Disney Releasing Blu-ray Combo Pack of Pirates 4 Ahead of the DVD Only Version

[Bishop_99]

Disney Goes with Blu-ray Combo First for ‘Pirates’

In a first for a major box office blockbuster, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has chosen to delay a DVD-only release when it streets Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides on Oct. 18.

Instead, Disney will release the film as a two-disc Blu-ray Disc and DVD combo pack ($39.99) and a five-disc combo pack with 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy ($49.99).

A DVD-only release will street Nov. 15, a Disney representative said.

Both Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Lionsgate previously have released a title as a Blu-ray combo pack with DVD, with no DVD-only release, but none of those releases grossed $1 billion-plus worldwide.

Disney also will street a 15-disc Blu-ray collection ($169.99) including all four films in the “Pirates” franchise, and is offering the film as both a 3D ($49.99) and high-definition download ($39.99).

DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group estimates that as of the end of the first quarter of the year, there are nearly 30 million households in the United States with a Blu-ray player.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/dis...-pirates-24497

Pirates on Blu-ray First, DVD Release Coming Later On

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is getting ready to test the market with a bold move. The studio has apparently chosen to delay the DVD-only release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), which will arrive in stores on November 15th, almost a month after the film debuts on Blu-ray.

Disney will release Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as a two-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack and five-disc combo pack with 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy on October 18th.

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=6870

[Bishop_99]

This is good news, finally a studio decides to do this with a major release. Although I would have preferred a Blu-ray only release a few weeks ahead of the DVD version, as it would have motivated more people to upgrade to a BD player quicker, it's probably the best way to start this.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Bishop_99

This is good news, finally a studio decides to do this with a major release.

What "finally"? They did it with Snow White two years ago.

(And nobody noticed, because the headlines screamed "Disney Delays DVD!" and all the DVD owners cried that Disney was being "mean" to them, instead of going out and getting the DVD by buying the Combo, like they were supposed to.)

[pro-bassoonist]

Eric,

You know this, Snow White is a catalog release. This is a different caliber release. And a different experiment

Pro-B

[Teazle]

I thought this would happen in a year or so, prob. w/ the next Nolan Batman (WB). Disney beat them to it.

Will be nice to see 100% Blu week 1 sales for this title!

[Bishop_99]

Originally Posted by EricJ

What "finally"? They did it with Snow White two years ago.

(And nobody noticed, because the headlines screamed "Disney Delays DVD!" and all the DVD owners cried that Disney was being "mean" to them, instead of going out and getting the DVD by buying the Combo, like they were supposed to.)

Like Pro-B said, it's different because Snow White and other similarly released films by Disney were catalog titles, the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean film is a new major release film. The other two non catalog movies that had a BD non-combo release a month before the DVD version came out a few years back, Imagine That & Dance Flick, weren't box office hits.

Originally Posted by Teazle

I thought this would happen in a year or so, prob. w/ the next Nolan Batman (WB). Disney beat them to it.

Will be nice to see 100% Blu week 1 sales for this title!

Yes it is, but it's cheating lol........ The main focus here won't be the BD market share but the fact that this will get the DVD owners and those Blu-ray owners that still buy the DVD versions of some films, to buy the BD version instead. That could also help motivate some people to buy a BD player.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Eric,

You know this, Snow White is a catalog release. This is a different caliber release. And a different experiment

Pro-B

agree

[DetroitSportsFan]

Look like Cars 2 will follow a similar pattern. Amazon has preorders up for a few different configurations, but no DVD-only release.