Curious about steelbook love and/or obsessiveness?

[jrsl76]

So I'll start out by saying that I'm not trying to flame anyone, but I just feel compelled to ask this question. The truth is I could ask this same question about slipcovers or digibooks.

So my question is this, what is the all consuming need some of you have to own as many steelbooks (or slipcovers or digibooks) as possible? For further clarification, I was just on YouTube and watched a video of a guy going through his steelbook collection. I was curious as to which ones he had and what they looked like. I noticed a weird occurence, it was quite a weird collection which didn't seem indicative of any type of taste. The choices seemed scattershot until the presenter said that he owned many things he had never seen nor particularly cared for just because it had a steelbook.

This is what I don't understand. Why are people buying things they don't like for a cover? I understand if you like a lot of a company's output and trust their taste in what to release, I'm thinking Criterion, Masters Of Cinema, Synapse, things like that. Blind buying in this manner is one thing, but I just don't understand having to have all steelbooks even if you don't like them.

Just fyi, I like steelbooks, slipcovers and digibooks too. I, however, only go after them if I particularly like the look of a steelbook over the regular or if a movie I want has a nice Digibook or if it's a cool slipcover. Basically, you're collecting movies and I can't understand anything in the collection taking more precedence than the movies themselves.

Again, curious for viewpoints on this subject.

[Rz_Samurai]

You know i really dont know how to answer your question, i guess once you start collecting steels, its really hard to stop collecting them.

When i got my first steel i really liked it and i guess it grew on me.

BUT i will say that i only buy steelbooks of movies i like and will watch. I do not buy a steelbook just because of the cover art. thats just me and my opinion

I can't see myself buying a steelbook of a movie i do not like, that would be a huge waste of money imo.

[Tobi_R]

very easy to sum this one up:

different people - different priorities

[Familyguy824]

Originally Posted by rz_samurai

but i will say that i only buy steelbooks of movies i like and will watch. I do not buy a steelbook just because of the cover art. Thats just me and my opinion

+1

[Chris_Shelley]

nice fair point..... i however do buy steelbooks because i really like the art work.... i dont buy films i dont like thou.... such as i wouldnt buy any of the pirate of the caribean movies on steelbook also i wont buy them on bluray or dvd because im not a fan of johnny depp.....

However i can see why ppl do buy all they can get there hands on as its the same with anything you like and collect..... if you collect you aim to make such collection as big and collected as possible.

You didnt buy a football sticker book when you was a kid only to fill it in with your favourite players you wanted and you truly believed you would finish the book and collect all there was avaliable to collect....

The only difference is that a steelbook collection may never be complete...

[Al_The_Strange]

First of all, I usually only buy Steelbooks for movies I know (or think I know) I'll enjoy. To me, getting a glossy metal case for a favorite movie is like the best bonus one could ask for.

Which brings me to the biggest draw I see in Steelies; they are simply gorgeous! I love the artwork on most of them, and when it's printed on metal, it looks and feels much more special than a standard piece of paper in a plastic sleeve.

The fact that many Steelbooks are foreign, collectable, limited, or hard to find makes them even more endearing in a way. It's a big draw for people who focus more on collecting, and want to find the rarest and most valuable thing. I just feel gratified thinking that I have one or two that most other folks would have never even seen before.

In the end though, I rarely buy blind-buy Steelbooks. I did for a few, and there's just one I kinda regret (that being "The Green Zone," which was just alright). It's the movie itself I care about; I'll always view the packaging as a nice bonus.

