Here’s a bit of UHD BD news that we’ve been hearing from our industry sources over the last couple months: The entry level price for UHD BD players should be around $399. That’s not too bad and is certainly lower than I think many industry observers were expecting.

Also, the first waves of Fox UHD BD titles are expected to include Hitman: Agent 47, Wild, The Martian, Life of Pi, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Fantastic 4, The Maze Runner, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Kingsman: The Secret Service.

In regular BD news, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has set the holiday comedy The Night Before for Blu-ray and DVD release on 3/1.

Lionsgate will release Miss You Already on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/1.

Blue Underground has set a double feature of Code 7... Victim 5 and Mozambique for Blu-ray release on 3/29.

Kino Lorber has set Monster Dog (1984) for Blu-ray release on 3/15.

Magnolia has Sunshine Superman due for BD release on 3/1.

And Eastern Star has set the anime title Night on the Galactic Railroad for Blu-ray and DVD release on 2/2.

Finally today, we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing over the weekend of two individuals. The first is acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler. A two-time Oscar winner, Wexler was one of the most influential artists of his craft, whose work included lensing such films as Medium Cool, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Bound for Glory, Matewan, In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, and Coming Home. He was 93. Also, the longtime Harlem Globetrotter Meadowlark Lemon has died at the age of 83. Lemon toured the world using basketball and humor to spread goodwill, and you Gen-Xers will certainly have grown up watching and enjoying his antics. Both will be missed. You can read more here and here via The New York Times.

Now then, we’ll be back early tomorrow with a great new History, Legacy & Showmanship column from Michael Coate and more. Until then, stay tuned...

- Bill Hunt