Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Thanks for posting that Kosh. Should clear up some confusion.
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
If they advertised more widely that there are two versions, and perhaps stocked them together, then I'd say fine: let fans have a choice.
[/quote]
Hard to stock them together when they're being produced months apart. Part of the point of this kind of release is to get the movie DVD out with the VHS release, to satisfy immediate demand (especially for rental outlets like Blockbuster), and then release the special edition after they've had time to create it.
Most people who just want to see the movie, or see it again, will be perfectly happy with the theatrical version, and more of them will rent it than buy it anyway. The cinephiles will buy the SE a few months later. (Or they'll buy both, because they want both the theatrical cut and the extended version - a choice Star Wars fans would be delighted to have, but it appears that George Lucas isn't going to give it to them.) The serious collectors will shell out big bucks for the ultra-mega-edition with the non-disk extras.
Granted a some people who don't pay any attention to the industry are going to just pick up the first release when they see it. But at this point it is still the case that most of the people who buy DVDs rather than rent them are the more serious collectors who do follow DVD news and informaton on upcoming releases. As with everything else, the studios make marketing decisions based on the majority of buyers. (Besides, I think the first LotR release includes a preview for the special edition release, so people would have the option of returning it for a refund or exchange and buying the other release later.)
Regards,
Joe
</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
If they advertised more widely that there are two versions, and perhaps stocked them together, then I'd say fine: let fans have a choice.
[/quote]
Hard to stock them together when they're being produced months apart. Part of the point of this kind of release is to get the movie DVD out with the VHS release, to satisfy immediate demand (especially for rental outlets like Blockbuster), and then release the special edition after they've had time to create it.
Most people who just want to see the movie, or see it again, will be perfectly happy with the theatrical version, and more of them will rent it than buy it anyway. The cinephiles will buy the SE a few months later. (Or they'll buy both, because they want both the theatrical cut and the extended version - a choice Star Wars fans would be delighted to have, but it appears that George Lucas isn't going to give it to them.) The serious collectors will shell out big bucks for the ultra-mega-edition with the non-disk extras.
Granted a some people who don't pay any attention to the industry are going to just pick up the first release when they see it. But at this point it is still the case that most of the people who buy DVDs rather than rent them are the more serious collectors who do follow DVD news and informaton on upcoming releases. As with everything else, the studios make marketing decisions based on the majority of buyers. (Besides, I think the first LotR release includes a preview for the special edition release, so people would have the option of returning it for a refund or exchange and buying the other release later.)
Regards,
Joe
