Gamera: The Complete Collection (1965-2006)

[RillIris]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Keith posted the dates that all of them were up for renewal and those two were 2019. And you’re right, they went OOP after he posted this. So Sony just let their rights expire.

Unfortunately Sony has rights to certain movies in perpetuity, but given Mill Creek for US and Eureka in UK releasing 3 of those thru licensing deals it seems like that kind of thing fortunately is likely to continue. It’s likely going to be cheapest for one company to pick up the rights to everything they can as they expire anyways though, and only then license the others from Sony and do a box set.

Also for the Gamera fans, would you rather see a Shin Gamera happen, or a Hollywood movie set either in the Monsterverse or Pacific Rim universe (because let’s face it, they’d probably try and tie it to one of those, if not both)?

[omgitsgodzilla]

Originally Posted by RillIris

Unfortunately Sony has rights to certain movies in perpetuity, but given Mill Creek for US and Eureka in UK releasing 3 of those thru licensing deals it seems like that kind of thing fortunately is likely to continue. It’s likely going to be cheapest for one company to pick up the rights to everything they can as they expire anyways though, and only then license the others from Sony and do a box set.

The thing with the ones Mill Creek and Eureka released is that Sony has those in perpetuity because those are the terms of the deal Columbia made with Toho in the late '50s/early '60s. The Godzilla films are a different story; they licensed some of those in the late '90s and most in the 2000s. Those are the ones that are expiring/already have expired.

[RillIris]

Originally Posted by omgitsgodzilla

The thing with the ones Mill Creek and Eureka released is that Sony has those in perpetuity because those are the terms of the deal Columbia made with Toho in the late '50s/early '60s. The Godzilla films are a different story; they licensed some of those in the late '90s and most in the 2000s. Those are the ones that are expiring/already have expired.

Most, but don’t they have the rights to like a couple of the newer ones also in perpetuity for some reason, maybe it’s the alternate version of 2000? Been awhile since I’ve looked over that list, but I kept thinking there was something with them and a core Godzilla movie (that’s not 98 which of course they own).

[omgitsgodzilla]

Originally Posted by RillIris

Most, but don’t they have the rights to like a couple of the newer ones also in perpetuity for some reason, maybe it’s the alternate version of 2000? Been awhile since I’ve looked over that list, but I kept thinking there was something with them and a core Godzilla movie (that’s not 98 which of course they own).

That's probably the case, seeing as that one got a theatrical release and everything, while the rest went straight to video.

[BluProofie]

Sony owns GAMG, Tokyo SOS, and Final Wars in perpetuity, according to Keith.

[Joseph Goodman]

Originally Posted by BluProofie

Sony owns GAMG, Tokyo SOS, and Final Wars in perpetuity, according to Keith.

I think you misunderstood the original list. For reference, here's the list in question:

On the Monster Zero boards I was asked to find out which Godzilla/Toho films Sony currently has rights to. So I checked their repertory film and home video records and found the following titles... the info even included when the rights would be up for renewal.

Sony has all rights (theatrical, home video, streaming, television) in North America and assorted other territories for the following titles...

H-MAN (In Perpetuity)
BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (In Perpetuity)
MOTHRA (In Perpetuity)
GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH (Renewal Date: 2019)
GODZILLA AND MOTHRA (Renewal Date: 2019)
GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA II (Renewal Date: 2023)
GODZILLA VS SPACE GODZILLA (Renewal Date: 2023)
GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH (Renewal Date: 2023)
REBIRTH OF MOTHRA (Renewal Date: 2023)
REBIRTH OF MOTHRA II (Renewal Date: 2023)
REBIRTH OF MOTHRA III (Renewal Date: 2025)
GODZILLA 1998 (In Perpetuity)
GODZILLA 2000 (Renewal Date: 2025)
GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS (Renewal Date: 2023)
GMK (Renewal Date: 2023)

They also have all rights except theatrical for...

GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA
GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS
GODZILLA: FINAL WARS

This list was originally posted to the Tohokingdom forum in 2013 (and to the Monster Zero board, but that board is no longer active). When he says "all rights except theatrical", he means home video, TV, streaming, etc., but no theatrical rights. Nothing about having them in perpetuity, as you can seen from the renewal dates listed above.

[vertigop1ayer]

Yeah I would be shocked if 2002-2004 Toho era would be willing to sell the rights to a Godzilla film in a market like the US outright and the first I've ever read in my many years of collecting that Sony owned the film outright. Plus, if they fully owned the film in the US then they'd have theatrical rights as well.

