Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[gates70]

Originally Posted by baheidstu

Just ordered Cutter's Way, Panic in Needle Park, Hound of the Baskervilles and Romeo is Bleeding as well as the promo copy of 10 Rillington Place. Hoping there's no Canada Post strike or lockout before they can ship it to me.

To the tune of $175.55, ouch! I reluctantly just did the same. Rollerball, Big Heat, Hound of Baskerville, and Panic in Needle Park.

[StingingVelvet]

Anyone have July 9 titles ship yet? I ordered Russia House and am still at "waiting for fulfillment."

[Dirk Pitt]

Originally Posted by gates70

To the tune of $175.55, ouch! I reluctantly just did the same. Rollerball, Big Heat, Hound of Baskerville, and Panic in Needle Park.

Got:

Miss Sadie
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Rollerball
Panic in needle park

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by gates70

To the tune of $175.55, ouch! I reluctantly just did the same. Rollerball, Big Heat, Hound of Baskerville, and Panic in Needle Park.

I have a large US dollar balance in PayPal so I don't really notice that.

[johnny]

Originally Posted by gates70

To the tune of $175.55, ouch! I reluctantly just did the same. Rollerball, Big Heat, Hound of Baskerville, and Panic in Needle Park.

I feel your pain....that is why I took advantage of the last sale, at least I saved $65 Canadian on 5 Blu-rays.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by johnny

I feel your pain....that is why I took advantage of the last sale, at least I saved $65 Canadian on 5 Blu-rays.

One is free in this deal so it's kind of like having a sale, plus you get the autograph.

[Hellhound]

Originally Posted by Hellraiserfan

Good point. I just figure it's a classic Price film so who knows but I'll chance waiting 2 days after the pre-order date.

Scream and Scream Again is still readily available. Does Theatre of Blood have a much large fan base or something?

[johnny]

Originally Posted by gates70

One is free in this deal so it's kind of like having a sale, plus you get the autograph.

Yes I know....That is why I own 18 Autographs, Got to try and save a Buck here and there.:

[gates70]

Originally Posted by Hellhound

Scream and Scream Again is still readily available. Does Theatre of Blood have a much large fan base or something?

Again, it's hardly a VP movie. You hardly see him in it and it's not really a good movie. No idea if Theatre of Blood has a bigger following though.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by Hellraiserfan

I wonder how fast Theater of Blood might sell out. I get paid two days after the pre-order date and am mixed if I should hold money from this upcoming paycheck or not.

They seem pretty good about warning people if something is selling out fast. If you really need to know, send them a message on Facebook, it seems like they will respond if there is a reason. Like, if you ask "Is this almost sold out?" and there are 2500 copies left, they might not bother to respond, but if there are only 500, they'll say "Yes, order soon".

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by gates70

Again, it's hardly a VP movie. You hardly see him in it and it's not really a good movie. No idea if Theatre of Blood has a bigger following though.

Theatre of Blood is far better than SASA and, yes, features much more of Price but you've got to remember, even the crowds that lap up "cheesy" 80s horror will be much less interested in a film that's more camp comedy than horror and filled with old British character actors and a multitude of Shakespeare references that sometimes border on the esoteric. Just to be on the safe side, I wouldn't wait forever if I was somebody who really had to have this, but it's not going to be one of those instant sell-outs.

[michaeljoo]

OK, total noob regarding TT here, so please forgive these really noobish questions.

1. What is TT? They seem to publish very limited runs of more classic titles that don't seem to have a wide release elsewhere but at a hefty price tag?

2. Are they like Criterion in terms of the quality of the releases or the features provided? I mean, are they a company that tries to publish classic titles that aren't available widely or elsewhere and does a high quality restoration and provides unique extra features while doing so, and thus justifying paying the higher prices?

3. Related to the above, is there any difference between the TT releases and other releases of the same title? For example, I was looking at Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). TT version sold out and only available through 3rd party sellers for a lot higher. I looked on BN and they have an Australian Import version for like $18 list price. Is there a reason (like those cited above) why I would pay for the TT version (if I could even get one)? Whenever I can, if there is a CC version and a non-CC version of a title, I will usually get the CC version, even if I already have the non-CC version. Is this the sort of thing that typically holds true for TT releases, that they are usually superior or offer something of value (better quality, additional features, etc...) over non-TT releases?

