Why is it that most countries other than the US have the steelbooks?

[GreenGaijin]

Interesting theory Petra_Kelbrain. I think the US market is just starting to find out about the demand for stelbooks. Hence, why this year they've mass produced a bunch of titles and in a very cheap manner too. No inside artwork, inferior printjob, and reprints.

Like you said, they're not treating it like an art, but more of a fast-food order of things. I would rather pay for a high quality one than get 5 of the American ones.

[blackhawktraffic]

Originally Posted by GreenGaijin

Interesting theory Petra_Kelbrain. I think the US market is just starting to find out about the demand for stelbooks. Hence, why this year they've mass produced a bunch of titles and in a very cheap manner too. No inside artwork, inferior printjob, and reprints.

Like you said, they're not treating it like an art, but more of a fast-food order of things. I would rather pay for a high quality one than get 5 of the American ones.

Completely agree with that, couldn't have said it any better. From a retail standpoint the Steelbooks sell out way faster anytime we have ever carried them...always people want them even if they cost more they dont care. Yet most that have come out lately are not even that nice :/

[GreenGaijin]

Originally Posted by blackhawktraffic

Completely agree with that, couldn't have said it any better. From a retail standpoint the Steelbooks sell out way faster anytime we have ever carried them...always people want them even if they cost more they dont care. Yet most that have come out lately are not even that nice :/

Well, you probably could say it better. I noticed I had a typo and spelled steelbooks - stelbooks.

But, I mean America does have the opportunity to make some great steelbooks if they pay a bit more in production quality. But they won't, because it's not worth it and they know that customers will purchase no matter what, even if it's basic. They came out with a nice version of Zero Dark Thirty, and I like their version of The Amazing Spider-Man.

[richieb1971]

I think its more to do with the way movies are sold in each part of the world.

In the USA the typical way to buy things is to walk in a store. For this system, scanavo/studios needs to put product on shelves that may or may not sell.

You like to hold something in your hands before you buy it.

In the UK/Europe we are almost the opposite. We like to get things online and when it turns up in the mail we decide at that point if we like it or not. Using this system scanavo can make as many as required based on preorders, as long as a set minimum is ordered. This system gives retailers more flexibility.

If the Best buy 007 movies were sold only online. They would have seen that not many people were interested in them at full MSRP. Lessons were learned.

When Disney did the 1st run of Sleeping beauty and WALL-E etc, they turned out to be hits and now sell for more money than they were originally.

In both the Disney and 007 cases, people learned about steelbooks in the USA. But they didn't know about the hysteria surrounding them in other parts of the world. In other words, people in America are liking them because other countries already like them. Its spreading virally, we are at the peak of the steelbook boom right now.

With Zavvi, you can pretty much buy the products at what we are buying them for. So your not losing out. Unless you have this moral code of ONLY supporting your own. Which in this day and age, seems to be illogical.

[Buzz201]

Might it be that the US is a large country, and would therefore require a larger order, that Glud & Marstrand, who manufacture steelbooks for Scanavo, might not have previously been able to deal with. Looking at their website, it appears that Glud & Marstrand did not have a US base or plant until 2008 at the earliest, so perhaps they've only recently developed the ability to produce them on that scale and it's taken a while to persuade the US arms of distributors?

(Of course, that's probably all wrong, so take it with a pinch of salt)

[Petra_Kalbrain]

Originally Posted by Buzz201

Might it be that the US is a large country, and would therefore require a larger order, that Glud & Marstrand, who manufacture steelbooks for Scanavo, might not have previously been able to deal with. Looking at their website, it appears that Glud & Marstrand did not have a US base or plant until 2008 at the earliest, so perhaps they've only recently developed the ability to produce them on that scale and it's taken a while to persuade the US arms of distributors?

(Of course, that's probably all wrong, so take it with a pinch of salt)

Ya. I don't know about that. I would think that it would take less than 5 years to get their supply flowing. Besides, it would be a dumb idea to set up a shop like that without some established customer base upon which to keep yourself afloat the first few years of operation. Given how few steelbooks are actually released in the U.S., can you imagine how little work is actually being done throughout the year at that plant? I'm surprised they are even still in operation.