Physical & Digital EST: The Future of Home Video Discussion Thread

[gotmule]

You probably threw off some algorithms there buying Mad Max anthology and Sponge Bob at the same time.

[Steedeel]

Saw X on Friday night. Absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to grab the disc now.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by gotmule

You probably threw off some algorithms there buying Mad Max anthology and Sponge Bob at the same time.

Gotta keep 'em guessing to assure that a diverse selection of content continues to be offered. And I luvs me some Spongebob.

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Saw X on Friday night. Absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to grab the disc now.

Has the sequel "Y" been announced yet?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Vilya

Has the sequel "Y" been announced yet?

Funny you should say that, they have announced a prequel already and a surprise teaser trailer appears after the film in some cinemas.

Good joke however!

[Wendell R. Breland]

Originally Posted by crutzulee

Clips from DUNE and BLADERUNNER 2049 have been playing endlessly over the last few days as I measure the real world effect of each improvement.... nothing will help you isolate rattles like these 2 films.

If you can play a FLAC file then I have just the thing for you.

Originally Posted by Wendell R. Breland

In case you do not have it: you can download my warble bass tones here. They start at 16 Hz and end at 250 Hz. Spaced at ⅓ octave apart and warble ⅓ of center band. FLAC format, playable on your Oppo or Marantz. The tones fade in and out at a ½ second duration so they should not cause loud pops or chirps. Each warble tone is almost full level (-6 dB ref O dBFS) and last 10 seconds.

[cheez avenger]

Just pre-ordered Drive 4K disc (standard edition). This should look and sound phenomenal on 4K disc. Even more so than the BD.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Just pre-ordered Drive 4K disc (standard edition). This should look and sound phenomenal on 4K disc. Even more so than the BD.

Nice one. My Matrix Resurrections 4K steelbook arrived today.

[JohnAV]

Because of BAFTA box office news is lagging

Box Office: ‘The Batman’ Earns Another $36M, Hits $300M Domestically - Hollywood Reporter 3/20

The Caped Crusader placed number one at the box office for the third consecutive weekend, while 'Jujutsu Kaisen 0' confirms the increasing appetite for Japanese anime.

There’s no stopping The Batman.

The Warner Bros. and DC hit movie placed number one at the box office for the third consecutive weekend, grossing $36 million for a superhero-like domestic total of $300.1 million and nearly $600 million worldwide after earning another $49.1 million overseas for a foreign tally of $298 million.

One downer: With 43 percent or more of theaters closed in China because of another COVID-19 surge, Batman debuted to a lowly $12.1 million. Before the closures, it had been tracking for a $25 million-plus debut.

Matt Reeves’ Batman was only down 45 percent in North America, as well as overseas. (It didn’t hurt that there no new major Hollywood studio releases.)

That landscape will change next weekend when Paramount opens the Sandra Bullock-Channing Tatum action-adventure The Lost City, which held advance screenings on Saturday night, with more than two-thirds of showings sold out.

Coming in No. 2 behind Batman in North America was the Japanese anime offering Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which did a better-than-expected $17.7 million from 2,340 locations thanks to perfect 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes and great exits, especially from kids. Crunchyroll and Funimation distributed the film in North America. Directed by Sunghoo Park, the film is a prequel to the hugely popular Gege Akutami-created Jujutsu Kaisen series.

Uncharted came in No. 3, earning $8 million from 3,700 theaters to hit a hearty $125.9 million for Sony, which is also reporting that Spider-Man: No Way Home has all but crossed the historic $800 million mark domestically with a total through Sunday of $797.5 million. The studio didn’t fare as well by Stage 6’s supernatural thriller Umma, which opened to $917,000 from 800 theaters.

Globally, there was more good news for Uncharted, which took in another $19 million to cross the $200 mark internationally and finish Sunday with a worldwide tally of $337.3 million. Like Batman, it was hurt in its China debut by cinema closures with a $10.4 million opening.

A24’s new horror film X placed No. 4 after opening to a better-than-expected $4.4 million from 2,886 theaters. Ti West directs X, a slasher pic about a group of young people terrorized while shooting a porno.

Channing Tatum’s Dog rounded out in the top five in its fifth weekend, earning $4.1 million for a meaty domestic total of $54.2 million for MGM and United Artists Releasing.


Focus Festures’ opened the suspense thriller The Oufit in 1,324 theaters, grossing $1.5 million. The well-reviewed film scored strong audience exit scores to currently rank at No. 9

March 20, 8:50 a.m.: Updated with international numbers.

