Ask Wreck: SteelBooks Questions

Wreck

Is Here To Serve
Staff Member
Jan 26, 2009
32,706
USA
I dont know how long I will do this, or if people have questions ... but I'll check this thread daily in case people have questions about steelbooks etc. I'll try to answer to the best of my ability from what I am allowed to say in some cases or just info you may not have seen me drop before in past threads.
 
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Wreck, can you ask Play about the possibility of them selling their foam boxes?

+1 .. those things are awesome!... I would buy some if the shipping wasn't too bad.

Few Q's for Wreck:

Any idea if Matrix 2 and 3 will get individual steelbook releases?

Do you know what happend with the spiderman steels at FS? bleh!

And lastly, what is your thoughts on the longevity of BD Steelbooks in general? DVD steels are pretty much worthless now, so I am just curious if you think BD steels will fall to the same fate when a new format comes out. (sorry if this has been asked before)
 
Kind of an open question but how 'aware' are the studios etc. of this place?

Steels of mega blockbusters like Dark Knight Rises would happen no matter what, but when it comes to movies like Battle Royale, do the people involved pretty much gauge your reaction or do they just go for it and hope it sells?

Have titles been shelved before now due to lack of interest at first?

Just interested in the actual process of selecting movies for steelbooks and how it all happens.
 
I might have asked this before, but will we see the newly encoded discs in the M:I steelbooks? (AVC/DTS-HD MA)

If you could try and find out, I'm sure many people will appreciate it. :)

I've pre-ordered all 3 but not paying £33 for lousy old discs when there are new ones readily available.
 
+1 .. those things are awesome!... I would buy some if the shipping wasn't too bad.

Few Q's for Wreck:

Any idea if Matrix 2 and 3 will get individual steelbook releases?

Do you know what happend with the spiderman steels at FS? bleh!

And lastly, what is your thoughts on the longevity of BD Steelbooks in general? DVD steels are pretty much worthless now, so I am just curious if you think BD steels will fall to the same fate when a new format comes out. (sorry if this has been asked before)

Dont know about Matrix 2 or 3. I would hope so ... seems like its been ages tho since Matrix 1 from Canada (which I love)

Spidey FS steels *slaps head* Disaster.

And my favorite question of the day. (perhaps week) Longevity of BD Steelbooks.

The longevity of BD steelbooks rests on the longevity of BD format. I wholeheartedly believe that BD steels will not suffer the same fate as DVD steels unless when in many years 4k content takes over? (a whole debate in it's own!) releases the new discs in different size cases and the collectors (us) somehow get disgusted with g2? Personally I dont see that happening ... Blu-ray 3d didnt really get its own case size and I dont suspect 4k will either. In a meeting I attended earlier this year with the head of the BDA and an EVP of Disney it's been stated that 4k can be and will be supported on blu-ray format.

I think 4k will be niche at best, we still see dvds galore everywhere we go in stores. It was hard enough getting people to convert to Blu-ray and still a challenge for those that remain that it will be next to impossible to get those other people to convert to 4k HDTVs that will remain pricey for quite some time. 2 have hit retail level and its $5k for LG and $8k for a Sony XBR so we're still a few years before normal pricing for most consumers. I'm not voicing my opinion saying I don't support 4k instead I'm just calling it like I see it. Its far out from mainstream adaptation and I see there one day being a blu-ray steelbook with 4k disc inside. Thus, not affecting the blu-ray steelbook hobby. Only we as consumers and those making steelbook selections can affect this hobby adversely.

The human eye can only see so much ... if 4k is a huge difference then could there ever possibly be another disc format after that? Hard to think so.... My guess is Blu-ray is the last disc format. And ultimately like many collectors here there will always be a market for people to have tangible goods that they can hold in their hands. Crazy to think that we might be close to the last disc format ever .... but I think all our collections so long as its HD content will be safe in our lifetimes. Ultimately, we disc collectors will become the niche.