4. Why such limited print runs? And for those that sell out, do they regularly do future runs for popular sold out titles? In that sense, is it like the Disney vault in that after a limit run sells out (not they are "vaulting a title" but just that there is no more inventory) that after a number of years they typically/sometimes do another run? I've noticed that some titles seem to have been released more than once through TT, but didn't know if this was a typical thing, that if you missed a title that if you wait long enough that it will likely have another release in the future, especially if it was a good seller? For example, right off the bat, I would have been interested in buying some of those Verne titles, like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Mysterious Island, but those are now long gone.

5. What's the best strategy to buying these at the best prices? It seems you have to pay a premium for these titles. Not necessarily in that the list prices are all that unusual, but that maybe they don't go on sale that often or by that much, especially if they have such limited runs and may sell out pretty quickly. And they don't seem to be available through many retailers where you might be able to catch these on sale or with a coupon/discount. What are considered good prices/deals on TT titles?

6. Does anyone know when the next sale is likely to be and what are the typical terms of their sales (discount levels, free shipping, etc...)? Now that I've discovered this, I'm eyeing a few titles already, but the whole very limited run thing is making me nervous.

Sorry for all these very basic questions. I was trying to look on the TT site but they don't have much info about themselves there and the OP, while very informative about TT's past, present, and upcoming releases, doesn't really have any of the really basic info for complete newbies. (And I confess, I did not read through all 22K+ posts of this thread before coming to ask these questions.)

Up until now I've basically ignored all the TT threads in the deal section (where I usually spend most of my time) because I didn't know what they were. I thought they were just a niche site specializing exclusively in the horror genre, one of the few genres that I have pretty much no interest in. Now that I realize they have other, non-horror genre titles too, and of titles that you can't seem to get easily or otherwise elsewhere, I am suddenly tuning in.

Hopefully this doesn't turn into another CC-like collecting habit. That would not be good for the wallet, at least CC has the BN sales.

[Page14]

I bit ...

The Gang's All Here
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Panic in Needle Park
Zelig
And the freebie ... 10 Rillington Place (which is a title I would have paid for)

[baheidstu]

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

OK, total noob regarding TT here, so please forgive these really noobish questions.

1. What is TT? They seem to publish very limited runs of more classic titles that don't seem to have a wide release elsewhere but at a hefty price tag?

Yes, they do limited edition runs mainly of 3000 titles, occasionally 5000 for titles they anticipate to be more popular. The average price tag is $29.95 per title. Some very early releases and some two-disc releases are $34.95. Some titles they have licenced from a British company run $24.95.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

2. Are they like Criterion in terms of the quality of the releases or the features provided? I mean, are they a company that tries to publish classic titles that aren't available widely or elsewhere and does a high quality restoration and provides unique extra features while doing so, and thus justifying paying the higher prices?

They're not Criterion standard. They don't do their own restorations although they are often provided new restorations from the studios they licence from. They sometimes provide the extras that were on the DVD releases of some of the titles and occasionally produce their own, though it's usually in the form of audio commentaries.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

3. Related to the above, is there any difference between the TT releases and other releases of the same title? For example, I was looking at Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959). TT version sold out and only available through 3rd party sellers for a lot higher. I looked on BN and they have an Australian Import version for like $18 list price. Is there a reason (like those cited above) why I would pay for the TT version (if I could even get one)? Whenever I can, if there is a CC version and a non-CC version of a title, I will usually get the CC version, even if I already have the non-CC version. Is this the sort of thing that typically holds true for TT releases, that they are usually superior or offer something of value (better quality, additional features, etc...) over non-TT releases?

Depends on the title. Some foreign releases use the same transfers. Re: Journey to the Center of the Earth, there were two different releases by TT. The more recent was remastered. I'm not sure if the Australian release used the same transfer or the one used for the earlier TT release, thought I think it's the latter. So the TT release would be better in that respect.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

4. Why such limited print runs? And for those that sell out, do they regularly do future runs for popular sold out titles? In that sense, is it like the Disney vault in that after a limit run sells out (not they are "vaulting a title" but just that there is no more inventory) that after a number of years they typically/sometimes do another run? I've noticed that some titles seem to have been released more than once through TT, but didn't know if this was a typical thing, that if you missed a title that if you wait long enough that it will likely have another release in the future, especially if it was a good seller? For example, right off the bat, I would have been interested in buying some of those Verne titles, like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Mysterious Island, but those are now long gone.

