How Are Movies Pegged for Blu-ray Release?

[scrapser]

Is there any information on what determines when movies get the BD treatment? So far it seems like there's no pattern other than new movies coming out in DVD/BD at the same time. But what about older movies...especially the popular movies of times past?

Here are some examples in no particular order of importance (and not necessarily my personal preference).

Cecil B. Demille
Alfred Hitchcock
Rollerball (original)
Lawrence of Arabia
Journey to the Center of the Earth/First Men in the Moon/The Time Machine
Zulu
John Wayne movies
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Dune (David Lynch and SciFi versions)
Original Star Wars Trilogy
Places in the Heart
Forest Gump
Titanic
Jeremiah Johnson
Little Big Man
Easy Rider
The Great Escape

You get the idea. All these movies have an enormous fan base and yet nothing is known about them coming to Blu-Ray. It just seems odd to me that a movie like "Witless Protection" comes out right away when movies of high caliber are not even on an upcoming release list.