The holiday's are a fun time for me. Never-the-less, they are also hectic and chaotic as well, leading me to sometimes gloss over things that I really should be paying more attention to. Several months ago Universal Studios announced "Despicable Me 3" to be coming out to BluRay 3D along with all the other versions. This didn't surprise me as Universal has been very consistent in releasing their titles in 3D in America, and all the previous films were released this way as well, so I figured there was nothing to worry about. I might have even forgot to report that it was coming out at all, which goes to show how much faith I had in ultimately receiving the product. I should have learned by now that nothing is a sure thing, and despite being announced to be released, "Despicable Me 3" hit store shelves last week without a 3D version to be found. I was able to find an import of it at Zavii...however, it is region B locked, and thus won't work on my Xbox One.
Chances are I will still buy it as I am currently trying to hack my LG player to play region B disks, but until I figure that out, I guess this is going to remain one of those "theater exclusive 3D experiences." I'm not sure how much of a huge loss this is since the movie is pretty unremarkable in every sense of the word, but the fact that this is Universal who is passing on pressing the disk should give fans in America pause for concern. After all, the three big 3D content providers in the states for the past few years have been:
- Warner Bros.
- Universal Studios
- DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks seems to have temporarily gotten out of the 3D game (I can't even find an import of "Trolls" or "Captain Underpants: The First Movie" on BluRay 3D) while Warner Bros. continues to be the biggest supporters. But if Universal has caved then I have to wonder how much longer Warner will remain loyal at this point? Although, that said, another news item I am late in writing about is that "Blade Runner 2049" WILL be released in BluRay 3D come January! Yeah, I'm pretty surprised too. The 3D version was not included when they made the initial announcement a few months ago, the director and cinematographer both stated they didn't like the 3D version, and IMAX made a big deal out of it NOT being in 3D (to very mixed public reaction I would say). I personally wasn't impressed with the 3D version, and figured I would be ok if we didn't get this one. But lo and behold it is coming out!
I am...so shocked by this I am actually laughing. It does go to show that Warner Bros. is truly the biggest supporter of the format, and I really need to send someone over there a fruit basket or something as a small token of gratitude. I might not have been that impressed with the 3D conversion, but I'll be damned if I am going to pass up buying it when Warner Bros. so clearly has very little reason to release it. I know the market for BluRay 3D is limited, but Warner knows there is a market for it none-the-less, and they appear to be supporting it through thick and thin. As for "Despicable Me 3"...*sigh* I REALLY need to learn how to hack something so I can watch these disks!
Hi , please make contact with me on the e-mail below. I get a number of the DVD's in 3D and we are in the same zone as England. Although this does not help you I can tell you if they are multi zoned and also when they are not probably get them at a far lower price than what you would pay for them. You could also in turn help me buy track down those that has only had American 3D releases. I look forward to your e-mail. - andre.shows(AT)gmail.com. Start by looking at www.takealot.co.za for possible titles that might not have been released in 3D. To solve the current problem I am buying a multi region player from America that plays all region DVD's as well as All region Blue Rays's which I found was reasonably priced.