Maybe a stupid Q: How to tell Canadian vs U.S. release

[jephdood]

Do only Canadian releases have their film rating on the slip and back art? Or do some U.S. releases have that as well? Bilingual covers are a dead giveaway obviously..

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by jephdood

Do only Canadian releases have their film rating on the slip and back art? Or do some U.S. releases have that as well? Bilingual covers are a dead giveaway obviously..

Many USA releases also have the Canadian ratings logos on their cover art. Here is a random example, if you click on the "back" image you will see it:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Inter...lu-ray/108909/

The best way to determine if it's Canadian is, like you say, the bilingual text. As studio releases are pretty much exactly the same in Canada as the United States, that's really the only difference.

[Brandon K]

Bilingual is the best bet.

You can also compare product images on this site or on Amazon.

But some studio releases do have different distributors in the US and Canada and can thus end up with different discs. For example, The Circle had a different distributor in Canada and ended up being a barebones release compared to the US release, which had bonus features not on the Canadian release.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Brandon K

Bilingual is the best bet.

You can also compare product images on this site or on Amazon.

But some studio releases do have different distributors in the US and Canada and can thus end up with different discs. For example, The Circle had a different distributor in Canada and ended up being a barebones release compared to the US release, which had bonus features not on the Canadian release.

I should clarify my earlier comment, titles that are released in Canada and the United States by the same studio (and by studio I mean majors like Warners, Universal, Paramount, etc.) there are no differences in content.

[Krypton_Son]

Look for the French.....

[Dex Robinson]

Bilingual covers are not a good indicator.

Bilingual covers appear only on major studio releases that have French language soundtracks. No French track, no bilingual cover.

I just reached beside me and grabbed THE HINDENBURG and THE TOWERING INFERNO, THE MUSIC MAN, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, GALAXY QUEST...Canadian releases without a word of French. Even a few releases with French tracks have unilingual English covers (my closest examples being SIGNS). Bilingual covers are a very spotty indicator.

[floridaswamprat]

Enter the UPC in the search box here at blu-ray.com. Canadian releases show up under Canada; US releases show up under US releases.

[x melio x]

The timing of this topic is funny. I just ordered Freddy Vs. Jason on Blu from a seller on eBay. I owned this Blu once already so when I opened it I could tell something was off. It’s the Alliance Canadian release with bilingual cover and back...lol

[Al_The_Strange]

• Bilingual text.
• Distributor logos (Alliance is a big one in Canada).

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

Bilingual covers are not a good indicator.

Bilingual covers appear only on major studio releases that have French language soundtracks. No French track, no bilingual cover.

I just reached beside me and grabbed THE HINDENBURG and THE TOWERING INFERNO, THE MUSIC MAN, FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER, GALAXY QUEST...Canadian releases without a word of French. Even a few releases with French tracks have unilingual English covers (my closest examples being SIGNS). Bilingual covers are a very spotty indicator.

Bilingual covers ARE a good indicator. If it has a bilingual cover, it's going to be the Canadian release, n'est-ca pa?

It's true that not all Canadian releases have French on the cover, but in those cases if it's a major studio release it's just going to be the same disc anyway.

The example you gave of the Hindenburg, the only difference is that the Canadian release has the barcode on a sticker adhered to the plastic case. When I scanned that into my collection using the app, I used the barcode found underneath on the paper sleeve and it came through as the US release.

[jephdood]

The reason I ask is because I want to advertise my stuff correctly. I appreciate everyone's input.

[willo007]

Easy,

A Canadian version will not have any of these US ratings: "R", "PG-13", "PG", "G", "Not Rated" and "Unrated".


If it is got a leaf only, then 100% Canadian.

If it got both a leaf and an US rating, then it is meant for both countries.

[MOONPHASE]

While not the same thing, but many videogames these days released in U.S. and Canada are bilingual or even trilingual on the covers. It basically becomes like a 1 size fits all so that it can cover all of North America.

[Grethiwha]

I find the best way to tell is to check what country you're in when you buy the movie.

But really, if there's no French on the cover, unless it's a unique Canadian release, in most cases it's probably literally the same as the US release, except where it's being sold. They might put on a sticker with a different bar code, I guess, or the Canadian ratings logo (if it's not already printed on), if it's being sold in a store...

[ArrestedDevelopment]

Bilingual covers. Releases that don't have French text usually have a a sticker indicating that the blu-ray has French language options.