Personally, i think there is something wrong with re-releasing steelbooks of the same movie..........especiallywhen they're released by the same company. A company who i see as preying on and, trying to, capitalize on the back of collectors, while at the same time undermining the collectability of their own previous release - yes, cashing in. I don't like it, and i've explained before, on numerous occasions, why. I don't have this particular movie in my collection, in any shape or form, but Arrow are getting greedy AND cheap on us.......all at the same time. Where will these antics lead? Another steelbook of this somewhere down the line? How many more after that? Will they "re-release" other previous steelbooks again in steelbook packaging, albeit with different art. This hobby is about collectability and rarity, and the more you add into the mix then the less collectable and rare it becomes. If people not bothered about collectability and rarity then buy amarays. Hell, they're probably produced in less numbers than the limited editions these days. just saying, that's all.
1) As mentioned previously BIG TROUBLE is the
only steelbook re-release from Arrow . . . out of the 40 steelbooks they've released to date. The evidence is that they are not cashing in by making a habit of re-releasing steelbook - Amarays, yes, but
not steelbooks.
They are just catering to demand which, maybe based on a poll they ran or feedback, they judge to exist for a new BIG TROUBLE steelbook.
3) Nothing wrong with re-releasing the same film in a new steelbook
but should absolutely have different art . . . different art should logically not have a negative effect on the original steelbook unless the new art is superior to the old and people decide to dump the original steelbook on the secondary market in favour of the new.
4) Of course some people are concerned about rarity and limited editions . . . and I guess 4,000 copies of something can just about be termed "rare" in the grand scheme of things . . . but if you want truely rare then you'll have to look further afield to some of those premium editions with slipcovers produced in really low quantities (300 etc.) . . . but of course you'll have to pay through the nose for the privilege - as in 50 quid plus for a single edition including P&P / fees.
5) Are UK steelbooks collectable - steelbooks which are often just international steelbooks with UK J-cards?
Yes, but obviously some more collectable than others but all will eventually become collectable to someone after they are sold out. When OOP / "when they're gone they're gone" . . . as the old cliche goes . . . when the marketplace takes over and supply & demand dictates future prices.
Big prices can be realised on select titles with BIG TROUBLE being a perfect example of a desirable OOP/OOS steelbook fetching decent money . . . maybe not up there with the big boys but not far off.
Dozens of other titles I feel sure must be equally desirable and fetching considerably more than they cost originally but as I've yet to offload any steelbooks this comment is not based on personal experience.
6) Are there more steelbook collectors now than there were say 5 years ago?
Presumably yes but let's not forget that releases plateaued a few years back with far fewer now per annum than there were then.
For example, steelbooks released in the UK (give or take) during the past few years:
- 168 in 2013
- 244 in 2014
- 234 in 2015
- 223 in 2016
- 180 in 2017.
In conclusion:
a) Steelbooks are collectable - even regular steelbooks - of course more collectable if released in just one territory and limited to fewer than 4,000.
b) Steelbooks are delightfully quirky with all styles of artwork offered . . . unlike with Amarays where more often than not creativity is jettisoned in favour of the more mass market appeal of original poster art.
c) Steelbooks are totally delightful and can be collected in so many different ways:
- You can collect Blufans or one of the other numbered collections only . . . narrowed down to numbered fullslips or numbered lenticular slips only
- You can collect boutique labels only (Arrow, Eureka, Shout etc.)
- You can collect steelbooks of films with/by your favourite actors/directors
- You can open them and enjoy the film and the inside/back art or you can keep them sealed and give someone else the thrill of being the first person to unseal them . . . or do what I did until they really started to churn them out mid 2012 and buy 2 of each (one to open and one to keep sealed).
If you are OCD inclined, however, opening them can be problematic due to production methods and ****** quality control which can lead to multiple steelbook imperfections to slip through especially visible on the gloss finish - most notably paint stretching at the corners and fine hairline scratches/marks on the covers.
Anyway, Long Live Steelbooks
it does not affect the sales 