[mattyl149]

I collect steelbooks. I have over 100 on DVD and about 35 on blu-ray with another 20 on pre-order

I have some DVD steelbooks of films I don't particularly like such as Eragon, but it was only £3 so it's not too bad. I wouldn't have paid more. I would say I have most of the DVD steelbooks released in the UK that I know of

I have passed on a few blu-ray steelbooks such as POTC 4, Green Lantern, Cowboys Vs Aliens, Thor, Captain America, Priest, Devils Double, Holy Rollers and Battle: Los Angeles as they just didn't interest me especially for around £17.99. These are unlikely to get to a price point I would be happy with, where they won't cost me a lot, so they won't be in my collection

I did buy the We Need To Talk About Kevin DVD steelbook from HMV, even though I had already ordered the blu-ray as I wanted it for my collection. I bought the Source Code stickerbook (thought it was going to be a steelbook) for both the DVD and blu-ray release, again for the collection. Same with buying MOC titles in the steelbook and amaray cases, and I am still deciding whether to do this for the two forthcoming Arrow steelbooks

There are some titles I have steelbook releases of both DVD and blu-ray, as some titles like Minority Report had a steelbook release when it came out on blu-ray as well as a stelelbook special edition DVD. The only blu-ray steelbooks I bought as blind buys, although I had some knowledge of the films, were Salt, The Wolfman and Resident Evil: Afterlife. Not necessarily brilliant films, but ones can I enjoy

I like the look of steelbooks which is why I collect them, but as I mentioned, I don't buy every single one. When a film I really like, such as Jaws, get a steelbook release, then that is when I really appreciate them over the normal cases. I don't buy foreign steelbooks, as if I started doing that, I would definitely have no money left, even if there are some titles that have had steelbook releases outside the UK, but not in the UK

I'm not too bothered about collecting slipcovers. If a title I buy has one, then I just leave it on. The only one I want to get a slipcase for is Kind Hearts & Coronets as my other Optimum Vintage Classics films have one, and that one didn't, and it looks out of place

As for digibooks - if a film I want to buy is in a digibook such as the Universal titles, or the collection are all in digibooks, such as the Studio Canal Collection, then I will buy them

[Thwip]

Hard question to answer, but I'll throw out a few...

1) OCD: I believe, I and many other "collectors", suffer from varying degrees of it.
- I need to have them all, not sure why?
2) Pride: I once read a study that men feel this emotion more strongly than women?
- I enjoy, and take pride from, showing off my collection to friends and family
3) Aesthetics: The SteelBook simply appeals to me in look and form.
- Have you seen how good my collection looks sitting on that bookcase?
4) Movies: I like movies, the good, the bad and the ugly.
- Even movies like The Smurfs hold value to me when I enjoy them with family
5) Completionist: You wouldn't just have 1 nice car if you could afford to have many?
- I plan to have every BD SteelBook available in Canada (with rules)...
- No G1 sized SteelBooks, and I don't import (except for Spider-man 3 )

[jrsl76]

I think you have some fair points. I understand the pride. I have, if I may say so, a pretty bangin' DVD and Blu collection. I am quite proud of it. I feel I have good taste, but of course, what I have is my tastes. I collect DVDs & Blus because I am a bonafide movie freak. Hell, I even work in the industry.

I just was curious, because to me a style of case is not specifically something to collect, but hey, that's just me. I also see a lot of the steels that people praise and I don't like a lot of them like the Future Shop Harry Potter head shots or the Inception city overview.

Steels/Iron/Metalpaks I really like:

FS Iron Man
Target Iron Man 2
Canadian The Departed
German Jessica Alba Sin City
MOC Steels
The new Return Of The Living Dead Steel
Jaws Steel

Stuff like that. Those I'm willing to buy (in some cases if I can ever find them at a reasonable price).

[GreatGreg]

I think for the most of us start with only the movies we really enjoy, but for many, it becomes quickly addictive since the SteelBooks look soooo much better than just the plain Amaray (which is just a paper insert, really).

Also, many of us enjoy the Thrill of the Hunt.

I admit that I have bought SteelBooks of movies which I didn't end up liking. For a movie like THE GREEN HORNET, it was a blind buy, but I generally like comics-based movies and was going to see this film regardless.

My justification was that it was cheaper than going to see it in the theatre, and the cover of the SteelBook was (and still is) pretty cool looking.

