Entertainment Store Discussion Thread - Blu-ray Forum

Mavrick · 07-18-2013, 04:20 PM

(Click The Header to go Directly to ES Store Front)

Quote:

Entertainment Store are the winners of Rakuten Play.coms 2013 Best New Merchant of the Year award.

Since its arrival in March 2013 The Entertainment Store has been working closely with Paramount Home Entertainment and have already teamed up to bring us exclusive Blu Ray SKUs such as Jack Reacher, GI Joe and Hansel and Gretel. The E-tailer distributes product directly from the Studio warehouses so the product is guaranteed as authentic and of the highest quality.

Entertainment Store Exclusive Steelbooks to date:

Jack Reacher (#1)

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (#2)

G.I. Joe: Retaliation 2D + 3D (#3)

Star Trek Into Darkness 2D 3D + DC – The Villain Edition(#4)

[Show spoiler]

Star Trek Into Darkness 2D 3D + DC - The Heroes Edition (#5)

[Show spoiler]

World War Z 2D + 3D World First Laser Etched Numbered Exclusive (#6) - Cudzndrips Group Buy Thread CLOSED

[Show spoiler]

Forbidden Planet (#7) - Cudzndrips Group Buy Thread CLOSED

[Show spoiler]

Natural Born Killers (#8) - Cudzndrips Group Buy Thread CLOSED

[Show spoiler]

2 Guns (#9)

[Show spoiler]

The Walking Dead Season 1 (#10)

The Walking Dead Season 2 (#11)

The Walking Dead Season 3 (#12) [Jumbo G2 Steelbook]

True Romance (#13)

Corpse Bride (#14)

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (#15)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (#16) Group Buy hosted by: CUDZNDRIPS (Click here)

[Show spoiler]

Need For Speed (#17)

[Show spoiler]

The Raid 2 (#18)

[Show spoiler]

Divergent (#19)

[Show spoiler]

300: Rise of an Empire (#20)

• World Exclusive Artwork (WEA)
• Zero finish (Zero varnish is a neutral, low-gloss finish but it maintains high color intensity and brightness. Zero varnish has a high resistance to scratching.)
• Limited to 4,000 copies
• Contains 3D and 2D Blu-Ray discs
• Region Free discs

Hercules 3D (#21)

Artwork and finish details:

• Zero finish
• Limited to 1,000 copies
• Region Free discs

Transformers: Age of Extinction 3D (#22)

• Matt finish with spot gloss on Optimus Prime / Grimlock and title treatment
• Embossed title treatment
• Limited to 2,000 copies
• Region Free discs

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) 3D (#23)

Full gloss on front.
Spot gloss on Shredder on the back.
Non-glossy (more dull) varnish on rest of back and spine - note the grey is bare metal to give a brushed aluminium look.
2D and 3D blu-ray discs.

Rumoured Steelbook Releases:

Forbidden Planet - Confirmed!

Natural Born Killers - Confirmed!

FAQ

Does Entertainment Store charge your Credit/Debit Card as soon as you Pre-order?

ES does not charge you until the item is in stock and ready to be dispatched.

When will I get my Steelbook?

Generally ES will prepare your Pre-order for dispatch the Wednesday/Thursday before release day. That means your Credit/Debit card will be charged the week before release date so make sure you have the funds available.

Does Entertainment Store ship internationally? How much does it cost?

ES does not ship internationally. UK shipping is free.

How does Entertainment Store Ship their Steelbooks?

ES use a cardboard box with the Steelbook shrink wrapped inside to help prevent damage whilst in transit.

Returns

There are 2 types of returns:

Unwanted / Mistakenly ordered items:

If you are unhappy with your purchase you can return it to us within 30 days of the item being dispatched to you for a full refund, including any postage charges we have made to deliver the item to you. Please note that DVDs, CDs, Blu-Rays, Games and other video and audio recordings, computer software and games which have been opened or have had their shrinkwrap removed are not eligible for return.

Damaged / faulty items:

If your item has arrived damaged or is faulty then we will endeavour to put this right as soon as possible, either by sending a replacement item to you or refunding your account. If we ask for the item to be returned to us, then The Entertainment Store will pay for the cost of the return either via a pre-paid label or reimbursing you for reasonable shipping costs.

Road to an ES Steelbook

Quote:

HDN: Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for this special HDN Exclusive community feature. We hope you can share with our members what kinds of processes and considerations are part of your Steelbook releases-provide a ‘peek behind the curtain’ so to speak!

