No New Universal Genre Titles on DVD This Fall

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Author	Comment
Crow T Robot		#21	[-]
(05/15/08 1:59 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I think the only hope of ever seeing a DVD of Island Of Lost Souls (and other films not yet released on DVD) lies with HD-TV. Universal will have to spend some money going over their old films and remastering them in Hi-Def (if they have not already done so), and once they do that you will see the film pop up on TV and on DVD is some form (probably part of a boxed-set). But it's probably going to be quite some time before that happens. They will start with the biggies first (Frankenstein, Dracula, etc) and work their way down. Sadly they are apparently no longer willing to license their films to other distributors anymore. They had made a deal with Image Entertainment some years back to release some of their films on DVD (This Island Earth, Matinee, Man Of A Thousand Faces, to name a few) and apparently Image decided to lower the price once the initial sales hit their peak and Universal got upset and pulled the licensing agreement. So fat chance of seeing, say Legend Films, releasing any Universal titles. So we die-hard fans of these titles will just have to be satisfied with our old VHS or LD copies, or perhaps tape it the next time it is shown on TV. Of course there will be some who will sadly go the illegal route and buy a bootleg copy, thus making even less likely that Universal will release it on DVD.
Crow T Robot		#22	[-]
(05/15/08 2:00 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	whoops! Sorry, posted the above entry in the wrong topic folder! Where's my brain today? Oh, it's on the lab floor. Sorry!
luisj40		#23	[-]
(05/15/08 2:02 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	thebrainfollower wrote: I think we can safely concede that Universal is done as far as genre classics go. There will probably be a re-release of the Wolf Man to coincide with the remake and that's all she wrote. And as I said in the DVD folder, they've released well over 50 of their genre films, we should be satisfied. Almost all of the titles remaining are out on VHS used, at some very low prices (You can get Jungle Captive for under $1). Well then someone please direct me to the best bootlegs of the remaining Universal titles because I will never be satisfied until they all our in my hands and if Universal doesn't want my money then someone else will get it as you can bet I'm not buying any of their modern day crap on DVD anytime soon. Luis
Professor Von X		#24	[-]
(05/15/08 2:59 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	>if Universal doesn't want my money then someone else will get it as you can bet I'm not buying any of their modern day crap on DVD anytime soon. Me CONCUR! Professor Von X
Mongo		#25	[-]
(05/15/08 3:25 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	EDITOR MFTV wrote: Talked to the rep at Universal about the possibility of more classic horror or sci-fi sets this year, and it doesn't look good. He mentioned the titles we know about (The Mummy SE, Man of a Thousand Faces, the recently released Classic Ultimate Sci-Fi 1 & 2 set and MST3000 movie), and said there could be more Night Gallery and Hitchcock in the future but nothing in the works (and that Thriller sounded interesting, but nothing planned as of now). They're already working on their 2009 schedule, and there's no exclusive Best Buy sets in the works for the year, or any other genre releases. The worst comment was that in today's market it's becoming more and more difficult to release classic films on DVDs and make a profit, especially on lesser known titles. My take, don't hold your breath for anymore of the classics from the horror vault anytime soon. They still have my list of requested titles, and they'll keep them in mind for the future. Also, no mention of upcoming BD of any of the classics (even though I asked the question). It looks like this fall will belong to Sony and Warner when it comes to classic horror on DVD. I don't want to say I told you so, but.... If Universal has such disdain for their classic horror film library why don't they just do us all a favor and sell their library outright to Turner or Kino or some other company that will do justice to their films, restore them, and put them out on video, and Television, for everyone to enjoy. It's really selfish, on the part of Universal, to hoard these movies if they have no intention of releasing them and amazing, when you stop to think about it, that all other genres can get their most obscure titles out on DVD, except the classic horror films from Universal. This is what drives me nuts. At least, now I know I'm not the only "nut" who feels betrayed by Universal.