[Chris_Shelley]

I find that here in the UK..... All hmv exclusives steelbooks are the same or v.close priced with the original plastic cases..... so i dont see why you wouldnt buy the steelbook... Just saying

Regards

[Bobthesub]

I sort of agree with most of the comments...I like steelbooks but Im not an obsessive steelbook collector, I like to buy films that I like in the nicest editions I can afford, Im not a fan of massive boxsets full of useless tat (most of which rarely relates to the film anyhow) so steelbooks are a way of buying a nice edition of a film for my collection and as Scunny_Collector said, a lot of the time in the UK the steel is around the same price as the regular amaray so why not buy the nicer version? Ive got a handful of digibooks, and a few releases with nice lenticular slipcovers but I wouldnt call myself a collector of them, I just saw nice versions of films I like so I bought them, I dont actively search for them

I have bought a few steelbooks 'blind' based on it being a classic film or a film that has come highly recommended and I have a good idea I'll enjoy it but as for buying films I dont like just because they are in a steelbook ...nah, as the old saying goes, you can roll a turd in glitter.. but its still a turd. Why spend money on something you dont like just to complete a 'collection' seems like an odd thing to do to me, spend your money on things you like and enjoy watching (and yes I do open and watch all my films in steelbook cases, Im not some kind of oddball steelbook hoarding squirrel saving my purchases for a rainy day)

[richieb1971]

1) A special movie needs a special packaging
2) A crap movie needs special packaging
3) I need special packaging

I like things coming through my door, I like opening things. I like having things that make my friends go "where did you get that?"

Its better to have a steelbook and not need it, then not have it, find out its $500 on ebay and have it etched into the underside of your eyelids so that everytime you blink you see Ironman FS, Rambo amazon.de etc etc.

[GreatGreg]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

Its better to have a steelbook and not need it, then not have it, find out its $500 on ebay and have it etched into the underside of your eyelids so that everytime you blink you see Ironman FS, Rambo amazon.de etc etc.

I hope you are joking because if you are worried about missing the Next Big Thing, you will probably be waiting for awhile.

Think of the hundreds of SteelBooks and IronPacks that have been released and the ones that are going for $500 you can probably count on one hand.

[HD Goofnut]

It's definitely become an addiction for me as I just hit 50 steelbooks, but I've gotten almost all of my steelbooks for less than $25 and some for around $15 so I don't feel bad in the slightest.

[Godimus]

Succinctly explained by simply saying it's like any other collection hobby. The cost of the hobby is moot. Some collect stamps, others collect Ferraris

[yeslek]

Originally Posted by Rz_Samurai

When i got my first steel i really liked it and i guess it grew on me.

BUT i will say that i only buy steelbooks of movies i like and will watch. I do not buy a steelbook just because of the cover art. thats just me and my opinion

I can't see myself buying a steelbook of a movie i do not like, that would be a huge waste of money imo.

same
The only time a steelbook will influence my choice, is if its a movie I'm keen on, but not all that nuts over ie not day one purchase, then it could become a day one purchase to ensure I get the steelbook version if one is available.

basically, I'm a sucker for steelbooks/iron packs etc IF they are available for movie's I like and will re-watch enough to warrent purchase over renting.
I'm not a fan of blind buys as more often than not I've ended up re-selling (this goes for both steels and amery's, and even DVD's way back when...guess I'm now fairly reluctant to blind buy) so just because something is released on steel, doesnt mean I'm going to rush out and by.

that said, I'm glad I blind bought Drive: good movie and hard to get steel

Originally Posted by mattyl149

As for digibooks - if a film I want to buy is in a digibook such as the Universal titles, or the collection are all in digibooks, such as the Studio Canal Collection, then I will buy them

digibooks? you mean those crappy cardboard cases?
urgh, I hated those on CD's and hate them even more for blu's
Luckily I only own Four Lions in this awful form (shame for such a top class movie too)

[Moleman1138]

I'm definitely a completionist and started with DVD steelbooks. It was just another thing to collect and FYE would always have an exclusive steelbook every couple months. Then Blu steelbooks started to pop up and was like had to collect all of those. US only, but if I go international that'd open up Pandora's box.

Especially with US steelbooks, because they don't come out as often as other countries, so when a new release gets a steelbook it's like a really big deal. What makes it even worse is not only do I collect steelbooks, but digibooks and slipcovers. Gotta live for something