Star Wars unaltered OT release potential news..

[Bryancd]

The fact is that the OOT exists only in film form. It has never had a digital conversion, so the amount of work to bring it to a HD format is considerable. And so the question is what is the cost and then how broad is the market for this content? We can appreciate it's value but does the general public? Are people in general, the casual fan, really clamoring for the OOT on disc?

OK, but that's what they use to restore these movies, the original negative. I think the market is there, all you have to do is tell rolls over and over its the original trilogy the way you remember it! People buy Star Wars, they just do. I know a ton of non-geeky types who bought the last release "just to have it". Market it right and it will sell. Link it to the sequels' ramp up.

But what is the marketing strategy here, Chris? A box set, individual? How do you price it? I think it is naive to think they can just crank it out, support it with advertising, cash in, and call it a day. Now Disney is well known and well schooled in film preservation of their own content, so there is that motivation. And as sole owners of LucasFilm, they very well may be able to compel Fox to let them take the film out of the vault and restore it and sell it under the LucasFilm corporate name. But I would still argue this is a bit niche.

[ChrisMC]

OK, but wasn't the last release of Star Wars the top selling Blu-ray of the entire year, and that was the whole box set? There's gold in them thar hills. I'm not being naive, I'm simply stating that many other 'classic' movies have gone the 'restore' route, and Star Wars on home video ALWAYS sells. Years of video store management back that up...even if it was many years ago.

[Bryancd]

Might be a moot point...

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Clarification_On_Our_Post_About_Disney_Considering_An_OT_ReRelease_153351.asp

[Dangelus]

Might be a moot point...

http://www.theforce.net/story/front/Clarification_On_Our_Post_About_Disney_Considering_An_OT_ReRelease_153351.asp

This is what happens when people speak too soon on the Internet! lol

[Bryancd]

OK, but wasn't the last release of Star Wars the top selling Blu-ray of the entire year, and that was the whole box set? There's gold in them thar hills. I'm not being naive, I'm simply stating that many other 'classic' movies have gone the 'restore' route, and Star Wars on home video ALWAYS sells. Years of video store management back that up...even if it was many years ago.

Yeah, the restore route is one thing, but to the majority of fans, especially the more casual, the Special Edition Blu-ray release is liekly THE definitive one to on and they own it already. Another release of the OOT is asking them to pay again for what thye already own and I'm not convinced that market is there in size enough.