Arrow Video USA

News on Arrow Video releases.

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antnield
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2005 1:59 pm
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Arrow Video USA

#1 Post by antnield » Fri Oct 03, 2014 5:29 am


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bainbridgezu
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:54 pm

Re: Arrow Video USA

#2 Post by bainbridgezu » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:46 am

Wow, this is truly incredible news. I will definitely be contributing to the campaign.

Perhaps MichaelB can give us the inside scoop on this exciting move, or entice us with some more information on possible releases? Any chance of the Borowczyk films seeing a stateside release?

TonyleStephanois
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#3 Post by TonyleStephanois » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:57 am

bainbridgezu wrote:Wow, this is truly incredible news. I will definitely be contributing to the campaign.

Perhaps MichaelB can give us the inside scoop on this exciting move, or entice us with some more information on possible releases? Any chance of the Borowczyk films seeing a stateside release?
Thanks!

No plans for our Borowczyk box to see a Stateside release as we're only looking at our Arrow Video label. However feel free to get excited if Boro is what you're interested in. Can't say more than that at this stage.

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bainbridgezu
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:54 pm

Re: Arrow Video USA

#4 Post by bainbridgezu » Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:05 am

I know you've only released one of his films in the UK, but might I suggest you consider some Takashi Miike? His best work seems to have been left behind since the move to blu-ray, and I'd expect many of those licenses are expiring from the initial "extreme Asian cinema" boom 10-15 years ago.

Anything would be welcome, but I'm particularly thinking of Gozu, the Dead or Alive films, The Happiness of the Katakuris, and (a great personal favorite) Deadly Outlaw Rekka. Unfortunately, proper elements seem to have been a problem for at least some of these titles, though I'm not sure if that's still the case. I'm thinking particularly of Shout! Factory's disappointing blu-ray of Audition, which they credited to this issue. Still, could be worth looking into.

TonyleStephanois
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#5 Post by TonyleStephanois » Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:31 am

We don't have any plans to upgrade our DEADLY OUTLAW: REKKA DVD (agreed it's a great film and the soundtrack is stunning). The Miike films as you note are complicated but obviously we'd love to release his stuff.

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Adam X
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:04 am

Re: Arrow Video USA

#6 Post by Adam X » Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:54 am

Hope you guys don't spread yourselves too thin.
There's not exactly been a great life expectancy for home video company's that've jumped over to the US. That said, I wish you all the best and hope things go well. Especially if the move leads to releases of films you may otherwise be unable to tackle in the UK.

As for Takashi Miike, while I would personally love to see Blu-Ray's of his older films too, along with several other key Japanese directors of that era, I understand, from Adam Torel of Third Window Films, that Japanese rightsholders are often sadly unwilling to create new masters.

TonyleStephanois
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#7 Post by TonyleStephanois » Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:58 am

Adam Grikepelis wrote:While I would personally love to see Blu-Ray's of older Takashi Miike films, along with several other key Japanese directors of that era, I understand, from Adam Torel of Third Window Films, that Japanese rightsholders are often sadly unwilling to create new masters.
Yes it's true but if they get it right first time they can produce some lovely masters.

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Drucker
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Joined: Wed May 18, 2011 9:37 am

Re: Arrow Video USA

#8 Post by Drucker » Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:07 am

If all releases retail at $30, after your 117th DVD it's all gravy!

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Re: Arrow Video USA

#9 Post by TonyleStephanois » Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:21 am

Drucker wrote:If all releases retail at $30, after your 117th DVD it's all gravy!
It could be sooner than you think! Looking at our 2014 schedule as an example, based on Sterling and not US Dollars (and excluding December's releases):

Nekromantik [Limited Edition Dual Format + OST] 24th November 2014 £22.99
Vincent Price and Roger Corman Present Six Gothic Tales [Blu-ray] 24th November 2014 £84.99
The Girl Who Knew Too Much + Evil Eye [Dual Format Edition] 17th November 2014 £19.99
The Abominable Dr. Phibes [Blu-ray] 10th November 2014 £19.99
Dr. Phibes Rises Again [Blu-ray] 10th November 2014 £19.99
Withnail & I + How to Get Ahead in Advertising [Limited Edition Dual-Format] 20th October 2014 £49.99
The Incredible Melting Man [Dual Format Edition] 13th October 2014 £19.99
Shivers [Limited Edition SteelBook Dual Format] 13th October 2014 £24.99
The Visitor [Dual Format Edition] 6th October 2014 £19.99
Stray Cat Rock: The Collection [Limited Edition Dual Format] 6th October 2014 £34.99
Mark of the Devil [Dual Format Edition] 29th September 2014 £19.99
Night of the Comet [Dual Format Edition] 22nd September 2014 £19.99
The ‘Burbs [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 15th September 2014 £24.99
Killer Klowns from Outer Space [Limited Edition SteelBook Dual Format] 15th September 2014 £24.99
Inferno [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 15th September 2014 £24.99
Phenomena [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 15th September 2014 £24.99
Bound [Dual Format Edition] 18th August 2014 £19.99
Branded to Kill + Trapped in Lust [Dual Format Edition] 18th August 2014 £19.99
Black Sunday [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 11th August 2014 £24.99
City of the Living Dead [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 11th August 2014 £24.99
Day of the Dead [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 14th July 2014 £24.99
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins… [Blu-ray] 7th July 2014 £19.99
Maniac Cop [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 30th June 2014 £24.99
Porky’s [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 16th June 2014 £24.99
The Complete Dr Phibes [Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set] 9th June 2014 £34.99
Theatre of Blood [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 19th May 2014 £24.99
The Pit and the Pendulum [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 19th May 2014 £24.99
The Beast Within [Dual Format Edition] 12th May 2014 £19.99
The Delta Force [Blu-ray] 5th May 2014 £19.99
Sisters [Dual Format Edition] 28th April 2014 £19.99
Pit Stop [Dual Format Edition] 7th April 2014 £19.99
Blind Woman’s Curse [Dual Format Edition] 31st March 2014 £19.99
White of the Eye [Limited Edition SteelBook Dual Format] 31st March 2014 £24.99
The Stuff [Dual Format Edition] 10th March 2014 £19.99
Phantom of the Paradise [Limited Edition SteelBook Blu-ray] 24th February 2014 £24.99
Cheeky [Dual Format Edition] 10th February 2014 £19.99
Frivolous Lola [Dual Format Edition] 10th February 2014 £19.99
Hell Comes to Frogtown [Limited Edition Dual Format Edition] 3rd February 2013 £19.99
Hellgate [Limited Edition Dual Format Edition] 3rd February 2013 £19.99
Who Dares Wins [Blu-ray] 6th January 2014 £19.99
The Wild Geese [Blu-ray] 6th January 2014 £19.99

