Scream Factory Blu-ray Discussion Thread

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

HoHH is one of my most-anticipated Scream Factory titles but I've soured big time on this label because of the new pricing policies. Looks like I'm going to have to wait about a month after street date to grab the titles I want. Just a sad decline for SF.

It’s wise to wait for reviews/screencaps as well.

[sancho]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

HoHH is one of my most-anticipated Scream Factory titles but I've soured big time on this label because of the new pricing policies. Looks like I'm going to have to wait about a month after street date to grab the titles I want. Just a sad decline for SF.

Same here. I agree.
I used to love spending my hard earned money on Shout releases, but I am going to wait until the price is more reasonable for HoHH.
I have already passed on "Scream For Help". I may also pass on "Trick R Treat" & "Creepshow". All due to pricing and their recent stunts. Shout's recent activities have made me reconsider my future purchases from them.

[Luke Dodge748]

Originally Posted by sancho

Same here. I agree.
I used to love spending my hard earned money on Shout releases, but I am going to wait until the price is more reasonable for HoHH.
I have already passed on "Scream For Help". I may also pass on "Trick R Treat" & "Creepshow". All due to pricing and their recent stunts. Shout's recent activities have made me reconsider my future purchases from them.

Like what "recent stunts"?

[Thomas Veil]

Originally Posted by Marsupial Werewolf

No. Literally nobody thinks that.

Uh not true...come on people often don't take businesses costs into account when they complain. It's literally human nature to ***** first then think.

To get into WB's vaults Im sure it cost more than usual. Who knows but I do know none of you know the total costs involved. Would I like lower prices? Sure but some of you are so darn dramatic I just laugh when I read some if these posts.

[Jay Mammoth]

Originally Posted by Thomas Veil

Uh not true...come on people often don't take businesses costs into account when they complain. It's literally human nature to ***** first then think.

To get into WB's vaults Im sure it cost more than usual. Who knows but I do know none of you know the total costs involved. Would I like lower prices? Sure but some of you are so darn dramatic I just laugh when I read some if these posts.

This. People were complaining about $30 for Return of the Living Dead 2 being $30. Family Video recently had it for $21.

[Tone blare]

Do you guys think the only way to get the new remasters for Halloween 2 & 3 as well as The Thing is to buy the steelbooks or is there a feeling SF will offer a non steelbook option some time later ?

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by Tone blare

Do you guys think the only way to get the new remasters for Halloween 2 & 3 as well as The Thing is to buy the steelbooks or is there a feeling SF will offer a non steelbook option some time later ?

I'd like to say probably not, but its Scream Factory. A triple (quadruple for the Halloween titles) dip wouldn't be out of character.

[Spooked]

Originally Posted by Cinema84

Yup. SF survived for 5+ years pricing their titles reasonably. I have nothing against small increases to cover costs but nearly thirty bucks per title is ridiculous.

As the niche video market gets more and more competitive, studios are going to find they can raise their prices for license rights - because they know some labels are desperate enough to pay. I think Scream is at a place where in order to continue to put out new product and grow, they really have to pay these higher costs. (Which then get passed on to the customer.) I don't think the Warner deal came cheap at all. Just the way business works.

[Luke Dodge748]

Originally Posted by Jay Mammoth

This. People were complaining about $30 for Return of the Living Dead 2 being $30. Family Video recently had it for $21.

You bring up something I've been wondering about. Family Video has great prices, but are all their blu-rays pre-viewed (rentals)?? Or are they selling new products as well?

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Luke Dodge748

You bring up something I've been wondering about. Family Video has great prices, but are all their blu-rays pre-viewed (rentals)?? Or are they selling new products as well?

They sell both. These are all new releases at the typical pre-July 2018 prices. Scream Factory just hasn't convinced/forced them to list at MSRP yet.

[Jay Mammoth]

Originally Posted by Spooked

As the niche video market gets more and more competitive, studios are going to find they can raise their prices for license rights - because they know some labels are desperate enough to pay. I think Scream is at a place where in order to continue to put out new product and grow, they really have to pay these higher costs. (Which then get passed on to the customer.) I don't think the Warner deal came cheap at all. Just the way business works.

Sane people hear you, the haters will ignore posts like these though because it’s the truth. Just glad they are still selling out product and continue to thrive.

[TheHorrorNerd]

Originally Posted by Spooked

As the niche video market gets more and more competitive, studios are going to find they can raise their prices for license rights - because they know some labels are desperate enough to pay. I think Scream is at a place where in order to continue to put out new product and grow, they really have to pay these higher costs. (Which then get passed on to the customer.) I don't think the Warner deal came cheap at all. Just the way business works.

I don't claim to know how business works but aren't releases supposed to come down in price as the technology matures and ages?
We didn't pay more for DVDs at the end of its run.
I see where you're coming from with the licensing costs. Though it seems Shout may have agreed to a deal that may be a bit too lopsided if they have to increase the costs to the consumers 50-70%.

