It can't be easy for fans of "Alita: Battle Angle" right now. On one hand, the movie fared much better at the box office than many were expecting it to. Instead of outright flopping, the movie more or less broke even, paving the way for a potential sequel to move forward. On the other hand, this happened during the Disney/Fox buyout, which means it won't be up to Fox to greenlight another sequel, but Disney, a company who has more than enough billion dollar franchises, and might not be interested in trying to nurture one that they didn't personally have a hand in. What was equally stressful for fans was the MIA BluRay release, which (by many accounts) should have been out now. We were in a situation where we were wondering if we would get the movie on disk at all, much less the 3D version that James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez had carefully crafted (which resulted in a spike in 3D ticket sales for the first time in years). After all, if Disney seemed apathetic to a sequel to 'Alita' we KNEW they were apathetic to releasing a BluRay 3D of the film. BluRay 3D's is a market Disney has pretty much gotten out of both in the states AND internationally (with the exception of the Marvel and Star Wars movies)!
So imagine my surprise and delight when we not only got a date for 'Alita' on BluRay, but that we found out the 3D version WOULD be getting released as well! What's more, it looks like it will be in every store across the nation for as long as need be, because the disk is being bundled with the 4K UltraHD bundle, which means supplies will be plentiful!
Now, the funny thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened. Early into the UltraHD lifespan, Sony was particularly aggressive about bundling 3D disks with 4K copies at stores. Sony was still making 3D TV's and wanted to keep the momentum alive. It made more sense because the UltraHD bundles were for hardcore film fans who were willing to pay a premium for the best versions of the movie available. Eventually Sony and other companies dropped this, and to this day the few companies that still make 3D disks have opted to make limited quantity BluRay 3D bundles rather than put the 3D disk in the UltraHD package, which would make more sense it would be a product that caters to two niche markets for a minimal extra cost. Chances are 'Alita' was a compromise as both Cameron and Rodriguez have stressed that the 3D version is THE way to see the movie, and likely demanded such a release in their contracts! As a compromise, Disney is putting the disk in the UltraHD bundle. The funny thing is, this is how they should be doing this for ALL movies! Sure, it would only add a few hundred thousand extra sales, but since Warner Bros. and Paramount are still doing this, it is clearly a profitable practice.
By bundling the movies this way they can make both versions available to everyone who wants them, it provides more value for the dollar, and it makes the film makers happy. Heck, when you look at the cover the 3D version is highlighted as the main selling point, so Cameron is VERY well aware of who's REALLY going to be buying this disk! While it is sad this isn't a normal practice for all studios, we are at a point where I'm happy that it is happening at all. Also, it's nice that IMAX is setting aside a few showtimes each week to show "Aladdin" in IMAX 3D, so the fact that companies are doing anything with 3D shows that it still is a profitable format. Either way, I'm going to be buying a couple copies of this movie: One for me and one as a gift. I want to support this release financially, and I would love to see a sequel, so buying this set supports both. It's something I highly recommend everyone do if they love this (surprisingly fun) little $180 million dollar blockbuster.
Paramount seems to have dropped 3D blu Ray all together seeing as how there was no Bumblebee or MI: Fallout 3D released on Blu Ray :/