park: Season 26 BD
- Xena: Warrior Princess
- Dr Strangelove 4K
BREAKING: Disney sets LOKI, WANDAVISION & THE MANDALORIAN: SEASONS 1 & 2 for Blu-ray & 4K Ultra HD!!
This is no joke, folks! We’ve got more great Disney 4K Ultra HD news to report for you today.
And no, it’s not the long-awaited James Cameron titles, but have faith—those are definitely still coming (and should be announced in the next few months). But in its way, this news is just as good.
Remember how we said that Disney might be turning a corner with their physical 4K UHD releases? Well, today we bring you breaking news of the company’s first Disney+ original series coming to Blu-ray and 4K! And these are some major titles!
Here’s the studio’s official press release (be sure to read to the very end for some additional comments of our own)...
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD AND BLU-RAY!
LOKI SEASON 1, WANDAVISION, AND THE MANDALORIAN SEASONS 1 AND 2
NEW COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS FROM MARVEL STUDIOS AND LUCASFILM WITH STEELBOOK PACKAGING, EXCLUSIVE ART AND NEW BONUS FEATURES
BURBANK, CA (August 21, 2023) – The Walt Disney Company today announced a number of popular series from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm will be available on Collector’s Edition 4K UHD and Blu-ray for fans to add to their movie collections, featuring Steelbook packaging, concept art cards and some never-before-seen bonus features.
The titles and dates announced are:
- Marvel Studios’ Loki: The Complete First Season – September 26, 2023
- Marvel Studios’ WandaVision: The Complete Series – November 28, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season – December 12, 2023
- Star Wars The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season – December 12, 2023
All four titles will be available to pre-order from August 28.
Each title will be available nationally on Blu-ray Steelbook with cohesive and collectible brand-new box art designed by popular artist Attila Szarka and collectible concept art cards. [Read on here...]
- Attila Szarka
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Breaking News
- Disney+ streaming series on 4K Ultra HD
- Lucasfilm
- Marvel Studios
- WandaVision: The Complete Series 4K
- Loki: The Complete First Season 4K
- The Mandalorian: The Complete First Season 4K
- The Mandalorian: The Complete Second Season 4K
- Star Wars
- The Walt Disney Company
- Steelbook packaging
- Grogu
- Baby Yoda
- This Is The Way
BREAKING: 20th Century Studios sets Dan Trachtenberg’s PREY (2022) for Blu-ray, DVD & 4K Ultra HD on 10/3!
We’ve got some great news to report for you today folks: As we first reported here at The Bits last month, 20th Century Studios is officially announcing the Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD release of Dan Trachtenberg’s Hulu original film Prey (2022) today! And here’s the official word, straight from the studio...
FOR THE FIRST TIME ON 4K UHD, BLU-RAY AND DVD, ADD THE 6-TIME EMMY NOMINATED PREY TO YOUR MOVIE COLLECTION
The Newest Entry in the Popular Predator Franchise, Prey Arrives on October 3 With Over 2 Hours of Bonus Content
BURBANK, CA (August 14, 2023) – The chilling prequel to the critically-acclaimed Predator films, 20th Century Studios’ Prey, arrives on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on October 3. As part of a special artist line, a collector’s edition 4K SteelBook, designed by popular digital artist Attila Szarka, will also be available exclusively at Best Buy.
Nominated for six Emmys, including Outstanding Television Movie, the science-fiction film welcomes new viewers into the Predator story while entertaining long-time fans of the celebrated franchise. All formats include a full-length Comanche audio track and never-before-seen bonus content.
Film Synopsis
The epic Predator legacy continues with this action-thriller set in 1719 on the Great Plains with a band of Comanches. When Naru, a fierce and highly skilled young warrior, sets out to protect her people, the prey she stalks turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator—leading to a vicious and terrifying showdown. [Read on here...]