Jameson281		#26	[-]
(05/15/08 3:39 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I don't think Universal is so much the villain here as Walmart, Target, etc. The big chains are telling the studios loud and clear: We don't want old movies and won't stock them if you put them out. Yes, Best Buy partnered with Universal in '06 and '07, but maybe they were disappointed with the sales of last year's collections and declined to partner for a third year. (Someone wrote to me the other day saying that it's hard to find a horror film made before '79 in a Best Buy these days.) The studios are responding to all this by cutting back on classics. If you can't get 'em in stores, there's little point in releasing them. Yes, there are exceptions like the Sony Hammer collections and the Warner box sets, but overall the number of classic releases is on the decline, and I think it will REALLY slow down next year. Sorry guys, but the Golden Age of DVD Collecting is OVER.
Professor Von X		#27	[-]
(05/15/08 3:49 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Just another reason for people to shop online... for everything. No lineups, cheaper prices, more convenience, no clueless clerks - oh, sorry... CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES or ASSOCIATES... shoot yourselves in the foot if you want. I already buy almost no dvds in stores other than used ones as it is. Personally, I could care less who offers the titles I want to see. As Luis said, if the studio doesn't want my money and prefers to act in a worse way than the selfish art collector who sits alone in a room looking at his prize, sharing it with no one else (but at least USING it!!!), I have no moral problem at all handing it to someone for a decent illegitimate copy. NONE. The only problem will be finding decent copies in OAR. Professor Von X
Wich2		#28	[-]
(05/15/08 4:13 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	How about an Exclusive with someone like Amazon, rather than WalMart? Web sales are more precision targeted, and they'd need less space & have less excess stock. -Craig W.
Joe Karlosi	Littl	#29	[-]
(05/15/08 4:29 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	EDITOR MFTV wrote: TServo4 wrote: BixB wrote: Bob Furmanek wrote: As I recall, ISLAND has been delayed because of severe problems with the 35mm elements. Perhaps someone can recall the precise information. That may be true but my LD of IOLS looks just fine. Ditto my LD of THE WALKING DEAD. No reason these same elements couldn't be utilized for a DVD upgrade. I think that I mentioned this before (although it's apparently fallen on deaf ears). The print that was used to master that video master some 20 years ago is no longer usable. All that exists at Universal at this date is a mis-timed fine grain. Significant work would have to be done to bring it to some semblance of a presentable shape. Which won't happen due to its limited sales potential. I think there's no chance of Island of Lost Souls coming on DVD from Universal. Me personally, I'd rather see Kino redo their Old Dark House DVD using the beautiful Library of Congress print as their source. So how does this work again? KINO could redo THE OLD DARK HOUSE, even though it won't sell like hotcakes either --- but mega-million$ Universal can't be bothered to settle for a modest payday with an ISLAND OF LOST SOULS release, as they make big bucks hand over fist on all their blockbuster biggies? Something's just not right there. Look at how many other old movies from, say, Fox have been remastered/restored, with possibly even LESS fan appeal than ISLAND OF LOST SOULS! Is MR. MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND any more of a gold nugget than ISLAND OF LOST SOULS? ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
Joe Karlosi		#30	[-]
(05/15/08 4:33 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	thebrainfollower wrote: I think we can safely concede that Universal is done as far as genre classics go. Why would you say that? The last thing we had to judge by was that Universal released their UNIVERSAL HORROR ARCHIVES set, and that wasn't even a year ago yet! Same thing for the 50s SCI-FI VOL. 2. It hasn't even been a year yet... so just because it looks like 2008 may be passed over, how does that eternally close the door completely? ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
Joe Karlosi		#31	[-]