But if 4k takes a big steaming poo on top of 1080p then will all be buying our movies over again. lol So time will tell on how we all think of the comparison. I'm ready to see those side by side screenshot comparisons and not Blu-ray vs. DVD. ;)

Kind of an open question but how 'aware' are the studios etc. of this place?

Steels of mega blockbusters like Dark Knight Rises would happen no matter what, but when it comes to movies like Battle Royale, do the people involved pretty much gauge your reaction or do they just go for it and hope it sells?

Have titles been shelved before now due to lack of interest at first?

Just interested in the actual process of selecting movies for steelbooks and how it all happens.

Studios are very aware of this site. Our 2 sites are used countless times by Scanavo in presentations and such to the studios. There are also many studio people registered on this forum. While most never post I know there here cause I've seen their official studio email addresses in their back end member profile. ;) - There are others tho who post that you guys dont know about and others that want to remain secret. ;p

Titles are discussed a lot by retailers and studios so I dont know if I would call it shelving but perhaps passing on one and doing another. I know in regards to Play they can bring catalog titles to the table with studios and try and get permission to do. Big time blockbusters depending on region/Country can go to the highest bidder or certain retailers can lock in exclusives. Much the same how you see HMV and Play exclusives and/or Target or Best Buy Exclusives.

I might have asked this before, but will we see the newly encoded discs in the M:I steelbooks? (AVC/DTS-HD MA)

If you could try and find out, I'm sure many people will appreciate it. :)

I've pre-ordered all 3 but not paying £33 for lousy old discs when there are new ones readily available.

Ill try to find out. This is the best place to ask me questions as im subscribed to this thread ... so sooner or later I will answer the question ... if not keep asking. However this is the type of question that involves many people so the answer takes time.
 
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Wreck, Thanks again for this thread, but anymore news on potential individual Bond releases to go with the Play.com Goldeneye. I assume as they were able to hold a poll to decide that Goldeneye was the one they were going to do, that they have looked into the possibility of releasing any or all of them. I know 4,000 x 22 individual films is a big commitment though i suppose.

Thanks, Shep
 
Hi Wreck, I was just wondering if you know if anything is being done about the recent spate of Steelbooks coming through damaged, mainly slashing of the spines during the packaging stages but also paint loss issues as seen on the recent Watchmen and War of the Worlds play.com releases?
 
First, Wreck old son, you are a star. Thank you for taking the time.

Second. I don't know how this works, but please be passing on a big 'well done' to whoever greenlighted the Snow White & the Huntsman UK collector's box. Stunning presentation and print quality, decent size book (with proper binding) instead of an itsy-bitsy G2 sized one (like the French X-Men First Class).

We need more of this sort of presentation box, something that gives a steelbook collector something beyond the usual to treasure, but is not quite as ridiculously over the top as the European steelbook/art book/handbag/bust/free lunch and over a ton just to gaze upon it editions :D
 
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..and just to add to that the french version of From Dusk Till Dawn is being released much like the titty twister edition that has been announced in UK and Germany. It includes a G2 steel to the best of my knowledge, will this be a trend in the near future as it isn't available as a seperate SB release, like inglourious basterds for example.
 
A quick question, are Play.com going to release all the 3D titles that are being released in Germany (Titanic, Avatar, I Robot etc.)? They're pretty pricey and I would be gutted if Play.com sell the same titles (probably with better artwork too) for a tenner each having paid 29EUR + postage for the MM versions.
 
Wreck,

Can you please do us all a favor and contact Scanavo and find out what the f**k is going on with quality control. These steels coming from Play are a JOKE. I would be ashamed of myself if I sent a steelbook to any of my clients that look like some of the ones people are getting from play.
 
Wreck,

Can you please do us all a favor and contact Scanavo and find out what the f**k is going on with quality control. These steels coming from Play are a JOKE. I would be ashamed of myself if I sent a steelbook to any of my clients that look like some of the ones people are getting from play.

Are you talking about the artwork or damage to the steelbooks?