Australian Blu-ray Release Schedule

[Tim573]

Originally Posted by Vintrus

Hey does anyone know if the 4k AU Versions will include the same extras for Highlander and Raw Deal as UK editions? I'm trying to decide if I'm going to import or not.

Highlander has a lot of new extras on the 4K, however except for an audio commentary track the extras from the Studio Canal BD from 2016 aren't ported onto the 4K. Maybe because they filled the 4K with new extras they didn't add the old ones. There was mainly a 4 part 'making of' documentary and a three interviews (with one in French), and there were also some alternately edited/deleted scenes, but they have no audio because it wasn't recorded or found.
The 2009 UK/Aus disc had a shorter version of the documentary with 3 parts instead of 4, and only 1 interview.
The only option to get the UK version is to spend nearly $80 (at full price) with no standard edition yet or any guarantee of one anytime soon, as I noticed The Outsiders doesn't have one yet and that was a year ago.

[Show spoiler]From unboxing video of UK edition:

Aus edition:

Raw Deal 4K disc just has the same extras from the 2010 BD and no new ones.

[Alister_M]

I'll happily bundle my old Highlander BD with the 4K and throw away the cover, which is that cringe "comic book" filtered design from JB's first run of ugly cover discs.

[Adster81]

Yeah I have come to the conclusion just to forget about Australia UHD releases it is so random if we get them.. and just go all out pay the $50 plus dollar and get the extra blu ray disk that we never get anyway most of the time (note ET)

A Christmas Story (pretty sure we didn't even get a blu ray of this)
Christmas vacation
Reservoir dogs
Lost Highway
Pulp Fiction
Casablanca
Night of the Living dead
Saturday Night Fever

The list goes on this isn't even half the releases this month we are not getting of top 200 movies of all time.

No word on any of these coming to Australia and the list goes on.. it just makes me so depressed seeing so many releases we miss out on

But hey I am sure there will be 20 different versions of Top Gun maverick come out this week

[gottaget]

Casablanca and Pulp Fiction are coming out locally

Night of the Living Dead and Lost Highway are Criterion so not sure why anyone would expect those to come out here, particularly since they don't even have UK releases

[Adster81]

Originally Posted by gottaget

Casablanca and Pulp Fiction are coming out locally

Night of the Living Dead and Lost Highway are Criterion so not sure why anyone would expect those to come out here, particularly since they don't even have UK releases

Reservoir dogs?? what is the excuse for that not coming if Pulp Fiction is

night of the living dead doesn't even have a blu ray release here either.

[Alister_M]

Pulp Fiction's 4K release is on Paramount, Reservoir Dogs is on Lionsgate. We never get their back catalog 4Ks here, except for the random exception of the upcoming Saw set. So if anything you'd want to lobby Imprint to pick up the license for it because Roadshow clearly doesn't give a shit (or isn't allowed to due to some licensing-related bollocks).

[Gaffer]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

Pulp Fiction's 4K release is on Paramount, Reservoir Dogs is on Lionsgate. We never get their back catalog 4Ks here, except for the random exception of the upcoming Saw set. So if anything you'd want to lobby Imprint to pick up the license for it because Roadshow clearly doesn't give a shit (or isn't allowed to due to some licensing-related bollocks).

Yeah no 4K Reservoir Dogs in Australia would be most likely be a licensing issue because all DVD and Bluray releases of Dogs in this country were actually from Lionsgate themselves distributed for them by Sony due to an agreement in 2008 where Hoyts Distribution got theatrical Lionsgate titles and Sony the home physical rights. Then in I think it was 2014 Roadshow got Lionsgate distribution rights for any titles from then on and later Studiocanal got the rights to any Lionsgate titles made in association with Summit Entertainment. So Roadshow or Studiocanal don’t have the rights to films, such as Dogs, released before their agreements started and Sony may not have the rights, depending on their agreement, to re-release anything on a format like 4K that never existed when the agreement was made.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by Gaffer

Yeah no 4K Reservoir Dogs in Australia would be most likely be a licensing issue because all DVD and Bluray releases of Dogs in this country were actually from Lionsgate themselves distributed for them by Sony due to an agreement in 2008 where Hoyts Distribution got theatrical Lionsgate titles and Sony the home physical rights. Then in I think it was 2014 Roadshow got Lionsgate distribution rights for any titles from then on and later Studiocanal got the rights to any Lionsgate titles made in association with Summit Entertainment. So Roadshow or Studiocanal don’t have the rights to films, such as Dogs, released before their agreements started and Sony may not have the rights, depending on their agreement, to re-release anything on a format like 4K that never existed when the agreement was made.

Some of those old titles have more recently been given the Shock Treatment by Cinema Cult At least the two Punisher films made by LG and Replacement Killers that I can think of, there's probably others.

[Mr_Orange]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

Some of those old titles have more recently been given the Shit Treatment by Cinema Cult At least the two Punisher films made by LG and Replacement Killers that I can think of, there's probably others.

Fixed it for you

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by Mr_Orange

Fixed it for you

I meant it exactly as I wrote it, because it's usually shocking(ly bad) I can't actually find reliable spec reports on either of the Punishers, the first one claims to have extras and lossless audio on the back cover but I'd only believe that if someone confirms it.

[Gaffer]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

Some of those old titles have more recently been given the Shock Treatment by Cinema Cult At least the two Punisher films made by LG and Replacement Killers that I can think of, there's probably others.

