Blu-Ray Disc - What's New

While we usually examine articles of industry- or format-wide import, this blog post by Video Business blogger Samantha Clark revealed seemed worth noting. A number of top Hollywood studios are reaching back into the archives for back catalog titles for release on Blu-ray. As Ms. Clark notes, these aren't Oscar winners, but instead are cult hits -- titles such as Big Trouble In Little China, Natural Born Killers, and one of our favorites, My Cousin Vinny. With fewer than 1500 Blu-ray titles in release, studios are reaching out to niche audiences with fan favorites, likely in the expectation that such strong interest will drive sales for their entire catalog. One of the top complaints on Blu-ray comment boards and forums is the lack of vintage favorites. We can expect that this is just the beginning. Back catalog sales were part of the business evolution for DVD, particularly in the first years of the format after consumer acceptance was assured. These were the years of 2002-2004 when the big studios couldn't get back catalogs out on discs fast enough. We've expected such a trend for Blu-ray, and while studio marketing departments are clearly cherry-picking titles to maximize consumer interest, we think the trend will only continue and increase. We're look forward seeing some of our favorite titles on the release schedule.

File under: Blu-ray News