Have MGM stopped releasing Blu-rays?

[Bruce Morrison]

Is it just my imagination or have MGM not been releasing Blu-rays for several months now? I think the last MGM Blu-ray I bought was 'The Graduate' back in June.

I know they are threatened with bankruptcy, but I would have thought they would have wanted to release at least a few high-profile titles to take advantage of the pre-Christmas market. Presumably they have some titles that have already been re-mastered for Blu-ray but not yet released.

Are we likely to have a drought of MGM titles on Blu-ray until the present crisis is resolved with some kind of rescue package or until they can sell their film library to another studio, e.g. Time Warner?

[Drewza89]

To Live and Die in L.A. is supposed to come out in February after being rescheduled twice. Hopefully some more MGM titles will be released with it.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

Is it just my imagination or have MGM not been releasing Blu-rays for several months now? I think the last MGM Blu-ray I bought was 'The Graduate' back in June.

I know they are threatened with bankruptcy, but I would have thought they would have wanted to release at least a few high-profile titles to take advantage of the pre-Christmas market. Presumably they have some titles that have already been re-mastered for Blu-ray but not yet released.

Are we likely to have a drought of MGM titles on Blu-ray until the present crisis is resolved with some kind of rescue package or until they can sell their film library to another studio, e.g. Time Warner?

You just answered your own question.

[USiT]

Maybe it got to do with this

ComCast did buy 51% of Universal. This mean that they will have 51% and General Electrics 49%.

As we all know Comcast also have 20% of MGM, and latley MGM have brooke up with Sony, i should mean that a co-work between MGM and Universal Pictures can be true.

[benricci]

They had the Rocky box last month, and a wave of titles in September. Looks like the only thing on their horizon is Fame and its remake next month.

I'm sure it has to do with their money troubles and the fact that they already sold the majority of their pre 90's catalog to Warner. That eliminates a HUGE back catalog of titles.

[Rhylliam]

Its all up to 20th Century Fox at the moment, who controls the releases of their catalogue titles.

[Wdm81]

Originally Posted by Rhylliam

Its all up to 20th Century Fox at the moment, who controls the releases of their catalogue titles.

I don't think FOX controls the releases they are just paid to use their facilities to produce and distribute the titles, but I think release schedule, transfers and bonus material still comes from MGM's home video division (outsourcing physical production and distribution was a way for them to save money without having to sell film rights)

I'm honestly surprised another studio hasn't gobbled up MGM yet, i would love to see WB obtain the james bond rights

[benricci]

Fox is simply their distributer.

[stargazeruk]

Originally Posted by Wdm81

I'm honestly surprised another studio hasn't gobbled up MGM yet, i would love to see WB obtain the james bond rights

TBH I would prefer other studios like sony or disney, take the rights up rather then warner. I want a studio who will give the catalog titles there best shot and not be so heavy with he DNR. If warner was less heavy with the DNR and used a higher then 20mbps bitrate then I would like warner to.

Personally MGM seem to have made some bad decisions, They not released any catalog or many new titles lately. They decided to withhold some products like stargate sg1 or even atlantis whole seasons from a blu-ray release which some people like me would buy (for altantis all we got was the fans choice only which was locked to region A and not sold else where). ATM it seems like they realy need the cash and not selling anything to make some money is a bad idea.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by stargazeruk

TBH I would prefer other studios like sony or disney, take the rights up rather then warner. I want a studio who will give the catalog titles there best shot and not be so heavy with he DNR. If warner was less heavy with the DNR and used a higher then 20mbps bitrate then I would like warner to.

Personally MGM seem to have made some bad decisions, They not released any catalog or many new titles lately. They decided to withhold some products like stargate sg1 or even atlantis whole seasons from a blu-ray release which some people like me would buy. ATM it seems like they realy need the cash and not selling anything to make some money is a bad idea.

Uh.... Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz, North by Northwest are examples of how Warner treats old classics. Warners DNR overdose days are over.

[TTC1984]

I just hope they're able to release the rest of the James Bond movies.... There are too many holes in my collection!

But if MGM is forced to sell the rest of its catalogue to another studio, I am hoping Warner is the buyer, because:
A) Warner already owns a good deal of the MGM Catalogue, and
B) Warner treats old films right.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by benricci

Looks like the only thing on their horizon is Fame and its remake next month.

Clarification: The original Fame is a Turner-library property released by WB; only the remake is from MGM.

Since the 1980 Fame was made by MGM (not UA) prior to 1986, it was among the films that went to Ted Turner (and later WB). But though most of those films' remake rights (if any) went to Turner as well, MGM kept its remake rights to Fame because the TV series was still in production in 1986; it kept most of its non-UA TV assets. That's why MGM was able to remake it even though WB now owns the original.

Nonetheless, it does show that MGM is not YET out of the BD business, though they're probably on life support. But then, Leo's certainly proved he has the lives of a cat before; he'll be back.

[RBBrittain]

Originally Posted by stargazeruk

Personally MGM seem to have made some bad decisions, They not released any catalog or many new titles lately. They decided to withhold some products like stargate sg1 or even atlantis whole seasons from a blu-ray release which some people like me would buy (for altantis all we got was the fans choice only which was locked to region A and not sold else where). ATM it seems like they realy need the cash and not selling anything to make some money is a bad idea.

The problem is, they don't have the cashflow to send a lot of titles out for BD mastering. If you can't pay the mastering shop, you can't get your film out on BD no matter how money you can potentially make off it. (Especially since some of their catalog bets haven't paid off very well, i.e., the Bond sets.)

[Brad1963]

Have they ever really been a player?

[JaseT]

I dunno if I'd want Warner to have the Bond titles...watch them release the remaining in digibook format.

[davidthenikonuser]

Originally Posted by Bruce Morrison

Is it just my imagination or have MGM not been releasing Blu-rays for several months now? I think the last MGM Blu-ray I bought was 'The Graduate' back in June.

I know they are threatened with bankruptcy, but I would have thought they would have wanted to release at least a few high-profile titles to take advantage of the pre-Christmas market. Presumably they have some titles that have already been re-mastered for Blu-ray but not yet released.

Are we likely to have a drought of MGM titles on Blu-ray until the present crisis is resolved with some kind of rescue package or until they can sell their film library to another studio, e.g. Time Warner?

here is a list by release date. https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movie...by=releasedate

[madmojo]

I for one hope that FOX gets the rights to the older Bond catalog films. It means my collection of the movies will most likely look somewhat uniform. If Warner buys them, I'd most likely have to look at nine digiboxes thrown in with the others. Whoever gets the rights, I hope they keep up with the extras that have been on the discs.

I don't trust Warner. They do some great special editions, but some classics like The Neverending Story, Road Warrior, etc. have gotten or are getting bad treatment in the extras department. When it comes to my favorite movies, I like to watch those.

We can just hope that Universal stays out. They'd chop up the special features and put it as Bonusview.

[jason00]

MGM is also releasing Stargate Universe on blu in February.