Originally Posted by RillIris

Most, but don’t they have the rights to like a couple of the newer ones also in perpetuity for some reason, maybe it’s the alternate version of 2000? Been awhile since I’ve looked over that list, but I kept thinking there was something with them and a core Godzilla movie (that’s not 98 which of course they own).

Sony doesn't own any of the Toho Godzilla films unless they own their cut of Godzilla 2000, which I suppose is possible but we've never been told as such. Last I knew their license expired in 2025 for Godzilla 2000.

[pixote]

Amazon Canada had this in stock on Saturday for $136 Canadian ($109 USD). They had a bunch because at one point it said only 9 left. They got more on Sunday. I grabbed one and it was in perfect condition. Kind of strange they showed up after all this time

[Flang]

Originally Posted by pixote

Amazon Canada had this in stock on Saturday for $136 Canadian ($109 USD). They had a bunch because at one point it said only 9 left. They got more on Sunday. I grabbed one and it was in perfect condition. Kind of strange they showed up after all this time

Yep, got one too

[hanshotfirst1138]

Are the Sci-Fi Japan/Monster Zero boards back up?

[mikemoring]

Originally Posted by pixote

Amazon Canada had this in stock on Saturday for $136 Canadian ($109 USD). They had a bunch because at one point it said only 9 left. They got more on Sunday. I grabbed one and it was in perfect condition. Kind of strange they showed up after all this time

I am so terribly bummed that I missed this. I had this in my cart before it sold out and have regretted not pulling the trigger ever since. I’m regularly on the lookout for this item (preferably not damaged or $600-700) and I’m shocked and disappointed in myself that I apparently missed that opportunity. Damn.

[Joseph Goodman]

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst1138

Are the Sci-Fi Japan/Monster Zero boards back up?

The non-functional corpse of the board is still up, frozen in time at last March.

[starsteam]

Joel Hodgson just announced that Gamera vs Jiger will be featured in season 13 of MST3K, and mentioned that they never thought they would be able to get the rights, so I guess Arrow must have played a part in this since the MST vs Gamera DVD set came back into print right after this BD set. Pretty cool how that worked out.

[Stream of Kaijuness]

Arrow's Showa & Heisei Gamera sets are now on sale for $49.99 apiece on Amazon.

At a combined price of about $100, this is the first time these sets have been available for less than the $130 that Arrow's complete Gamera collection cost upon release.

[Bassaholic]

Other than some swag, are these sets missing anything else from the complete collection?

[starsteam]

Originally Posted by Bassaholic

Other than some swag, are these sets missing anything else from the complete collection?

Disc content is exactly the same. You're just not getting any of the physical extras.

[MifuneFan]

I wish I could get the retrospective book from the original set, would have been awesome if they sold that separately.

[Stream of Kaijuness]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I wish I could get the retrospective book from the original set, would have been awesome if they sold that separately.

Three of the articles in that book were originally published in issues of Fangoria magazine back in the '90s, and archived PDF scans of those magazines are available online for easy reading and printing.

Here's an archive of Fangoria #173 (June 1998) with the profile of director Shusuke Kaneko by Norman England. Given when that issue was published, it also includes an article by Anthony C. Ferrante interviewing Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich on their Hollywood adaptation of Godzilla, along with another article by England profiling Japanese Godzilla suit actors Haruo Nakajima and Kenpachiro Satsuma, as well as an article by Will Murray covering Godzilla comic books.

Here's an archive of Fangoria #185 (August 1999) with England's Gamera 3 set report.

Here's an archive of Fangoria #191 (April 2000) with England's profile of SFX director Shinji Higuchi. That issue also includes England’s Godzilla 2000 set report.

In addition to those articles, that book in Arrow’s limited-edition Gamera set includes a reprint of David Milner's July 1996 interview with director Noriaki Yuasa. Milner’s personal website is still online, and here's a direct link to his interview with Yuasa. His website chronicles a lot of other worthwhile interviews with directors, producers, screenwriters, actors, composers and other people who have worked on Japanese monster movies, all translated by Yoshihiko Shibata.

The only articles in Arrow's limited-edition Gamera book that weren’t previously published are A History of Gamera by Patrick Macias and A Guide to English-Language Gamera by James Flower. Fortunately some bozo posted photographs of those pages to a folder on Imgur.

[MifuneFan]

Why do I find this so satisfying

[Jlouisbarrett]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Why do I find this so satisfying

I’m pretty sure it’s meant to be.