"Doctor Strange" BluRay 3D Has Been DISCONTINUED!!!

This is a weird story for me to report on because as I type it out, I can not for the life of me figure out what this means or why it happened.  I didn't want to believe it.  I didn't want to think it was true.  But apparently the BluRay 3D version of "Doctor Strange" us now out-of-print and the only way you are likely to find it is on eBay (or sites similar to that).  The prices aren't exactly cheap at the moment either.  And before anyone asks: Yes, this includes the imported disks as well.  Why is this the case?  Heck if I know.  I don't know what Disney's logic is anymore when it comes to this format.  I searched for "Captain America: Civil War," "Moana," "Zootopia," "The Jungle Book," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and those all appear to still be in production with new copies shipping out.  What makes "Doctor Strange" a particularly troubling discontinuation is that the movie isn't very old.  In fact, the most has only been out on home video for less than six months.

That isn't a very long time to give people a chance to buy something.  This does make me wonder if this is the future of BluRay 3D for Disney: Release a limited quantity early on and then discontinue the product shortly afterwards.  I mean, on one hand, I guess I'll take something over nothing.  At this point I pretty much have to.  But I find the practice disturbing none-the-less because if this is what is going on and word gets out, this is going to be a blood bath as scalpers rush into the stores to buy up as much inventory as they can with the intention to sell at an inflated price later.  A surge in sales won't insure a second pressing either.  I think Disney is pretty much done with the format and are only releasing disks because Marvel has told them to.  I'll keep you up to date to see if this is a one off situation or a sign of things to come.  In the meantime, if you see this on a store shelf, don't hesitate to buy it; it may be the only chance you'll have at this point.

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Will 'Captain Underpants' Prance onto BluRay 3D?

High def Digest has reported that "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" (and one of the few genuinely good surprises of the year) is available to pre-order on BluRay and UltraHD.  Box art has been reveled for both editions.  No release date has been set, but we know those are coming.  Missing from the article is any word of a BluRay 3D release.  That should make Captain Underpants shout "tra-la-NO!"  I've made very clear on this blog that DreamWorks Animation produces the best looking 3D visuals in all the movies that are released!  They build their movies for 3D, around 3D, with the intention to see them in 3D.  Now, this doesn't mean that we won't get it.  BluRay.com has a listing for the movie and it has the same information as it does with the other two releases (minus the cover art, of course).  I must say, the situation with DreamWorks is getting to be a bit confusing at this point.  "Trolls" missed out on a 3D release but "The Boss Baby" is getting one.

The first two movies were decent box office hits while 'Captain Underpants' was a mild one.  All three were distributed by 20th Century Fox...I don't know, I can't find a pattern.  I have no idea what is going on here.  Granted, the press releases doesn't state we WON'T be getting a BluRay 3D release of the film, but why make the announcement, share box cover information, and then not bring it up?!  The signs are not looking good on this one.  We'll keep you up to date, but after being the first DreamWorks movie to have outsourced animation, it looks like the movie will get shortchanged on getting premium treatment once again. 

Tra-la-fail...

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Universal Springs Last-Minute IMAX Release of "Despicable Me 3" on Audiences This Weekend (No 3D...of Course)

IMAX is getting more and more confusing with their animated releases.  We've known for a long time that the company is not focusing on family movies for the past few years.  This isn't exactly news.  However, the company seemed to warm back up to the idea of releasing animated movies in the states again after "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," "Tangled," "Inside Out," or, basically, any of the Disney movies did well in the format overseas.  That said, their embracing of family movies again has been rather...weak, to say the least.  "Inside Out" was more or less ignored by most theaters in favor of "Jurassic World."  "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and "The Secret Life of Pets" were released in the theaters at the last minute and had their IMAX releases announced on their Twitter page (in both cases just a couple days before the release of the actual movie).

Then - to pretty much everyone's surprise - we got "The LEGO Batman Movie" and "Cars 3" in IMAX 2D but NOT IMAX 3D (save for that one theater in Rhode Island...that one got 'LEGO Batman' in IMAX 3D)!  Now, I find out that "Despicable Me 3" got an IMAX release this weekend.  Yeah, I know, I hadn't heard about it either.  This must have LITTERALLY been a last minute thing, because IMAX screens weren't even showing any previews on Thursday!  At first I was upset because I would have loved to be given the chance to watch the movie in IMAX 3D.  Then I realized the movie wasn't being projected in 3D.  At all.  Anger subsided, whipped out my Surface to write the blog post, and then realized the movie got a lukewarm review from me in the first place (which brought into question why I felt this was a big loss in the first place).  It does make me wonder what is up with IMAX though?

Why are all these animated movies getting last-minute releases and (more recently) without their 3D counterparts (even when a perfectly serviceable one is available)?  Well...you're going to have to come back on Wednesday.  I know, that's a bad place to end.  I really did have a suspicion typed out.  However, once I finished the original draft of this post, I realized I had written a long editorial about the state of IMAX and their relationship to animated films (most of which had very little to do with Ilumination's latest helping of the movie equivalent of Jell-O Pudding).  So I've cut that, I'm going to sharpen the argument, send it to IMAX for comment (doubt they will), and we'll discuss what IMAX's problem with animation is later this week.  But, for whatever it's worth, "Despicable Me 3" is in IMAX.  It doesn't appear to be on any of the giant screens and the 3D is completely gone, but if you want the small version of the butchered film you have the option.

