Did anyone else predict that Universal would treat their catalog better than Paramoun

[LMFAObros]

After hearing reports of the recent to Catch a thief as well as the new australian BD of Sorry Wrong Number also being bad in the DNR department I am shocked to see Paramount be this bad nowdays. It seems they were always hit or miss with DNR(black rain) but it seemed Universal got critized more for their DNR/EE whereas nowadays they use little to no DNR on their great 4K discs and even decent BD releases. What are yout thoughts BD.com on this.

[RBBrittain]

Having just received here in the States the Australian BD of Ordinary People (released by Shock Entertainment, but a Paramount film with a poor transfer clearly supplied to Shock by Paramount), and from my own observations of how Paramount has gone downhill in recent years, I'm not surprised at all.

They're not as big a studio as their history indicates; Lionsgate actually had a bigger share of the 2019 theatrical market than Paramount (though the rankings have fluctuated from year to year). The studio floundered after the CBS/Viacom de-merger, the dismantling of original DreamWorks, and Disney buying back MCU Phase 1; the re-merged ViacomCBS seems more interested in revitalizing it with outside IP (e.g., 49% of Miramax) than cultivating the IP it already has.

Paramount owns two of the three Best Pictures shot in color that have *not* made it to U.S. BD -- The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and Ordinary People (1980). (The other, WB's Around the World in 80 Days (1956), most likely has the biggest restoration issues of *any* Best Picture winner for several reasons.) They also lent 600 of their home video titles (including the DVDs of TGSoE & OP) to WB for distribution for several years, something no other major studio has done; even MGM's deals are different because MGM is no longer considered a major studio.

While Universal has adjusted to the new world of high definition under Comcast ownership, Paramount is still barely getting by; the near-collapse of the catalog market hasn't helped. Until someone is willing to invest some money in Paramount's catalog, its issues will continue.

[Gacivory]

Is that T not Paramount to Paramount in the title?

[ParamountChris]

At least Universal is reasonable enough for catalogue titles these days despite their DNR obsession they’ve had in the past. Yeah I agree, Paramount has a lot of issues these days, neglecting their own library and also happen to use some unfair DNR. Paramount hasn’t been really on the top of the game for a decade. I’m afraid of how they’ll treat the newly acquired distribution rights to the old Miramax films.

[ParamountChris]

That Paramount Presents line really is a cash grab. The slate of titles are just redos without extras which is one element of a disc Paramount seems to hate. Paramount Presents shouldn’t have even be thought out if they can’t do anything proper with anything.

[CinemaScope]

Originally Posted by ParamountChris

That Paramount Presents line really is a cash grab. The slate of titles are just redos without extras which is one element of a disc Paramount seems to hate. Paramount Presents shouldn’t have even be thought out if they can’t do anything proper with anything.

Well, To Catch A Thief must have cost them a lot of money, going back to the negative & redoing it all, shame they made such a balls-up of it. They certainly don't seem to be the same company that gave us the great transfers of Samson and Delilah & The Ten Commandments, & rescued the John Wayne western McLintock! from public domain with a great new transfer made from the original negatives. But it sounds like they did a good job with War Of The Worlds, & I'm hoping they release some much wanted films with good transfers.

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

Originally Posted by RBBrittain

Until someone is willing to invest some money in Paramount's catalog, its issues will continue.

part of the problem is they invest too much and hire a ton of photoshop monkey to go in and destroy everything, meanwhile tiny indies can make a nice scan and then not waste money to mess it up and give a 10000x better product at less cost to them and for better sales

and the other part is they often don't seem to belive in physical media

[meremortal]

Plenty of Universal's catalog titles are in desperate need of a new scan for blu or uhd. For the more cult ones, they might as well just license them out to Shout. I'm looking forward to my copy of The Wizard.