Does the Bluray cover artwork influence which release you buy?

[PerfectHitman]

So if a film that you want to buy comes out and the standard release has artwork that you despise, would you buy a different release such as a steelbook to get different artwork or even a release from another country if they have different artwork?

I generally only ever buy U.S releases even though I'm in the UK because I much prefer the slimmer case and 9 times out of 10 I prefer the artwork anyway, but sometimes a movie will be released in for example 12 countries, and all artwork will be the same in each country except the Japanese release, so just because I prefer the artwork, I will buy and wait for the Japanese version to arrive.

Anyone else do this? Or do you not care about artwork, just want the movie?

To me, I still love my physical media and looking at the covers etc so it's pretty important to me.

[Warm Gun]

It did with Ghostbusters and GB2 on 4K. UK covers were much better. But I don't do that anymore, since they just sit in a cluttered bookcase anyway.

[ArtVanderlay]

Off the top of my head, I opted for:

Spiderman (2002) - UK Blu Ray - Spiderman crawl (remastered in 4k release) over the generic big faces of spidey and green goblin release.

The Omen (1976) - UK Blu Ray - Steelbook artwork of Damien rather than the standard release with the angel statue crying tears of blood.

They were just more visually appealing to me, but if there was only one artwork in my region, I wouldn't feel the need to purchase an overseas release just for the artwork (although I do miss the theatrical poster for Enter the Dragon over the newer shattered glass one).

[Akibiyori]

I never bought the original Blu-ray edition of Meet Me in St. Louis because of the cover art. It’s the only time I’ve done this. How you go from the original artwork featured on the DVD release to…that…I’ll never understand. I finally bought the Blu-ray when it was reissued by Warner Archive, which reverted to the DVD design (sadly, the menu still reflects the diabolical original release - I feel the need to shut my eyes until I start the film.)

[CSM101]

Sometimes. I hated the cover for the Blu-ray release of 13 Hours. It reminded me too much of American Sniper. The Steelbook had really cool art and I opted for that. I’m considering it for the upcoming Dune 4k release. I love the Desert artwork more than the stacked heads. We’ll see. So yes, the art can influence my purchase decision on occasion.

[Justin2000]

Yeah, I won't buy the Vacation Blu-Ray that has the car, But I will buy the one with Chevy wearing Moose Ears (Even though I'll have to buy the Original DVD Artwork)

Same with Last Action Hero on 4K, I'll buy the one where he goes out of the movie screen instead of the generic one where he's holding a gun.

[gwfb5]

I care more about disc content, e.g. which edition has the better transfer or more bonus features. If the discs are the same I get whatever's cheaper.
However, I have bought a more expensive edition because it had better cover a few times.

I bought the following 3D and 4K MCU titles, despite not have a 3D or 4K setup because the covers were better. (all from the DMC)

Captain America: Civil War 3D <I also bought it as a DMC commitment title.
Doctor Strange 3D <having a translucent clear case with the back of the disc forming a portal behind Dr.S is a really nice gimmick.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 4K <I think it was only a few dollars extra anyway.
Ant-Man and the Wasp 4K <Lenticular cover.

I also bought a copy of Arthur Christmas that came with a really nice glittery slipcover, with miner damage, at Sunrise Records.
They had a copy with slip in better condition, but without the glitter.

[toodeepuntilnow]

Yes, absolutely. Original box art followed by being in a amaray case (no steel books or other gimmicky cases I can’t easily change out).

I import region b stuff constantly for the cover art all things equal.

[slimdude]

A Blu-ray's cover artwork is not a factor whether to buy the movie or not. I buy the movie regardless of what the cover looks like. I'm buying a movie, not a picture or a mural to hang on the wall for decoration.

[Cruel Angel]

As far as an initial release goes, yes. Cover art is definitely a determining factor for me.

I have passed on steelbooks and other special/limited editions because I thought the standard release had better art.

[joonskeezle]

Can't think of a single time where I did this.