- Breaking News
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- 20th Century Studios
- Prey 4K
- Best Buy 4K Steelbook
- Dan Trachtenberg
- Hulu
- Amber Midthunder
- Dane DiLiegro
- Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat
- Dakota Beavers
- Michelle Thrush
- Predator
- Prey (2022)
- Streaming Original Movie
- Attila Szarka
Sony sets The Way We Were for 4K on 10/17, plus M3GAN on Ultra HD, Universal Monsters 4K singles on 10/3, Sandman on UK Blu-ray & more!
We’re starting today with a couple more new disc reviews including...
Stephen’s take on Disney’s new wide-release 4K Ultra HD version of their animated classic Cinderalla (1950), which looks fantastic and bodes well for future Disney 4K titles.
And Dennis’ review of Harry Beaumont’s The Broadway Melody (1929) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
Now then, the big announcement news today is that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has finally (and officially) set Sydney Pollack’s The Way We Were (1973) for 4K Ultra HD release on 10/17 in a new 50th Anniversary Edition. [Read on here...]
- Dennis Seuling
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Stephen Bjork
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- Cinderella 4K wide release review
- The Broadway Melody (1929) BD review
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- The Warner Archive Collection
- The Way We Were: 50th Anniversary Edition 4K
- Sydney Pollack
- The Mummy 4K
- The Bride of Frankenstein 4K
- Phantom of the Opera 4K
- Creature from the Black Lagoon 4K
- M3GAN 4K
- Cocaine Bear 4K
- The Black Phone 4K
- Universal Classic Monsters 4K
- Poker Face: Season One BD
- Yellowjackets: Season Two BD
- The Crown: The Complete Fifth Season BD
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- CBS
- The Sandman: Season One BD
- Lionsgate
- Quentin Tarantino
- Miramax
- Jackie Brown BD
- Kill Bill: Volume 1 BD
- Kill Bill: Volume 2 BD
BREAKING: Lucasfilm sets Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny for Digital on 8/29, Discs to be announced later
History’s Greatest Hero Returns! Harrison Ford reprises his role as the legendary archaeologist when Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Arrives on Digital August 29
BURBANK, CA (August 14, 2023) – From Academy Award–nominated writer-director James Mangold (Logan, Walk the Line) comes the final chapter in the saga of one of cinema’s greatest heroes. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny sees Harrison Ford reprise his iconic role as the whip-smart archaeologist one last time for a “rip-roaring adventure” (Maureen Lenker, Entertainment Weekly) full of “exciting action, wonderful banter and fantastic twists and turns” (Germain Lussier, io9).
The film will be available from all major digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vudu on August 29, with never-before-seen bonus content including five chapters that chart the making of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Join the cast and crew on an epic, globe-trotting adventure showcasing new characters, stunts, music, locations, production design, and visual effects.
Film Synopsis
Harrison Ford returns to the role of the legendary hero archaeologist for this highly anticipated final installment of the iconic franchise—a big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure. Starring along with Ford are Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish), John Rhys-Davies (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther), Thomas Kretschmann (Das Boot), Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), Olivier Richters (Black Widow), Mads Mikkelsen (Doctor Strange) and newcomer Ethann Isidore. [Read on here...]
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Lucasfilm
- James Mangold
- Harrison Ford
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 4K
- Digital announce
- Breaking News
- George Lucas
- Steven Spielberg
- Phoebe Waller Bridge
- John Williams
- Kathleen Kennedy
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
Asteroid City is official for Blu-ray, plus Elemental, School of Rock, Red Dragon 4K, It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The Puppetoon Movie: Volume 3 & more!
We’ve got a quick rundown of release news for you to close out the week today, and some new reviews as well. I suspect some of you are interested in a follow-up to the State of 4K and Physical Media editorial we posted on Wednesday. Rest assured, there will be a follow-up, and I hope to get that posted here sometime next week. So stay tuned.
In the meantime, we have several new disc reviews for you to enjoy this afternoon...
Tim has posted his thoughts on John Hughes’ Weird Science (1985) in 4K Ultra HD from our friends at Arrow Video.
