More on Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group Cult DVDs release
“At WarnerArchive.com, movie fans can choose from more than 150 classic titles that have never been available on DVD or for digital download.” This is from Mike Sachoff’s article Warner Launches On Demand Service For Classic Films. A perusal of this article and Warners’ archive website gave me some interesting insight into their plan. Warners’ new program for releasing their archived films on DVD or download shows a focus on preservation, two options for acquiring the films, and a plan to use audience feedback.
I have to hand it to Warners – they are doing good preservation work. As George Feltenstein, senior vice president, Theatrical Catalog Marketing, Warner Home Video, said, “This unprecedented initiative represents a tremendous effort from Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and is representative of the company’s continued dedication to film preservation.” Of course, it also represents their dedication to finding new revenue streams.
The company has an interesting website and two ways of acquiring the films. The user can purchase a digital download of the film for $14.95 per title or order a DVD for $19.95 per title, plus shipping. You may wonder why anyone would want to purchase the DVD at the extra cost, but there is some incentive. As Sachoff writes, “When a visitor to WarnerArchive.com makes a purchase, a made- to-order DVD will be created with the same quality as a standard pressed DVD. Titles will ship with custom artwork and arrive in about five days.” The site allows you to view all of the available titles when you click “Warner Archive (150)” under “Shop By: Format” on the left side of the screen.
Warners plans to add 20 more titles to the available list each month and get user feedback on which films to release. 300 titles will be available by the end of the year. By clicking “Vote Now” in the “Introducing: The Warner Archive” banner at the top of the WarnerArchive.com site, you can vote from a selection of four films for which is to be released next.
Sachoff’s article and WarnerArchive.com reveal Warner’s preservation efforts, the ability to buy the films on DVD or download them, and the chance to vote on which films become available. The diversity of the collection of cult DVDs should pique any movie lover’s interest.
