Even More Warner Titles to Come

Even more news about upcoming classics from Warner Bros. according to this article in The International Herald Tribune. Excerpts below:

Twenty more films or TV shows will be added to the program of re-releases each month, with 300 expected by year's end. To put it in perspective, the studio has released only about 1,100 movies on DVD since the technology was spawned 12 years ago.

"There are still thousands of movies that we own that consumers haven't been able to get," said George Feltenstein, senior vice president of theatrical catalog marketing for Warner Home Video. "I expect that we'll be selling thousands of copies of every title over a period of time, and making a lot of people really happy."

Reynolds noted that in the past, the only way to watch some old films was to have a projector at home and obtain a bootleg copy. She said fans have been asking her to get some of her films on DVD, like "The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady" (1950), which is expected in a later batch of releases.

In last month's Score Card of DVD releases comparing this year to last, Warner was one of the few studios ahead of last years pace. And even though some fans are not likely to be thrilled with the fact that these release are DVD-R, it is probably the only way a good portion of Warner's catalog will ever be released to the general public.

-- David Greenstreet

3 comments:

  1. I know a lot of people are very excited about this; it's only natural when such a large number of movies suddenly become available. However, my own feelings are mixed at best. As a non-Us resident, this has the effect of making me feel like a kid locked out of the toy store before Xmas. That, and the fact that these titles are burned media (which I just don't trust) selling at premium prices has dampened my enthusiasm.
    Having said all that, I'm following developments with interest.

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  2. Livius,

    According to the Warner Chat at Home Theater Forum yesterday, sales overseas are in the works. Keep hope alive!

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  3. Yes, I read that announcement about the plans to expand the program. It does sweeten the pill somewhat; I'm also pleased to see that Warners haven't abandoned their regular releases, which was one of my fears when the news first broke. I will always have my doubts when it comes to burned media though (especially at $20 a pop) and I'm anxious to hear what the quality of these initial titles is like.

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