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there's no denying that steelbook collecting is 100% not what it was 8+ years ago. they're over exposed, market's over saturated and steelbooks as a medium have lost their prestige. Reading your comments the impression i get is that this fact has turned you from a collector to a hoarder.
What i find peculilar about this community, is that you're all obsessed with premium slipcovers & premium finishes. Yet aren't obsessed with premium artwork. All happy to see default poster on the cover. Kinda missing the point of steelbooks. EVERYTHING about a steelbook should be premium, but they aren't that's why they tend to lose their luster. it's no coincidence that the percentage of steelbooks with default poster art is higher than it was when blu ray steelbook collecting was at it's peak. where vitual every release was a must own for the right reasons.
if you need to ask that you truly are a hoarder in all seriousness. People like to own steelbooks (or any fancy packaged edition) because they want something unique and special for the films/games/tv shows that are special to them. that'll be why alot of the guys on here got into collecting these in the first place.(at least that was the case back in the day)
The best steelbooks don't just appeal to collectors or to someone looking to make a quick buck. they appeal to anyone who's a fan of the film in question. A perfect example of a truly great steelbook is the jumanji one. it doesn't use the default poster. it doesn't slap a film still on the back and inside. they were creative and original with the design, making the front inside and back the board game from the film. that's one of those steelbooks that a tonne of non collectors would own. they'd take one look at it and think "wow that's awesome" it's the kind of thing that can turn someone into a steelbook collector.
if you'd had your way it would have just been the default poster art. with a screen grab for the back art and inside art. that's not going to make anyone want to collect steelbooks.
If it's a choice between having steelbook designs that excel with duds getting made too, or every steelbook is average and nothing more I'd rather put up with the duds.
3. Any steel book is still better than a non slipped amaray
Have you seen the Zavvi Speed steelbook?
That looks complete luxury compared to this DP2 monstrosity.
Hello, first time poster here. I've been enjoying collecting steelbooks for about 7-8 years and have been reading this forum for a few months' now. It seems like there is a really good community here and it's really nice knowing that there are others who find this type of collecting a bit of fun and are willing to help each other out, with some healthy debates thrown in for good measure.
Seems strange though that I have finally decided to message now that my enjoyment of collecting has diminished somewhat. This DP2 steelbook is a good example of why. I really like the original DP1 Zavvi steel, good artwork without needing to be poster art, embossed title, and gloss. DP2 though, I'm just not a fan of personally, so I can't justify spending £30 to have something in my collection that I just don't like. If you do like it then that's fine, everyone has different tastes.
After the disappointment of GOTG2 despite it's nice finish (which is still in stock I believe) I felt I had to curb my hobby (addiction) as it were. So I have just stopped buying steelbooks that I don't like the artwork for, even if it means not having a full set (Marvel & X-Men movies in particular). Why own something I don't like.
These are just some of the steelbooks I have passed on in the last year or so, or will be passing on, that I would otherwise have bought if the artwork had been more to my liking. There's few hundred pounds saved here.
DP2 HMV
Ready Player One
Pacific Rim Uprising HMV
Logan HMV
Black Panther Zavvi
Kingsman: The Golden Circle HMV
Justice League HMV
Atomic Blonde HMV
Jason Bourne
Deepwater Horizon
The Commuter Zavvi
Vertigo Zavvi
For me, I dislike these steelbooks so much, I am willing to wait and pick the movie up on amaray (yeah I said it) once they are around the £5 mark... maybe (after a while I tend to lose that impulse to buy).
As for poster art versus unique designs, I think Dazzler_31117 sums it up nicely. I personally don't mind whether the artwork is poster art of something a little different, as long as I like it. For example, I prefer the HMV Captain America TFA shield design to the second Zavvi poster art steelbook. For the first Avengers, I much prefer the Zavvi lenticular poster art than the original HMV glossed "A" (even though that's still quite nice as well). I've never bought a Blufans steelbook because they are a bit more than I am willing to pay but admittedly they do look pretty awesome (maybe I'm just a tight fisted old Scrooge).
As a collector, I really enjoy the feeling when a new release steelbook drops through the door, unwrapping it, and watching the movie at the first available opportunity. That feeling diminishes when I receive something I don't like and paid £20-25 for the privilege. There's no point in me shouting abuse at the studios for their choices because it's totally up to me to be more selective and only buy the steelbooks that I feel are worth it.
That's just how I feel anyway.
Studios spend millions on marketing their films and so rarely get the promotional art wrong. You get art which fits the film because the success does almost solely rely on the art being received well.
But the same doesn't seem to be true of the home media releases, it's almost as if they have passionless amateurs working on the designs
If the WWA artwork was decent then there would be less reason to spend twice or three times as much on the premium version and I could instead use that cash to buy an even bigger TV or a OPPO player.Thank god that one company puts out WWA and another puts out WEA and then maybe another has its own WEA too. What is wrong with that? You have more options to take it or leave it.
This video by GoodBadFlicks is a bit old so it doesn't include Marvel's totem pole of biggest stars surrounded by everyone with more than 3 minutes screen time looking like they're addicted to Pym Particles, but it perfectly sums up why I dislike most modern poster art.
Welcome to HDN @IamIroningMan (nice name and avatar by the way ). Very good to have you here!
This is why I find it strange that so many people seem horrified by the prospect of poster/promotional art on steelbooks, after all that is the imagery that has cost huge amounts of time and money to produce to get it right. But the average steelbook collector goes "Boo hoo sob sob they've already used that art on the amaray, I want something different, even if it looks shite...".
I assume you're referring to steelbooks specifically as most amaray art does use the promotional art. The problem here is that the steelbook market is a drop in the ocean financially speaking, so why would they get their best people on it with any sort of budget to create something excellent when they can just get some talentless prick to knock out a bit of minimalist pop art in half an hour?
If the WWA artwork was decent then there would be less reason to spend twice or three times as much on the premium version and I could instead use that cash to buy an even bigger TV or a OPPO player.