In what may be a sort of 'last hurrah' for the BluRay 3D format, Marvel's "Black Widow" WILL be getting a 3D release on September 15th, 2021! This is especially good news for Marvel fans who were afraid the latest superhero movie would not be available in their favorite format, but in a way there's every reason to believe this will one of - if not the - final BluRay 3D release from Disney! See, you can't buy this from Zavii in England. You can't buy it in Canada. You can't buy it in France or any of the other European countries.
No, the only place you can buy "Black Widow" with a 3D copy is in Japan!
More precisely, you will need to buy a combo pack that includes the film in UltraHD 4K and MovieNEX (which is basically Disney's version of Movies Anywhere in Japan)! And yes: region locking will almost certainly be a thing, so hopefully you have a region free player. Now, as I state over and over on this site (almost to the point where I could just copy and paste many of my previous posts, change a few names, and call it a day) I am always happy when a 3D movie comes to disc. I feel even more happy in this case because Disney has been shunning the format in a way that I haven't seen them do since they first famously cancelled the US release of "Frozen" in BluRay 3D (thus setting off the domino effect of other studios ditching the format). Despite continuing to make movies in 3D, Disney movies that did NOT see a BluRay 3D release recently include:
- Luca
- Soul
- Raya and the Last Dragon
- Us Again (Short)
- Olaf's Frozen Adventure (Special)
- Mulan
And this isn't even counting the fact that "Free Guy" was recently announced with no BluRay 3D release (and "Jungle Cruise" is almost certain to follow)! It's not just Disney either: "The Boss Baby: Family Business" and "The Mitchell's vs. the Machines" either aren't getting a BluRay 3D release or will be getting NO physical release at all! Honestly, it seems like Warner Bros. is the only studio really bothering anymore (which is saying something since their parent company - AT&T - cares so little about movies they dumped their entire 2021 slate on HBO Max for basically free), seeing that "Godzilla vs. Kong" actually got a BluRay 3D release in AMERICA of all places! And now we have "Black Widow," coming out on BluRay 3D, yes, but in a combo pack that is highly expensive (Japan has some of the highest prices for movies in the world) and being packaged as basically a special feature. I haven't had to buy such a release since (in a weird case of deja vu) "Ralph Breaks the Internet" was only available in 3D in a similar way. And, yeah, I'm going to buy it. Its going to run me north of $80 to do so because...well, what choice do I have?
Yeah, it's going to look weird on my shelf with the Japanese text. Trust me, I know the feeling. It's already weird enough to have discs in my collection that have an alternate rating on them other than the MPA's; having a foreign text cover the artwork makes it extra weird. What choice do I have though? Kind of like how I've had to make the decision recently to see movies in 4DX as opposed to IMAX to get the 3D effect, if I have to go to Japan to get "Black Widow" in 3D I guess I have to go to Japan to get "Black Widow" in 3D. The fact that this is the only place to get it though, and that so many other movies in general have not gotten 3D releases, leads me to believe this very well may be one of the last BluRay 3D's we get in any form. Maybe Warner Bros. keeps the format alive a little bit more, but the fact that even Zavii isn't getting 3D versions anymore means the writing is likely truly on the wall.
I know there is a lot of questions as to why, but it's really simple: the pandemic changed everything. When the pandemic hit theaters closed. Streaming got more popular. More companies decided to put their eggs into their own streaming services. Physical media became cumbersome to make when factories were shut down and production slowed to a halt. It's much easier to stream things than to buy them on disc (in some ways its cheaper as well). Theaters are open again but the theatrical window has shrunk again. Disney has made it clear their future is in Disney+ and they've restructured their company in a way that makes this VERY clear! Ironically, it actually costs LESS money to stream 3D movies than 4K or HDR, but with the 3D TV's still not being made why bother put them up that way?! BluRay 3D has been a niche product for years selling around 20,000-60,000 discs a title. Sure, part of the reason is that limited supplies of these titles are made in the first place, but these are not number huge corporations are interested in.
They aren't even interested in producing physical media anymore. Streaming is cheaper for them and better for the planet. It's a win-win as far as they are concerned. Yes, there are problems with this thinking, but it doesn't matter; this is the direction Disney is going and every studio they own just has to live with it. If you really love 3D, buy every disc you can, whether they come from Canada, Europe, or Asia. If there's a movie you want to see in 3D, catch it while its in theaters or risk never experiencing it that way. No, I'm not shutting down the blog, but there is less reason to update it. Do you really want to read a bunch of new posts saying that a movie is NOT coming to BluRay 3D?! Man, that's so common now its not even funny. I'll talk about a 3D release that is coming and how to get it, but saying a movie isn't getting a BluRay 3D release is like bringing up a politician and announcing they're corrupt: it isn't really news after awhile! But hey, if you like "Black Widow," I'm happy you have this chance...even if you'll need to have katakana written all over the case.