The limited print runs are due to the fact they pay up front for all licencing fees (or something). There's interviews on the net with the owners who explain all that. They have re-released a few sold out titles though they have since indicated, in passing, that they probably won't re-release any more sold out titles due to complaints from collectors. There's the possibility of a studio release of a popular sold out title though, eg. Christine.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

5. What's the best strategy to buying these at the best prices? It seems you have to pay a premium for these titles. Not necessarily in that the list prices are all that unusual, but that maybe they don't go on sale that often or by that much, especially if they have such limited runs and may sell out pretty quickly. And they don't seem to be available through many retailers where you might be able to catch these on sale or with a coupon/discount. What are considered good prices/deals on TT titles?

Screen Archives Entertainment has had a few TT sales where most titles were $10 off. Twilight Time had a similar sale on their own site. There's also the occasional sale where SAE will offer a discount on anything you buy from their site which can be applied to Twilight Time product. Approximately once a month on SAE there is an offer of a free copy of a previous release autographed by someone associated with the film if you buy a certain amount of TT product. Currently 10 Rillington Place is being offered signed by Judy Geeson.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

6. Does anyone know when the next sale is likely to be and what are the typical terms of their sales (discount levels, free shipping, etc...)? Now that I've discovered this, I'm eyeing a few titles already, but the whole very limited run thing is making me nervous.

The last SAE sale just ended at the beginning of the month and Twilight Time's own sale was fairly recent as well, so it might be a while yet before the next one (maybe near the end of the year). Your best bet for discounted titles is to go for the signed promos or add some titles to your wishlist on SAE and see if you get offered a "wishlist" sale offer.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

Sorry for all these very basic questions. I was trying to look on the TT site but they don't have much info about themselves there and the OP, while very informative about TT's past, present, and upcoming releases, doesn't really have any of the really basic info for complete newbies. (And I confess, I did not read through all 22K+ posts of this thread before coming to ask these questions.)

Up until now I've basically ignored all the TT threads in the deal section (where I usually spend most of my time) because I didn't know what they were. I thought they were just a niche site specializing exclusively in the horror genre, one of the few genres that I have pretty much no interest in. Now that I realize they have other, non-horror genre titles too, and of titles that you can't seem to get easily or otherwise elsewhere, I am suddenly tuning in.

Hopefully this doesn't turn into another CC-like collecting habit. That would not be good for the wallet, at least CC has the BN sales.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

2. Are they like Criterion in terms of the quality of the releases or the features provided? I mean, are they a company that tries to publish classic titles that aren't available widely or elsewhere and does a high quality restoration and provides unique extra features while doing so, and thus justifying paying the higher prices?

I would say that they are "like Criterion" in that they are mostly putting movies out on Blu-ray that otherwise would likely never get a release. I would argue that the average Twilight Time movie is less in-demand than the average Criterion title. But in terms of picture quality and special features, they aren't really comprable. On the plus side, I'm not aware of too many Twilight Time releases that dropped features that were previously released, but I think that's mainly because most of their titles were released bare-bones to start with. I'm sure there are exceptions where they dropped things (maybe the "As Good As It Gets" commentary?), and I know that their Peckinpah releases have had some serious extra features that were never released before.

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

3. Related to the above, is there any difference between the TT releases and other releases of the same title?

There's a thread in the "international" forum titled something like "Twilight Time titles which are released elsewhere." There's no rule or simple answer to this question, but that thread will give you comparisons for individual titles. Note that "Resen", a Spanish label, are either bootleggers or pirates, specifically stealing from Twilight Time (others too, but the owner of TT has publicly commented on it a few times, his quotes circulate all through these forums).

Here it is:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=239285

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

I've noticed that some titles seem to have been released more than once through TT, but didn't know if this was a typical thing, that if you missed a title that if you wait long enough that it will likely have another release in the future, especially if it was a good seller?

From what I understand, the re-releases which Twilight Time did were insisted on by the distributor (MGM, I think?). They say that they won't do any more, although I believe that since saying that, they announced at least one further re-release. In terms of making a plan, expect that they won't re-release.