Stephen has shared his take on Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 4 in 4K UHD from Lionsgate, Brian De Palma’s Blow Out (1981) in 4K UHD from Criterion, and also John Henry Johnson’s Curse of the Blue Lights (1990) on Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.
Dennis has delivered a look at Charles Walters’ Dangerous When Wet (1953) on Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection.
And Stuart has weighed in with a look at René Clément’s Joy House (1964) on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
Now then, the big news today is that Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has set Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City for Blu-ray and DVD release on 8/15, with the Digital release due next week on 8/11. Extras will include the 4-part The Making of Asteroid City documentary (which includes Desert Town, Doomsday Carnival, Montana and Ranch Hands, and The Players), as well as 2 additional Digital-exclusive features (The Alien and The Roadrunner). You can see the cover artwork at left and also below the break. [Read on here...]
- Lionsgate
- Air BD
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Stephen Bjork
- Tim Salmons
- Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment
- Stuart Galbraith IV
- Dennis
- Asteroid City BD
- Elemental 4K
- Pixar
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Weird Science 4K review
- Arrow Video
- John Wick: Chapter 4 4K review
- Blow Out 4K review
- Criterion Collection
- Curse of the Blue Lights BD review
- Dangerous When Wet BD review
- Joy House BD review
- The Warner Archive Collection
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies
- Red Dragon 4K
- It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) BD
- Laurel & Hardy: Year One BD
- Flicker Alley
- Umbrella Entertainment
- Frank Herbert's Dune BD
- Children of Dune BD
- Possession 4K
- Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism
- Black Ice
- Puppetoon Productions
- The Puppetoon Movie: Volume 3 BD
- Risky Business 40th anniversary
- School of Rock: 20th Anniversary Edition
Confirmed: Disney is exiting physical media in Australia, plus Fast X announced, more on Exorcist, Duel & American Graffiti in 4K, plus Space Patrol (UK) on Blu-ray
All right... as one might expect, we’ve got a lot to talk about again today here at The Bits.
First of all, we don’t have any new information on Manta Lab’s “disc-less” WandaVision packaging, except to reiterate that while this is a licensed Disney Consumer Products item, it’s most definitely not an official Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment physical media product. And while some you deluxe packaging collectors might think that’s splitting hairs, for the vast majority of disc consumers around the world it’s a very important distinction. Disney is not suddenly getting in the business of releasing Steelbook packaging for titles they have no intention of actually releasing on disc, and making it okay by including a Digital copy code. Just to be clear. In any case, we hope to hear more on this in the next few days.
As to the matter of today’s other Disney hot topic, I’m afraid, the news is not good. Despite the fact that Sanity has now pulled down their original Facebook post announcing it, we at The Digital Bits have confirmed today with multiple industry, distributor, and retailer sources in the region that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is indeed pulling out of the Australian market in terms of physical media. This follows similar moves in Asia (save for Japan) and Latin America, and the reason is apparently down to the gradual collapse of physical disc sales in the region, the growth of Disney+ Starz streaming, and also the rise of global retailers (think Amazon, Zavvi, etc). None of that will be of any comfort to disc fans in Australia, who will now have to pay a hefty shipping premium to import titles from outside the country. But it is true that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 will be the last new-release Disney title to get a physical release in the region. Previously-released titles may continue to be available for purchase until the end of the year, but that will be up to individual retailers.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks, but there it is.
Now then, before we shift to a bit of announcement news, we have several new disc reviews here at The Bits that are worth mentioning today...
Here’s the big one: Stephen has just turned in his in-depth thoughts on William Friedkin’s To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) in 4K Ultra HD, as newly-released by our friends at Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It’s a great disc, with the best A/V presentation of the film to date, and it includes nearly all of the previously-created special features. [Read on here...]