[JohnAV]

China Box Office: ‘The Batman’ Flutters to Muted $12.1M Opening - Hollywood Reporter 3/20

With cinemas closing in response to a COVID outbreak and local interest in Hollywood moviemaking on the wane, the Warner Bros blockbuster will earn a fraction of past superhero grosses in China.

Warner Bros.’ The Batman saw its global earnings blitz slow to a crawl in China over the weekend, with the Matt Reeves-directed blockbuster opening to just $12.1 million. That’s the biggest Hollywood opening in China this year, but not much to brag about. A COVID-19 outbreak and sinking Chinese interest in Hollywood moviemaking were to blame.

Local word of mouth for the brooding-superhero pic was solid — social scores of 7.7 on Douban and 8.9 from major ticketing apps Maoyan and Tao Piao Piao — but fan recognition didn’t translate into significant ticket sales. Maoyan currently projects The Batman to finish its China run with a total of only $26 million.

Analysts estimate that somewhere between 30 percent and 43 percent of Chinese movie theaters were closed last weekend, as the country battles its worst Omicron outbreak to date. Most cinemas in the major cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen were closed, as were theaters in a smattering of other areas nationwide.

But even before the cinema shutdowns, The Batman had only been tracking for a $25 million-plus opening, which would fall on the far low end of what well-reviewed Hollywood superhero films were earning in China until just a few years ago. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises, for example, earned $52.8 million way back in 2012, when China had about a third as many movie screens as it has today. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice then earned $95.8 million in 2016, which was bettered by Justice League in 2017 with $106 million.

Sony’s Uncharted has similarly sputtered in China. The Tom Holland-starring action film added just $4 million during the weekend for a $10.4 million total after six days on Chinese screens, according to Artisan Gateway data. Maoyan forecasts the film to top out at about $15 million. The film already has earned twice that in the U.K.

Further down the charts, China’s Lunar New Year holdovers continued adding to their comparatively colossal earnings. Bona Film Group’s The Battle of Lake Changjin 2 climbed to $638.4 million, adding $1.6 million in the latest frame. Comedy caper Too Cool to Kill took another $1 million for a $412.9 million gross.

The next Hollywood titles headed to China include Roland Emmerich’s action film Moonfall (March 25), Sony’s animation sequel Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (April 3) and Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 8).

At lease western films are finally being shown in China.

[Ender14]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Just pre-ordered Drive 4K disc (standard edition). This should look and sound phenomenal on 4K disc. Even more so than the BD.

I did as well. And threw in Double Indemnity 4K for good measure.

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Nice one. My Matrix Resurrections 4K steelbook arrived today.

Good luck with MR. I was not a fan.

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Good luck with MR. I was not a fan.

I saw this Movie on the Big Screen in Texas at Christmas time. What's not to like it's Keanu Reeves, but once is enough!

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by alchav21

I saw this Movie on the Big Screen in Texas at Christmas time. What's not to like it's Keanu Reeves, but once is enough!

I'm glad I didn't see it in theaters, I would have been very upset. HBO MAX came in clutch on that one.

[JohnAV]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Good luck with MR. I was not a fan.

I had some discounts available still so I used them on MR that I got the 4K for $13.

You can always think of this in the context of all those great terminator sequel movies you bought. I did the same.

[alchav21]

Talking about Movies, I live in a Senior Retirement Community and at a group function this topic came up. We rarely go to the Cinema, and when the subject of what Movies have we seen lately it was all on Subscription Streaming. Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBOMax, Disney+, Netflix, and Paramount+ were the top services. It seems like now you need access to a good Streaming Service, so which ones do you guys have? If you don't, how do you kid yourself that you're not missing out?

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by alchav21

It seems like now you need access to a good Streaming Service, so which ones do you guys have? If you don't, how do you kid yourself that you're not missing out?

I have Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max. Additionally, I sometimes use PBS, Tubi, Pluto, Vudu, and Movies Anywhere. I also have over 8,000 titles on disc and many of these titles can not be found on any streaming service or digital seller. By limiting yourself to streaming only, you're the one who is "missing out."

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

Good luck with MR. I was not a fan.

I have next to no interest in Matrix Resurrections. I cared so little for the other sequels that I never bothered to upgrade them to 4K. Only the first movie was worth it.

[cheez avenger]

Originally Posted by Vilya

I have next to no interest in Matrix Resurrections. I cared so little for the other sequels that I never bothered to upgrade them to 4K. Only the first movie was worth it.

MR actually makes the second and third films better. IMO

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

MR actually makes the second and third films better. IMO

Something needed to.

Now my interest is next to next to nothing. Making progress.