(05/15/08 4:40 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Jameson281 wrote: I don't think Universal is so much the villain here as Walmart, Target, etc. The big chains are telling the studios loud and clear: We don't want old movies and won't stock them if you put them out. Yes, Best Buy partnered with Universal in '06 and '07, but maybe they were disappointed with the sales of last year's collections and declined to partner for a third year. (Someone wrote to me the other day saying that it's hard to find a horror film made before '79 in a Best Buy these days.) Which reminds me -- " 'Bust' Buy" sucks too. What a waste of time, going in there. I'm so glad I saw the light and started ordering everything online from OTHER sites like Amazon (NOT "Worst Buy's" site)... and I refuse to shop in BB even when they ARE stocking some titles I want. They can kiss my ass as well. ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
Jameson281		#32	[-]
(05/15/08 4:43 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Professor Von X wrote: As Luis said, if the studio doesn't want my money and prefers to act in a worse way than the selfish art collector who sits alone in a room looking at his prize, sharing it with no one else (but at least USING it!!!), I have no moral problem at all handing it to someone for a decent illegitimate copy. NONE. It's not a case of the studio not being interested in your money. It's a case of: The studio can't make much of a profit (if any) on these titles because none of the big chains want to carry them. Do you think the studios should release titles they are destined to lose money on just to appease the fans? To us, this is a hobby; to the studios, this is business and they're going to base their decisions on profit/loss potential. If Universal releases another collection of classic horror titles they might break even or make a modest profit even if the big chains didn't support them much, but if they have a choice between a modest profit on old titles or much bigger profit repackaging recent titles for the umpteenth time and getting shelf space in Walmart, which do you think they are going to choose?
Mongo		#33	[-]
(05/15/08 4:47 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Jameson281 wrote: I don't think Universal is so much the villain here as Walmart, Target, etc. The big chains are telling the studios loud and clear: We don't want old movies and won't stock them if you put them out. Yes, Best Buy partnered with Universal in '06 and '07, but maybe they were disappointed with the sales of last year's collections and declined to partner for a third year. (Someone wrote to me the other day saying that it's hard to find a horror film made before '79 in a Best Buy these days.) The studios are responding to all this by cutting back on classics. If you can't get 'em in stores, there's little point in releasing them. Yes, there are exceptions like the Sony Hammer collections and the Warner box sets, but overall the number of classic releases is on the decline, and I think it will REALLY slow down next year. Sorry guys, but the Golden Age of DVD Collecting is OVER. What you really mean is that the Golden Age of classic Horror DVD Collecting is over (did one ever exist?). I can tell you where you can buy tons of Hoot Gibson and Buck Jones westerns on DVD, if that's your thing.
Joe Karlosi		#34	[-]
(05/15/08 5:00 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Jameson281 wrote: It's not a case of the studio not being interested in your money. It's a case of: The studio can't make much of a profit (if any) on these titles because none of the big chains want to carry them. Do you think the studios should release titles they are destined to lose money on just to appease the fans? To us, this is a hobby; to the studios, this is business and they're going to base their decisions on profit/loss potential. If Universal releases another collection of classic horror titles they might break even or make a modest profit even if the big chains didn't support them much, but if they have a choice between a modest profit on old titles or much bigger profit repackaging recent titles for the umpteenth time and getting shelf space in Walmart, which do you think they are going to choose? But Jameson -- do they really think they'll lose their shirts and go out of business? My answer to what you asked about "appeasing the fans" is YES!... it never hurts to put people ahead of a huge profit for some smaller titles and in turn gain yourself an even happier fanbase who MIGHT then go on to buy other products you're selling. A very good relationship with your audience is essential, something for everybody. Now, if you ask me if I think Universal ought to cater solely to the fans just to make them happy to the point where they go out of business or lose a ton of money... then I'd agree with you. But this just can't be the situation. Universal simply wants all grand slam homers, no modest singles.. or, heaven forbid, an occasional strikeout or two. Either way, they'll win the game. ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!" Last Edited By: Joe Karlosi 05/15/08 5:02 PM. Edited 1 times.