This is true - distribution deals can change and sub-licensing can take place and a number of titles Sony used to distribute (both Sony titles themselves and Lionsgate titles they distributed) have ended up getting re-released in Australia by Shock. There's two sides to that development though: on the one hand Shock sees enough of a remaining market to keep a physical media version of that title in circulation at a low price point, but on the other hand Sony didn't see enough potential profit in rereleasing the film themselves.

What I think is more disheartening from Sony is that they seemed to have pretty much stopped releasing 4K catalogue titles in Australia. There was Final Fantasy and the Karate Kid box set late last year but I can't think of a single 4K catalogue titles released in Australia this year and the years almost over. (please feel free to correct me if I missed one). And there have been so many Sony 4K titles we've missed out on in Australia over the years (too many to list here).

I think if Reservoir Dogs ever got a 4K release in Australia it would have to be through someone like Via Vision. They have the Saw set coming out with 4K versions of those films that got a 4K release overseas and also Dirty Dancing in 4K, all Lionsgate titles, so maybe they might try and snag Reservoir Dogs. Of course given how many years those titles have been out in 4K overseas before we get these local releases means you might have to be firstly very very hopeful and secondly very very patient waiting to see if a local release ever materalises.

[400TX]

Originally Posted by Gaffer

Of course given how many years those titles have been out in 4K overseas before we get these local releases means you might have to be firstly very very hopeful and secondly very very patient waiting to see if a local release ever materalises.

Yeah it's a bit of a vicious cycle, especially in a market as small as ours. Distributors—big and small—don't see something as profitable so they don't release it, so we, as collectors, source them from elsewhere. But then occasionally, distributors will release something only available in O/S territories and it's either a) months and months after the O/S release; and/or b) hideously overpriced, which means the market of people who would have bought it locally end up not doing so.

The Blues Brothers is a great example—if you love physical media and you love that movie, chances are you've already got it in 4K. As a result, the release doesn't sell as well as expected, so they're less likely to release a 4K disc next time around...and so the cycle goes on!

[Mr_Orange]

Originally Posted by 400TX

The Blues Brothers is a great example—if you love physical media and you love that movie, chances are you've already got it in 4K. As a result, the release doesn't sell as well as expected, so they're less likely to release a 4K disc next time around...and so the cycle goes on!

I didn't even know we were getting a local release in 4K.

As you say though, I already have the US disc so I'm not going to be buying the Via Vision release.

[Gaffer]

Originally Posted by 400TX

Yeah it's a bit of a vicious cycle, especially in a market as small as ours. Distributors—big and small—don't see something as profitable so they don't release it, so we, as collectors, source them from elsewhere. But then occasionally, distributors will release something only available in O/S territories and it's either a) months and months after the O/S release; and/or b) hideously overpriced, which means the market of people who would have bought it locally end up not doing so.

Yeah I mean obviously Via Vision anticipates there’s a market for the titles they are releasing otherwise they wouldn’t invest in it but certainly sales will be impacted by all of us who bought these titles ages ago from overseas. And of course if they don’t sell they think the market has shrunk to a point where they question whether to do it anymore. However I was heartened by all the posts on these forums of all the purchases of Madman’s 4K Donnie Darko when it came out recently. Given it had been out overseas via Arrow for a while I was surprised how many bought it locally.

[400TX]

Originally Posted by Gaffer

However I was heartened by all the posts on these forums of all the purchases of Madman’s 4K Donnie Darko when it came out recently. Given it had been out overseas via Arrow for a while I was surprised how many bought it locally.

And I was one of those although I will say the primary reason I did so was that I already had the Arrow BD Limited Edition set.

[kingshane]

Originally Posted by Gaffer

Hey Kicks! I know you aren't posting much on these forums but in case you read this I'm hoping that the team that makes release decisions for Paramount will consider a local 4K release for "Smile" given its very good box office these last 3 weeks in Australia. In its 3rd weekend it made almost as much as Halloween Ends (which is getting a local 4K) made in its first weekend and I think word of mouth is strong enough to keep this doing really well over the next month.

Just bringing this up again since SMILE is now the highest grossing horror film of 2022. It's made a lot more money than NOPE, SCREAM and HALLOWEEN ENDS, all of which had or will have a 4K release in Australia. I remember that THE LOST CITY - also a Paramount release - was initially going to be Blu-ray only in Australia, but a 4K release did come out in Australia.

KICKS - will there be a local 4K release of SMILE?

[Adster81]

I would have the Barbarian as the best horror film of this year but it looks like it is only going to be digital only 4k.

Looks like we get Casablanca on the 30th this month

[Blackman]

Hi all
Twice in the Stacks URL in the last year or so they have said that the Movie "Gravity" in 4K will be sold at JB Hi Fi but once again it a NO SHOW.
Has anyone have any input on whats going on or why has it been canned twice now.
Thanks

[Tim573]

Originally Posted by Blackman

Hi all
Twice in the Stacks URL in the last year or so they have said that the Movie "Gravity" in 4K will be sold at JB Hi Fi but once again it a NO SHOW.
Has anyone have any input on whats going on or why has it been canned twice now.
Thanks

They listed it once then when it was delayed indefinitely, Stack just changed the year to 2022, so it was only really delayed once (and indefinitely). It was never officially announced either. If it is going to get released then you should see news about it in the US or UK as Australia doesn't get any exclusive 4Ks. It's old news as well, you can search this thread for 'gravity'.

[Gaffer]

Speaking of the Stack magazine release schedule list we would reference for release dates - well it is no more. All links and bookmarks to the old list now go instead to the Movie preorder page on JBHifis website.

So I guess no more 'Gravity" type situations where a title gets listed but never appears because now there actually has to be a preorder for it to listed.