I loathe steelbooks, and won't get them unless there's literally no other option (or if the other options are even worse, like cardboard sleeves). But this isn't even about aesthetics so much as it is the fact that they're flimsy and delicate as **** and often already broken (though the aesthetics aren't nothing as they're also easily/already dented or misaligned as well.)

The fact is, so much dvd/blu ray cover art is bad, so if I cared about it that much, I'd be miserable collecting blu rays.

Even with reversible cover art, I'm rarely going with the "better" art, more often I'm going with the "familiar" art.

I just don't spend enough time looking at the front. 99.9% of the time all I see is the spines.

[jkoffman]

Just want the movie, 100% of the time. Every post about a slipcover or steelbook ding just makes me .

[Animatic33]

I've resigned myself to the fact most mainstream releases are going to have bad artwork. In that business they try to appeal to the broadest audience possible and getting bent out of shape over it isn't worth it. The discs will be the same regardless of what you house it in, and there are only a few special classic releases that I've gone for a different option over a regular old release.

Now if we're talking boutique titles, there's a lot more at play there. But I don't think that's what you're asking.

[moviegeek1992]

I generally will buy the UK release unless there are star ratings on the cover. Apparently UK arms of US studios think the UK are idiots who need to have multiple star ratings shown on the artwork for them to consider buying the release. Now I know some folks dislike the BBFC age ratings but growing up with them they don’t bother me, but those star ratings

[karsten]

Originally Posted by PerfectHitman

So if a film that you want to buy comes out and the standard release has artwork that you despise, would you buy a different release such as a steelbook to get different artwork or even a release from another country if they have different artwork?

Yes -- to a point.

If I see -- say, at caps-a-holic -- that one release has better (i.e., more natural, less teal/green/sallow-coated) colour timing, then that's the one that I will buy, regardless of cover quality. I've purchased numerous Shout blu-rays, for example, due to better colour timing, even though i find their covers often to be utterly horrible (case in point: their John Carpenter releases, which have outright ugly covers).

However, if, as far as I know, two releases have the same picture quality, but one has a more appealing cover, then that's the one that I'll buy, even if it's more expensive. E.g., I purchased the Twilight Time release of Bell, Book, and Candle, which had a striking, memorable graphic design as a cover, rather than the studio release, which had a boring-looking old poster for the film as a cover.

[karsten]

Originally Posted by moviegeek1992

Now I know some folks dislike the BBFC age ratings but growing up with them they don’t bother me

Funny you should mention that, because it is precisely those age-rating labels that put me off UK releases and make me want to avoid them whenever possible. They look like cheap stickers that can't be removed.

I even prefer the German age-rating labels, which are larger, but somehow less annoying in colour.

[BillieCassin]

Cover artwork? No, can't think of any instances really where I have cared that much.

Overall packaging? Absolutely - I have many box sets that I have ordered from the UK (like Star Wars, Aliens) because they actually use real cases with hubs there, unlike the cardboard sleeve crap we got over here for such releases.

[Gacivory]

No, but the picture quality of the movie itself influences me.

[fredman]

I'll sometimes laugh or roll my eyes at the artwork, but as jkoffman said, 99.9% of the time I only see the spine and I'm mainly interested in acquiring the movie. During DVD days I was way more conscious of the covers but with blus/4ks frankly the more compact the case the better and don't really worry about artwork/slipcovers. I just (finally) got 'Death Wish' and only now realized it's the steelbook. As long as it's smaller than the DVD case it's replacing, who cares? As a matter of fact, I'm finally replacing that large, gaudy Hobbit Trilogy 3D/blu case with the much more compact 4K case and happy to save all that space! Artwork (although marginally better on the blu case) not really a factor.

[rjh_54]

I'm not super selective when it comes to artwork, but I too have passed up steelbooks or more "limited" release packaging because I thought the standard alternative was nicer.

Since a lot of major studios are simply repackaging existing discs with new artwork, I would imagine it has become easier for those who are super picky to choose their preferred artwork - usually deciding whether to buy the in-print repackage or hunt down an older copy with original artwork.