[rillog]

I think that Shout will loose a lot of sales abroad. The limit for free imports to the EU is about 23 Euros. The Collectors Editions used to cost about 20 Euros. Now they are about 25.50 Euros which means that you have to pay taxes on top. In the end you have to pay more than 30 Euros for one collector's edition which equals an increase of about 50%.

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by Spooked

As the niche video market gets more and more competitive, studios are going to find they can raise their prices for license rights - because they know some labels are desperate enough to pay. I think Scream is at a place where in order to continue to put out new product and grow, they really have to pay these higher costs. (Which then get passed on to the customer.) I don't think the Warner deal came cheap at all. Just the way business works.

Originally Posted by Jay Mammoth

Sane people hear you, the haters will ignore posts like these though because it’s the truth. Just glad they are still selling out product and continue to thrive.

A roughly $5 increase in MSRP isn't the same thing as Scream Factory forcing retailers to ONLY charge MSRP. Shout Factory themselves haven't raised prices on their own website and that right there should tell you that the issue isn't with the licensing deal but with the various deals Shout Factory has with retailers.

Shout Factory wants people to buy directly from them. End of story. This isn't about the sob story of a dying medium or about how licensing costs are so great that they need to be passed on to the consumers. This is simply a case where Shout Factory is trying to bleed it's consumer base dry because they know that they have folks in a position where there is no other option.

The evidence has clearly been presented. Retailers are being prohibited from collecting pre-orders. Retailers have been prevented from selling titles after the initial street date. Retailers have been told that if they want to list titles they need to list at MSRP or the price that Shout Factory has decided on ($29.99 for many titles). Every single one of these tactics is questionable and every one is dictated by Shout Factory. If licensing and production costs were the issue the MSRP would go up and the final price would be determined by each individual retailer and their ability to negotiate a good per unit price. Since MSRP hasn't budged enough to warrant that level of cost adjustment Shout Factory is just forcing it on us because they can.

Like it or leave it, this is not about the viability of the medium or licensing costs, it's clearly an attempt at gauging what the community will put up with.

[Spooked]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

I don't claim to know how business works but aren't releases supposed to come down in price as the technology matures and ages?
We didn't pay more for DVDs at the end of its run.
I see where you're coming from with the licensing costs. Though it seems Shout may have agreed to a deal that may be a bit too lopsided if they have to increase the costs to the consumers 50-70%.

Normally, but I think a 'collector's market' is a bit different. I mean, think about it - how many more titles can Scream release? They're competing more and more with smaller boutique labels (with much less overhead), newly-formed Arrow US, and in some instances, the studios themselves (Or branches thereof - Vestron as an example). There's only so many 'retro' titles left to still put out. I know they're always chipping away at the major studios for desirable titles, but that's where things get expensive. Or they're just told 'no' outright. I know they're moving into distribution of the IFC titles (which are a bit less), but they're definitely going to have to adapt even more to the changing market as we move forward. It makes me sad, but I guess nothing good ever lasts forever, does it?

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Like it or leave it, this is not about the viability of the medium or licensing costs, it's clearly an attempt at gauging what the community will put up with.

This is probably true to some extent, and I do think Shout! Factory is 'testing the waters' sort of speak. It's just too bad that the consumers are being used as guinea pigs. I'd also like to separate Scream Factory from Shout Factory here, as decisions like these are probably largely left up to the parent company (Shout!) and not solely to Scream Factory, which is bearing the brunt of our ire.

[thatguamguy]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

I don't claim to know how business works but aren't releases supposed to come down in price as the technology matures and ages?
We didn't pay more for DVDs at the end of its run.

I'm not sure what year you're considering the "end of DVDs' run", but I disagree with this. When DVDs first hit, they charged $20+ for barebones titles, because they were competing with laserdisc. The market reacted, and gradually those prices went down, and/or special features were added, and DVD was able to successfully displace not only LD, but VHS as well. But now we have come full circle, and most of the studios have DVD MOD programs where they charge $20 or more for barebones titles, and those are the vast majority of new releases of catalog titles that they do on DVD. Used copies of old DVDs have gotten cheaper, but new stuff never sees a price drop and rarely sees a sale.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by TripleHBK

Like it or leave it, this is not about the viability of the medium or licensing costs, it's clearly an attempt at gauging what the community will put up with.

I think you're right this is about moving as many people to their site as possible and getting more from Amazon and such. However I would also say that can tie-in to trying to get more profit from a more niche market.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by TheHorrorNerd

We didn't pay more for DVDs at the end of its run.

DVD’s run is still far from over.

[DetroitSportsFan]

Originally Posted by Spooked

Normally, but I think a 'collector's market' is a bit different. I mean, think about it - how many more titles can Scream release?

Between what they can get between WB, Sony, Universal, and MGM, they have quite a bit of titles left just in double dips.

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

DVD’s run is still far from over.

We need a fair 1:1 comparison. There are a lot of releases which never receive a Blu-ray to include the all of the garbage releases (fitness, etc.).