Q-HDN: How do you determine what titles will receive the Steelbook treatment?

A-ES: The process for new release titles (i.e. those that have just been out in the cinema and are being released in Steelbook at the same time as they are in amaray) and for catalogue titles (older films) is quite similar. We ask ourselves a number of questions before starting discussions:

1. Is it a cool title that would offer something extra above the standard release?
2. Can we make it exclusive and premium?
3. Is it a title that people will want to buy in Steelbook? We can’t imagine anyone ever wanting a Steelbook of a teen romcom movie, regardless of whether it includes 3D!

Q-HDN: What is the most challenging aspect of moving a release from concept to the market?

A-ES: There’s no one area which is more challenging than any other to be honest – artwork selection, finish options, release date etc etc can all be difficult. It tends to vary from release to release. Everyone involved in the process, whether here at ES or at the studio, wants the same thing – a great product that people will love.

HDN: Who chooses the art and any special finish on the Steelbook? The studio or the retailer?

A-ES: It’s a bit of both really. The studio ultimately has the final say on what artwork can be used on a steelbook since they own or license the film, and they may in turn need to get the artwork signed off by the director, production company or the actors. Generally the bigger the film, the more likely someone involved in actually making the film will need to say yes or no on what artwork can be used – this is often why you see the same artwork used all over the world. It’s not the studios being lazy!

Special finishes (e.g. embossing, gloss, slip covers etc) tend to be down to time – in theory on a catalogue title this is endless, since there is no particular reason why something like Forbidden Planet needs to be released in November and not December, but other factors can influence this timing. There is a desire to have new release Steelbooks come out at the same time as their amaray counterparts, so like with Star Trek Into Darkness what we’d hope we could do we ultimately ran out of time on.

That all sounds like the studios dictate everything, and retailers like The Entertainment Store have no say in the finish product. We always try to influence the end product as much as we can and a lot of the time we go to the studio with an idea and the end product isn’t too far from that original idea (Forbidden Planet and Natural Born Killers are pretty much what we asked for). Of course, like all retailers we ultimately have the ability to say ‘no’ if we feel the release isn’t to our liking.

Q-HDN: What, to you makes a perfect Steelbook release?

A-ES: A film that you love with great artwork that captures the essence of what the film is about, with the best disc(s) that are available in the UK inside.

The UK Warner Bros. wave of classic titles that used the original poster art (e.g. Maltese Falcon) were fantastic and a great example of titles that didn’t need to be overly embossed or glossed to look gorgeous – they just used the full space available on a Steelbook to display the art well.

Q-HDN: How long does it generally take from initial discussion to production for a Steelbook?

A-ES: It varies incredibly, but at a minimum 2-3 months from the initial conversation to the finished product landing on people’s doormats.

Q-HDN: Given the significant amount of feedback our community shares daily, would you consider releasing a Steelbook where the art was designed by a member of our community?

A-ES: The short answer is yes, we would. See 2 questions up for the artwork constraints we work within though...

Q-HDN: Can you share what would be on your own ‘personal dream list’ of titles that you would love to see released in Steelbooks?

A-ES: This is a tough one, because some of the titles on our dream list here at ES are films that we hope someday we can release on steelbook ourselves! There are also a whole raft of titles that are unlikely to ever get a blu-ray release, let alone a steelbook. But, since you asked here are some suggestions from Team ES (that sadly will probably never see the light of day):

1. Baraka – the photography on this is so beautiful and varied that you could potentially do 3 or 4 steelbooks, each on a different theme from the film.
2. Team America – it’s already being released, but a version of this which uses the Russian style propaganda posters in Kim Jong Il’s palace for all of the artwork would be amazing.
3. Cross of Iron – a great Peckinpah film that has so much metal imagery in it (barbed wire, machine guns, actual Iron Crosses) it’s practically begging for a steelbook.
4. Dollars Trilogy done as individuals using character shots as the front covers. You could even do 3 steelbooks for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
5. More westerns!

Q-HDN: Is there anything else you would like to share with the community?

We’re looking forward to announcing more exclusive Steelbooks in the coming months through HDN.

HDN is a great online community, and we’re proud to work closely with you guys through our contact at Play – you’re the reason the ES sticker was created!
We’re happy to take any follow up questions you may have…

HDN: Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us. We look forward to seeing what else the Entertainment Store has planned for the months ahead.

Best SteelBook Deals