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Twilight Time to Release "Gun Fury" on BluRay 3D

How on Earth is it that "Beauty & the Beast" - a $1+ billion dollar worldwide hit - manages to come to the states without a proper BluRay 3D release but "Gun Fury" - an obscure 1953 western starring Rock Hudson - actually manages to get a release despite being limited to 3,000 units?  I have no idea.  I ask myself questions like that all the time.  More than I would like.  I don't complain...not really.  I find it odd that the more obscure stuff that has low demand gets releases while mainstream stuff is largely hit-or-miss these days, but such is the world we live in.  Such is the state of the business.  I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it does make me wonder about the state of film on disk in general.  Anyway, the movie is going to be sold exclusively on Twilight Time's website and will street on 9/26 (if my e-mail is correct).  I will update you all with a direct link to purchase it when it is made available.

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Warner Bros. Solicits "Wonder Woman" on BluRay 3D

"Wonder Woman" is the surprise hit of the year.  Not because it features a female superhero, but, rather, because it is part of the DC Extended Universe, a franchise that was on the verge of collapsing until this movie came along.  Warner Bros. has not been shy about releasing BluRay 3D's of their films (they just released "The LEGO Batman Movie" in the format when most theaters wouldn't even project it in 3D), so the fact that they will do the same for one of the biggest hits of the year is unsurprising.  You can pre-order it at most online retailers, but I'll link to the one that makes the boldest statement: Warner Bros. official website!  And, don't worry, this is one DC movie that's worth getting.

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IMAX Screws "Cars 3" with Non-3D Limited Release

It's hard to believe there was a time when IMAX was a great place to go for animated movies.  "The Polar Express," "How to Train Your Dragon," Beowulf," and "Kung fu Panda" are some of the best theater experiences I've ever have had, and other audience members who experienced them would likely tell you the same.  The last time IMAX was serious about animation was with "Zootopia."  Since the release of "The Lorax" though they have largely been wishy washy in releasing animated movies in the states.  "Kung fu Panda 3," "Tangled," "Despicable Me 2," "Frozen," "Big Hero 6," and many other movies have had international IMAX releases, but not domestically (despite how financially successful they were).  "How to Train Your Dragon 2," "The Secret Life of Pets," and "Inside Out" all got IMAX releases, but they got them in VERY limited screen numbers (heck, "Inside Out" - the best film of the year - was just on two nationwide while "Jurassic World" kept the vast majority of the screens despite being in its third week).

This has been bothersome because animated films are routinely some of the highest grossing films of the year, and 3D fits the vast majority of these movies like a glove.  Trouble started a few months ago when "The LEGO Batman Movie" (which is available on BluRay 3D this week) was released on about 500 IMAX screens.  Of the 500, I counted three that projected the movie in 3D (none of them in CA or NY).  This was a strange thing to do and I couldn't figure out why they would largely only be projecting it in 2D when a perfectly serviceable 3D version was available.  It turns out this wasn't an oversight though: IMAX seems to be deliberately avoiding screening animated movies in 3D.  Pixar's "Cars 3" is opening wide tomorrow in theaters.  Less than 300 IMAX screens will be showing the movie with most opting to keep "Wonder Woman" around for a third week of release (yikes, I'm getting a feeling of deja vu here).

This time, NONE of the IMAX screenings are in 3D!  This is especially bizarre and troubling.  Like I stated before, 3D and animation tend to go hand-in-hand with each other, so it's especially bad to watch the movie without the extra effect.  What's stranger though is that kids tend to LIKE 3D!  What's more, IMAX 3D costs the exact same as a regular IMAX ticket, so why would the chain not project it in this way?  It doesn't even cost the theater anymore to project in 3D as opposed to 2D.  I've reached out to IMAX Corporation for clarification on why they are releasing animated movies this way and if this is a new policy, but they have not returned my e-mails.  In the meantime this is a disappointing trend.  For the first time in a LONG time, I will be passing up seeing a movie in IMAX for a standard theater!  IMAX theaters are supposed to present the movies in the best possible way.  By excluding the 3D for movies that were shot with 3D in mind, they are, in effect, crippling the movie, and I can't support that.

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CORRECTION: "Smurfs: The Lost Village" NOT Coming to BluRay 3D

Sorry guys...I have to post a correction: "Smurfs: The Lost Village" is NOT coming to BluRay 3D despite my initial report that it was!  In all fairness, I wasn't the only one who announced this.  Digital Bits, High def Digest, and BluRay.com all reported that Sony was bringing the animated box office disappointment to BluRay 3D, and Sony themselves mentioned it in an early press release.  They even announced that it would be packaged with the UltraHD combo pack.  However, as of today that appears to no longer be the case, and there is no word of a 3D version.  This is especially disappointing because when you watch the teaser for the movie, it was pretty obvious the 3D effect was maximized, and to watch it in 2D will result in a disjointed picture.  How weird is it that Sony is starting to backtrack on the format while Warner Bros. and Paramount remain dedicated?  I don't know.  Here's a sad fact though: The live action Smurf movies get 3D releases with upconverted video while the natural, animated Smurfs movie gets a 2D only release.  Great...