Jameson281		#35	[-]
(05/15/08 5:11 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Joe Karlosi wrote: But Jameson -- do they really think they'll lose their shirts and go out of business? My answer to what you asked about "appeasing the fans" is YES!... it never hurts to put people ahead of a huge profit for some smaller titles and in turn gain yourself an even happier fanbase who MIGHT then go on to buy other products you're selling. A very good relationship with your audience is essential, something for everybody. Now, if you ask me if I think Universal ought to cater solely to the fans just to make them happy to the point where they go out of business or lose a ton of money... then I'd agree with you. But this just can't be the situation. Universal simply wants all grand slam homers, no modest singles.. or, heaven forbid, an occasional strikeout or two. Either way, they'll win the game. That is the problem--nobody wants to hit singles when you easily hit doubles and triples just by focusing on other stuff. Nobody's career is going to get advanced because they managed to break even releasing THE MAD GHOUL. And with little or no support from the big chains, I think they figure it's just not worth their time and effort. Again, I'm not seeing that classic releases are 100% dead, but they are declining, and the disinterest shown by the major retail chains is a big part of the reason.
Joe Karlosi		#36	[-]
(05/15/08 5:21 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Jameson281 wrote: That is the problem--nobody wants to hit singles when you easily hit doubles and triples just by focusing on other stuff. Well, then I think it's pretty accurate to say they're just being plain greedy. Nobody's career is going to get advanced because they managed to break even releasing THE MAD GHOUL. So then it's just as I always figured. Some clueless group of 20-somethings sit around a table getting "brainstorms" of re-re-releasing the same old Blockbusters like ET all over again? What geniuses! And how can re-re-re-releases always be counted on to sell big every time when it's likely that so many people already own them? And with little or no support from the big chains, I think they figure it's just not worth their time and effort. Of all the reasons, this makes the most sense. But it doesn't make sense when you consider that Universal was ridiculous for going exclusive to Best Buy and denying so many of the true fans who wanted these titles, thus blocking them out. When I used to go to Best Buy I would see, like, 50 unsold copies of UNIVERSAL HORROR ARCHIVE wasting away on their shelves! How can they expect this strategy to be a winning one? ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
PeteFitzgerald		#37	[-]
(05/16/08 2:16 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Um, isn't there even a glimmer of a possibility that Criterion could handle ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and THE UNINVITED? Or are the days of Universal licensing out titles to Criterion over? "I say ALL you scientists are CRACKPOTS! Nothing is going to happen..." My current damage at DVD Aficionado See some of my artwork at My ComicSpace page "Limerick of the Day" blog (I post there as "Backthrow")
TServo4		#38	[-]
(05/16/08 5:21 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The problem is that with very rare exception, Universal doesn't sub-license their films. Also, there is still the problem of a film restoration before anyone can do work on it. You're talking about possibly tens of thousands of dollars. J. Theakston The Central Theater, Passaic, NJ
Joe Karlosi		#39	[-]
(05/16/08 5:40 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	PeteFitzgerald wrote: Um, isn't there even a glimmer of a possibility that Criterion could handle ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and THE UNINVITED? Or are the days of Universal licensing out titles to Criterion over? You gotta love when that hypocrisy starts up with DVD companies. Here, Universal feels a film isn't worth squat ... but would they license it out to Criterion? HELL, NO! It's "their" film, after all... and what if Criterion made money off it? LOL! The problem is that with very rare exception, Universal doesn't sub-license their films. Also, there is still the problem of a film restoration before anyone can do work on it. You're talking about possibly tens of thousands of dollars. And yet Criterion hasn't gone bankrupt... How anyone can defend a decision by Universal (or any other mega-company) not to release this stuff is beyond me. ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!" Last Edited By: Joe Karlosi 05/16/08 5:42 AM. Edited 1 times.
VarneyVampire		#40	[-]
(05/16/08 9:03 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	It's a very confusing strategy on the part of Universal . . . or maybe they are positive about the future. The concensus seems to be that the interest/audience for these movies is dwindling, that 15-20 year olds do not & will not buy or watch these movies . . . but maybe someone at Universal can see a future where Bela Lugosi's movies begin to sell in healthy quantities again, perhaps a renaissance of sorts & maybe not in North America but in Japan or another market? Seems like wishful thinking but stranger things have happened.

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No New Universal Genre Titles on DVD This Fall

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