And they don't seem to be available through many retailers where you might be able to catch these on sale or with a coupon/discount. What are considered good prices/deals on TT titles?

We've been conditioned to accept $20 as a good price. Any retailer besides SAE which is selling Twilight Time titles bought them directly from TT or SAE, so they can't make a profit unless they sell for more than TT.com or SAE does.

Hopefully this doesn't turn into another CC-like collecting habit. That would not be good for the wallet, at least CC has the BN sales.

Don't worry -- they aren't numbered.

[michaeljoo]

Wow, thanks for all the responses, baheidstu, that was super helpful!

Yes, I was looking through the Dead Deals section and realized that I just missed a sale for the $10 off per title.

And one of the titles I wanted (Mysterious Island Encore Edition) was available during the sale and now appears to be sold out.

Hopefully the owners will do more runs of popular sold out titles in the future. I understand that collectors might not be happy (I've sold some OOP titles at higher OOP prices before too), but even Disney releases titles from their vault every so often so that people have a chance to get those titles again eventually. I can understand limited print runs because they are a smaller shop and have to pay for all licensing fees up front. If a title doesn't sell well (especially if many of their titles are not mainstream popular), I can understand not wanting to get stuck with excess inventory that you've paid for up front that doesn't move. But if a title sells really well and sells out fairly quickly and they anticipate that there is still more demand, why not plan another run, if not right away, at least a little while later? I mean, what's the point, just to make limited collector's items so that collectors' can retain higher values on their limited copies? It's not like the discs themselves are original works of art. If they know they will likely sell and wouldn't it be better to make titles more accessible to others who want it?

Thanks for the help!

[CraigThom]

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

And one of the titles I wanted (Mysterious Island Encore Edition) was available during the sale and now appears to be sold out.

Hopefully the owners will do more runs of popular sold out titles in the future. I understand that collectors might not be happy (I've sold some OOP titles at higher OOP prices before too), but even Disney releases titles from their vault every so often so that people have a chance to get those titles again eventually.

Disney is releasing their own films, not licensing them from someone else, and they go in and out of print for marketing reasons.

Twilight Time only licenses the films for a fixed number of copies and for a fixed amount of time. It's a different situation.

They've already released Mysterious Island twice. It's possible they could do it again, but it would be a big surprise.

Maybe someone else will release it after Twilight Time's window of exclusivity closes, but that's probably two or three years from now.

[michaeljoo]

Thanks for those responses, thatguamguy!

Arggh though about likely not doing more re-releases.

[michaeljoo]

Originally Posted by CraigThom

Disney is releasing their own films, not licensing them from someone else, and they go in and out of print for marketing reasons.

Twilight Time only licenses the films for a fixed number of copies and for a fixed amount of time. It's a different situation.

They've already released Mysterious Island twice. It's possible they could do it again, but it would be a big surprise.

Maybe someone else will release it after Twilight Time's window of exclusivity closes, but that's probably two or three years from now.

Yes, I know Disney's vault thing is something they created for marketing purposes to manufacture demand for their titles and that the TT limited runs are based on licensing realities.

But I guess my point is, especially since they are not doing it to drum up manufactured demand as Disney is, if a title was really popular and they anticipate that it would still sell well if they did another run, why not try to license it again and do another run a little later?

Even from a business perspective that seems to make sense, that if they make more and the product will likely sell that they do so. Unless part of the reason these titles sell out is precisely because of the fear/hope that they will never have another release run by TT and so also have a somewhat artificial demand factored in. (Heck, I'm even now contemplating putting in an order soon and paying full price instead of just waiting for the next sale in case some of the titles I'm eyeing sell out in the meantime. And I'm usually a price hawk, usually willing to wait a long time to get the best prices and deals).

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by michaeljoo

And one of the titles I wanted (Mysterious Island Encore Edition) was available during the sale and now appears to be sold out.

I just did a quick check on ebay, you should be able to get it for $25-$30 with a little patience. Not a great price, but not worse than it would've been through the site (without a sale). It looks like at least once a month, somebody offers it at a starting price low enough to get in on. Most of the $40 - $50 just sit there being endlessly relisted, reinforcing the impression that these discs are more expensive than they are.