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- The Exorcist 4K
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- WDSHE exits Australian market
- Sanity
- Marvel Studios
- Disney Consumer Products
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- WandaVision Discless Steelbook
- Manta Lab
- My Two Cents
- The Digital Bits
- Bill Hunt
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bluray
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Fast X 4K
- Duel 4K
- American Graffiti 4K
- Space Patrol UK BD
- Gerry Anderson Store
- To Live and Die in LA 4K review
- Stephen Bjork
- Dennis Seuling
- The Damned Don't Cry BD review
- Land of the Pharaohs BD review
- The Mississippi Gambler BD review
- Stuart Galbraith IV
- Tim Salmons
- The Adventures of Batman BD review
- Stooge O Rama BD review
- Fall 4K
- Lionsgate
- Friday the 13th 4K Steelbook
- Sympathy for the Devil
- Gangnam Zombie
- Pusher Trilogy BD
- Umbrella Entertainment
- Hercules Returns
- The Cannonball Run
- Early Films of the French New Wave
- Icarus Films
- Well Go USA
- Cannonball Run II
No, Marvel hasn’t announced a WandaVision Blu-ray, plus WDSHE reportedly exits Australia & updates on The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, Scream 3 & more in 4K Ultra HD
Okay, folks... we’ve got a LOT of ground to cover today, and I’m seriously not kidding, so strap in and hold on tight...
First up, it broke last night on the Interwebs that a company called Manta Lab in Hong Kong, which is a legit Disney licensee, was taking pre-orders for a “disc-less” Steelbook Blu-ray package for Marvel’s Disney+ streaming series WandaVision. Now, as you can imagine, that’s caused a great deal of surprise and consternation.
Some context... Manta Lab creates deluxe and custom packaging for lots of legit studio home entertainment releases, which are extremely popular with collectors, especially in the Asian market. However, since Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment officially exited the Asian market (apart from Japan), all of these licensing deals are made with Disney Consumer Products. The problem with this WandaVision release is that this is a title for which no authorized Blu-ray release exists anywhere in the world. So outside of the Steelbook packaging’s value as an objet d’art in and of itself, there’s no practical use for this packaging apart from holding people’s bootleg Blu-rays. And unfortunately, the proliferation of bootleg copies of Disney+ streaming titles has exploded online. (Don’t believe me? Visit Etsy and search for “WandaVision Blu-ray”—or just click here.)
In any case, when this news broke last night, too many otherwise respectable geek and movie news outlets online reported it as “Marvel and Disney have announced...” when nothing of the sort was true. This is a product licensed by Disney Consumer Products, but it is not in any way shape or form a licensed Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release. I immediately contacted my sources at Disney last night, who assured me that this was the case, and who have this morning provided us with this statement:
“While Manta Lab is a legit licensee of Disney, and does create custom Steelbooks for Disney Blu-ray titles through Disney Consumer Products, the pre-order for a disc-less WandaVision was a surprise to some and we are looking into it as well as speaking to our partners in market.”
I expect to hear more back from Disney in the next day or so, so be sure to check back here on The Bits, and you can also follow us @BillHuntBits and @thedigitalbits on Twitter/X for the latest updates as I get them. Suffice it to say, this has generated an enormous amount of confusion outside of Manta Lab’s usual collector customer base. I’ve gotten literally hundreds of emails and messages in the last 24 hours from readers asking why Disney and Marvel would be releasing Steelbook packaging for a title they don’t appear to have any plans to actually release on physical media. (They aren’t, and stay tuned for further information.) [Read on here...]
- Kino Lorber Studio Classics
- Bluray
- 4K Ultra HD
- Bill Hunt
- The Digital Bits
- My Two Cents
- Manta Lab
- WandaVision Discless Steelbook
- Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
- Disney Consumer Products
- Marvel Studios
- Sanity
- WDSHE exits Australian market
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Rosemary's Baby 4K
- Scream 3 4K
- Scream 3 Steelbook 4K
- Scream: The Original Trilogy 4K
- SpiderMan: Across the SpiderVerse 4K
- The Exorcist 4K
- Warner Bros Discovery Home Entertainment
- BFI
- Shrek the Third 4K
- Universal Studios Home Entertainment
- Uncle Buck 4K
- The Ballad of Little Jo BD
- Follow @BillHuntBits on Twitter