Alien: Romulus arrives on disc on 12/3, plus I Love Lucy: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (!), On the Road with Hope & Crosby, The 4:30 Movie & more!

Thursday, 26 September 2024 14:21

Alien: Romulus arrives on disc on 12/3, plus I Love Lucy: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (!), On the Road with Hope & Crosby, The 4:30 Movie & more!

by Bill Hunt

Greetings, Bits-ers! We’ve got some great announcement news for you this afternoon, but first...

Tim has taken a look at a couple of new releases on disc for you all, including Sergio Martino’s Torso (1973), an Italian giallo title from Arrow Video in 4K Ultra HD, and also Antonio Margheriti’s Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) in 4K Ultra HD from Kino Cult. So that should take care of your schlock horror cravings for today.

Morning reviews are on the way, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

Now then, the big announcement news today is that 20th Century Studios has just officially set Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus (2024) for 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD release on 12/3, with the Digital release expected in a couple of weeks on 10/15. The title will come in Steelbook packaging only. Look for HDR10 high dynamic range and Dolby Atmos audio on a 66GB disc. The aspect ratio (per the press release) is 2.39:1.

[Editor’s Note: The studio press release indicates HDR10 only, but the open packaging shot—when zoomed in—reveals that the disc has the Dolby Vision logo on it. We’ve asked the studio to confirm and will post an update here when we hear back.]

[Editor’s Update – 10/1/24: Just a quick heads up to clarify... I’ve confirmed with studio sources that the Alien: Romulus 4K will indeed have Dolby Vision HDR, despite the fact that their press release suggested otherwise. However: No, Disney and 20th Century aren’t necessarily adding DV to all future Ultra HD titles. Instead, they’re making the decision to include it on a case by case basis going forward.]

Extras will include the Return to Horror: Crafting Alien: Romulus documentary, which includes 4 parts (The Director’s Vision, Creating the Story, Casting the Faces, and Constructing the World). You’ll also get 2 additional featurettes (Inside the Xenomorph Showdown and Alien: A Conversation which features Alvarez talking with original Alien director Ridley Scott). And a selection of Alternate/Extended Scenes will also be included. You can see the packaging at left and also below. [Read on here...]

Next up is something for you classic film fans: Kino Lorber Studio Classics will be releasing an On the Road with Hope & Crosby (1940-1962) Blu-ray box set on 11/26 that includes Victor Schertzinger’s Road to Singapore (1940) and Road to Zanzibar (1941), David Butler’s Road to Morocco (1942), Hal Walker’s Road to Utopia (1945) and Road to Bali (1952), Norman Z. McLeod’s Road to Rio (1947), and Norman Panama’s The Road to Hong Kong (1962)

By the way, KLSC is also releasing Lindsay Shonteff’s No. 1 of the Secret Service (1977) as new Kino Cult Blu-ray title that same day.

For you TV fans, here’s a nice surprise: CBS and Paramount are finally bowing the classic I Love Lucy: The Complete Series on Blu-ray Disc on 11/5. Per the studio, “This must-own collection contains all the classic episodes from the six seasons of I Love Lucy (1951-1957) plus the iconic remastered The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-1960), and a newly colorized and never-before-released Lucy and the Loving Cup episode.” We don’t know how many discs will be in the package or what the SRP will be, but you can view the listing here on Amazon. (We expect pre-orders to start soon.) You can see the cover art below.

In more new announcements, Lionsgate has just set Kevin Smith’s The 4:30 Movie (2024) for release on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray and Blu-ray release on 11/5. Amazon will have an exclusive 4K Steelbook version. Extras will include audio commentary with Smith, the Going Home Again: Taking The 4:30 Movie featurette, and the film’s theatrical trailer. Look for both Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio on the 4K disc. The packaging even has a fun VHS-styled feel. You can see it below.

Our friends at the Criterion Collection have revealed that their next Janus Contemporaries Blu-ray titles will feature Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast (2023) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist (2023). Each will include a Meet the Filmmakers interview and the trailer.

Dark Arts Entertainment has announced the 11/26 4K + Blu-ray and DVD release of John Penney’s Zyzzyx Road (2006), a film infamous for grossing only $30 upon its theatrical release. The film stars Katherine Heigl, Leo Grillo, and Tom Sizemore. Extras will include featurettes, a music video, audio commentaries, and more.

Meanwhile, Via Vision has revealed that their next two 4K catalog titles due on 12/4 will be Phil Alden Robinson’s Field of Dreams (1989) and Robert Mulligan’s To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). They’re limited to just 2K units each.

And Eureka! in the UK has announced the Blu-ray release of Rachel Talalay’s Tank Girl (1995) on November 25th in a limited edition of just 2K units. It will include both new and legacy extras along with a 60-page book of liner notes.

All right, we’ll leave you with a look at the cove art for some of the titles mentioned above. Amazon pre-order links are included if available...

Alien: Romulus (4K Ultra HD Steelbook)

Alien: Romulus (4K Ultra HD Steelbook) Alien: Romulus (Blu-ray Disc)

Stay tuned...

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Alien: Romulus arrives on disc on 12/3, plus I Love Lucy: The Complete Series on Blu-ray (!), On the Road with Hope & Crosby, The 4:30 Movie & more!

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