Holy Complicated DVD, Batman!
Filed under: Horror, New Line, Newsstand, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels
New Line has something pretty darn fancy in
store for Final
Destination 3 fans (I'll refrain from my customary snide remark about just how many of those people there are,
because the movie was surprisingly well-reviewed, and people actually went to see it) when the DVD comes out this
summer. Not content to just offer commentary and a making-of documentary (both which will be part of the two disc
package), New Line has created a choose-you-own-adventure-style version of of the film, offering choices that extend
well beyond picking one of two different endings. According to Variety, additional scenes were written and
shot -- to the tune of around $1 million in additional cost -- and viewers will have "seven choices at 10-minute
intervals," each of which consists of two options. (Not to worry, purists: you can still watch the movie in its
theatrical form, if you prefer.)New Line is really raising the Special Edition bar with this (costly, attention-grabbing) gimmick -- I bet a lot of studio heads are hoping that the disc fails to sell, just to save themselves the headache of trying to put together similarly slick features for their own releases.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-04-2006 @ 6:23PM
Rico said...
Well, that's one possibility. I guess the failure of this disc would mean that other studios wouldn't have to step up...
I think they're hoping it succeeds. Think about this: All these interactive elements are a really good idea. (It really is.) Sounds like you can only experience the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure angle if you purchase the DVD. Downloading an xVid DVDRip would only give you the movie.
In short: It's an incentive to give your money to the movie studios. You want me to fork over $24.99 for your film? Make it worth my while. When DVD movies first came out (My first purchase: Dark City, before I had a player), EVERY movie had special features for a good price. Nowadays, twenty-five bucks will get you the movie, and maybe the trailer. They're trying to lure people away from the bootleg copies of movies. They're trying to raise the bar. And I say About Friggin' Time. As long as it doesn't cost fifty bucks.
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4-04-2006 @ 7:05PM
Finished.Law.School said...
I hope it does not install root kits if played in/on a computer.
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4-05-2006 @ 1:00AM
Burbanked said...
This isn't a good thing. It's a gimmick that sells the DVD instead of improving the movie itself. It's a shiny object the studio is waving in front of our face and desperately hoping that we won't notice how bad the product actually is while they separate us from our money.
Which means, of course, that it's show business as usual.
If you're inclined, this rant continues a bit here http://burbanked.com/2006/04/04/smells-like-desperation-movie-marketing-over-there-at-new-line.aspx
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4-05-2006 @ 11:06AM
josh said...
"When DVD movies first came out (My first purchase: Dark City, before I had a player), EVERY movie had special features for a good price."
What in the world are you talking about? Very few of the first-run DVDs had any special features beyond perhaps a trailer. I remember trawling through dozens of DVDs trying to find one with commentary. DVDs were also way more expensive on average then (mostly because they weren't everywhere like they are now)... I bought one of the first wave of DVD players, and I remember Dark City's DVD, which was excellent, (which I don't believe was a first wave title) being the exception not the rule.
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