We’ve also just posted a new History, Legacy and Showmanship column from our own Michael Coate today, a “bonus” column he was originally working on for last year but which took extra time to complete. It’s an in-depth retrospective on Stanley Kubrick’s legendary A Clockwork Orange (1971) in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. It features a new roundtable interview with film historians Raymond Benson, John Cork, Sheldon Hall, and Peter Krämer. Both Kubrick fans and cinephiles in general will find it informative, entertaining, and well worth a read.
All right, now let’s get to the release news. We’ll start with the latest official announcements...
Scream Factory has just made their Army of Darkness: Collector’s Edition official for 4K/Blu-ray combo on 10/4 and we now have all the details. It will be a 4-disc set, available in regular Amaray and also Steelbook packaging, and will include the Theatrical Cut in both 4K and Blu-ray, along with the Director’s Cut and International Cut on separate Blu-rays. Audio will be 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio. The Theatrical Cut is mastered from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative approved by director Sam Raimi, director of photography Bill Pope, and editor Bob Murawski, with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision high dynamic range. Lots of legacy special features will carry over. You can see the cover artwork below.
Paramount has just set a new Steelbook 4K release of Paul Michael Glaser’s The Running Man (1987) for release on 11/1. The studio has gained the US rights to the title via the Taft Pictures library (Paramount currently has a remake in development that’s set to be directed by Edgar Wright). We don’t have official details on this title yet, but it’s already available for pre-order on Amazon and here's what the packaging looks like (click on the image for the pre-order link)...
Universal has announced their new E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: 40th Anniversary Edition for release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and Digital on 10/18. This will include the same 4K presentation released previously, but this new edition will include 45 minutes of all-new extras. Among them are the 40 Years of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial retrospective documentary, along with the TCM Classic Film Festival: An Evening with Steven Spielberg presentation. The 4K will be available in a wide-release Amaray version, along with an Amazon-exclusive lunch box Giftset, a Walmart-exclusive Limited Edition with a BendyFigs figurine, and a Target-exclusive Steelbook version. You can see the wide release version below, and here’s the Amazon-exclusive version (click on the image to pre-order it)...
Universal has also set Minions: The Rise of Gru for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 9/6, with the Digital release set for 8/30. Each will include a pair of mini-movies (Post Modern Minions and Minions and Monsters), an extended scene, outtakes, 6 character profiles, multiple featurettes (Gru-vy Animation, The 70s: Fashion, Food & Funk, Minion Martial Arts, How to Draw (& Animate) with Brad Ableson, Lair Flair: Make Your Own Minion Hideout, and Super Style Shop), and more.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has made DC League of Super-Pets official for release on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD on 10/4. Extras will include 5 featurette and deleted scenes.
Speaking of Warner Bros., the studio is re-issuing their Middle-Earth 31-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition 4K/Blu-ray box set in the UK on November 7. This is the exact same set released last year (minus the Digital copy codes), but it’s being re-issued to take advantage of the new Amazon-exclusive The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series. Also, while this set had become hard to find at US retailers over the last few months, it’s now back in stock on Amazon US as well. Click here for the UK link and here (or on the image below) for the US link...
Still not done yet: Lionsgate has just set a new Punisher: War Zone 4K UHD/Blu-ray Steelbook edition for release on 10/18.
Also, Blue Underground is re-issuing Don Taylor’s The Final Countdown (1980) as a wide-release (non-Limited Edition) 4K UHD and Blu-ray on 11/22. You can see our review of the Limited Edition 4K UHD here at The Bits.
And here’s something fun: Eureka! is releasing Jackie Chan’s legendary The Police Story Trilogy (1985-92) in 4K Ultra HD in the UK on 9/26 (That’s 26 September for you readers across the Pond). You can pre-order the title on Amazon.uk here or by clicking on the cover artwork below. We hear the title is selling fact, so act quickly if you’re interested.
One last note: As many of you are aware, Top Gun: Maverick is now available for Digital 4K purchase on AppleTV, Vudu, Amazon and elsewhere. But for those of you waiting for the physical disc release on 11/1, be aware that the Steelbook version appears to be the only US SKU that includes both the 4K and Blu-ray in the same package. The separate 4K SKU only has the UHD disc and a Digital Copy. So adjust your purchase plans according.
Okay, that’s it for the key release news. I’ll be back in a couple hours with one more post to talk about the rumored titles that we’re hearing about from our studio, industry, and retailer sources. So watch for that in a little while.
In the meantime, here’s the cover artwork for some of the titles mentioned above, with the appropriate Amazon pre-order links...
Back soon with more. Stay tuned...
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