Gee, can you tell this was made for 3D?

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"The Boss Baby," 'Kong,' and "Ghost in the Shell" ALL Confirmed for BluRay 3D!

Both "Kong: Skull Island" and the American remake of "Ghost in the Shell" have been confirmed for BluRay 3D.  The movies are from Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures, who have been the biggest supporters of BluRay 3D since the format was launched.  The biggest supporter of the format USED to be DreamWorks Animation, but their 2D only release of "Trolls" was strange and concerning at the same time.  This was the studio who preferred you view their films in 3D SO much, that they even forced you to buy "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" on BluRay 3D to see a brand new Rocky & Bullwinkle short.  With "Trolls" I couldn't decide if it was a decision on Fox, Universal, or if it was related to the departure of Jeffrey Katzenburg.  Needless to say, I help my breath and hoped that their next movie would get the full BluRay 3D treatment.

It has.

"The Boss Baby" has been announced to be coming out to BluRay 3D.  Also, a sequel has been announced, which is the most unbelievable thing I'll likely type this week.  So now "Trolls" lack of a proper 3D release is looking more like an anomaly.  Will we get a 3D re-release?  Unlikely.  Disney tried that with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and it didn't really do anything other than piss off fans of the movie, so I think most studios are under the impression that they either need to release it on day one or not release it at all.  Given the choice I would rather get these eventually than never, but why we even need to worry about separate releases is still something I'm grappling with.  Either way, I will be picking up "The Boss Baby" when it gets a 3D release.  Yeah, it's no where near my favorite movie, but I do generally buy DreamWorks movies, so this will just be something to add to the collection while still supporting the format.

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"Dredd" UltraHD 4K Release DOES Have 3D Version on it!

Thanks to the folks over at Digital Bits we can confirm that the UltraHD BluRay (AKA: the 4K disk) release DOES in fact have the 3D version of the movie!  This is not advertised anywhere on the package, but apparently the BluRay disk is the same one that has been on store shelves for the last couple of years (plus the 4K disk of course), and that version did have the 3D version on it.  It just goes to show that everyone wins in the long run when the 3D is added as a special feature on a regular BluRay disk and not given it's own pressed disk as well.  So fans of "Dredd" (which I know there are a lot of) can now safely upgrade their disk without the fear of losing the 3D version as well.

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"Beauty & the Beast" Not Confirmed for BluRay 3D (Despite Bringing in Almost Half a Billion Dollars at Box Office)

Disney's live action remake of "Beauty & the Beast" is...well, it is what it is.  I maintain that people don't like it nearly as much as they think they do.  It resembles the animated classic so closely that I feel most people are associating their nostalgia for the old film with the new movie.  Much like my thoughts that nostalgia was clouding people's judgment of "Toy Story 3," I feel the live action remake of "Beauty & the Beast" is destined to be largely forgotten in a few years once the "new" wave fades.  Still, it DID gross $1 billion world wide and is the biggest hit of the year so far.  There's no arguing with that.  Almost a quarter of that came from 3D and IMAX 3D showings, so obviously Disney would want to preserve that format when it comes time to release the film on BluRay.  HA HA HA HA...yeah, riiiiggghhht!  Disney doesn't do that kind of thing.  I'm still surprised we got a delayed release of "The Jungle Book."

Right now American's seem out of luck when it comes to getting a 3D version.  On the positive side Europe is getting a BluRay 3D release, (so far) all of the imported Disney movies have worked on my American BluRay players, and Zavvi has a nice steelbook edition that will help cover up its imported status (while supplies lasts).  I feel like I'm writing the same news post over and over again at this point, but this is the way things are.  It would be great if Disney changed their mind on this.  If they don't...thank God for the European release.

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Plucked from Obscurity: Roy Bakers "Inferno" Announced for BluRay 3D

News has been a little slow.  There are rumblings (ho ho) that "Kong: Skull Island" is coming to BluRay 3D soon, but we have yet to confirm that tidbit.  It being a Warner Bros. film I am not too concerned though, as they have probably been the most loyal studio to the 3D format these past couple of years.  Since I can't confirm that release though, I'll have to settle for the announcement that "Inferno" will be coming to BluRay 3D courtesy of Twilight Time.  This is the 1953 movie by Roy Baker and NOT the Tom Hanks vehicle directed by Ron Howard from last year!  This being a Twilight Time release, it will come in the standard 3,000 copy limited run.  I'm not sure if the movie justifies a higher print run, but there you have it.  I am happy that Twilight Time continues to release movies in 3D.  It's odd that a practically forgotten movie is deemed worth releasing in 3D while a similar release for Disney's "Beauty & the Beast" is in question (despite grossing $1 billion dollars and counting), but there you have it.  You can pre-order the movie here (not an affiliated link).

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