Total £1017.59

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#10 Post by EddieLarkin » Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:15 pm

An interesting development which I fully support. If this means more releases and more brand new transfers then it's all good news, and I hope it comes off. I understand even if the crowd funding fails you'll still make the move but more slowly, and see how things go. Best of luck if it comes to that. I wish I could support the campaign but the rewards are clearly not geared towards UK fans; I'd be happy to kick in £60 for 5 upcoming UK releases!

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tenia
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#11 Post by tenia » Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:18 pm

True, but you also know that only very few people are buying this at MSRP. :wink:
You also have some titles included twice like putting the Phibes individual releases AND the Phibes double bill set (same for the Price/Poe/Corman and the set). :wink:
SpoilerShow
At my usual buying price (around £14-15, so that's already not making me someone very smart since I should take more advantage of promotional sales like the one Arrow just had), it would need about 155 releases to match the backing price.

If you're smarter than me and take advantage of promotional sales, that'd put a release closer to £10 each, so you're at more than 200 releases to match this.

At about 45-50 different releases / movies for 2014, that'd need at least 3 full years of releases (at 2014 pace) to match the money backed.

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domino harvey
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#12 Post by domino harvey » Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:19 pm

I support this endeavor and I support crowdsourcing to secure funding, but I think you guys shot too big with a $100,000 goal, especially since you're working with fixed funding (either you raise it all or you don't get anything). I hope I'm wrong, of course, but this seems like an unnecessarily risky dream

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EddieLarkin
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#13 Post by EddieLarkin » Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:33 pm

tenia wrote:
SpoilerShow
At about 45-50 different releases / movies for 2014, that'd need at least 3 full years of releases (at 2014 pace) to match the money backed.
You gotta think bigger man. Imagine if you'd given a measly $3,500 to Criterion in 1984 for every future release; you could buy a house with the savings!

TonyleStephanois
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#14 Post by TonyleStephanois » Fri Oct 03, 2014 12:43 pm

Thank all for your very useful comments, in light of these we've adjusted the rewards. This will be a one time deal, we won't be changing the rewards again, as it's likely once they're backed they can't be changed and it'll annoy existing backers!

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tenia
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#15 Post by tenia » Fri Oct 03, 2014 4:13 pm

One precision though : I didn't aimed to be malicious or anything, only pragmatic regarding rewards VS backing money. :wink:
Though I won't be able to back this project myself, I can only hope the best for you guys.

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effigy105
Joined: Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:30 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Re: Arrow Video USA

#16 Post by effigy105 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 5:24 pm

Failing to find a free $2,500 in my bank account, I backed a slightly lower tier and look forward to seeing what new titles will be announced.

In any case, a very interesting development and I wish you guys all the best. As a European who moved to the US, I've had to adapt to watching prices rise to dollar amounts while shopping on your store so this could prove a real boon.

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EddieLarkin
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 10:25 am

Re: Arrow Video USA

#17 Post by EddieLarkin » Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:08 pm

They're closing in on $10,000 already due to a few people realising what a bargain their Gold Lists are. If they can sell most of the 50 they're offering they'll do it no problem. I wish I had the cash to invest myself, this feels like missing out on the Royal Mail shares all over again!
Last edited by EddieLarkin on Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

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swo17
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#18 Post by swo17 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 6:13 pm

Something tells me that those gold list prices might only be a fraction of my annual DVD purchases, but I'm too afraid to investigate further.

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chatterjees
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#19 Post by chatterjees » Fri Oct 03, 2014 7:57 pm

For some reason, I am not getting it and not feeling excited at all. I think I was too busy today at work to read properly those original arrow posts. I am definitely confused about the gold list for now.

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swo17
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#20 Post by swo17 » Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:27 pm

The gold list options are basically saying (if they maintain a release volume of about 50 a year), will you pay us up front $10 per release for everything that comes out in the next three years (or $5 per release for everything from the next ten)?

One thing I'm wondering: If I went for one of the gold list options, surely there would be a portion of releases that I wouldn't be interested in keeping, just as there would be releases exclusive to the UK that I wouldn't get automatically but would still want. It would be nice if there were some kind of substitution program in place, where you could opt to receive a UK-exclusive release in exchange for not receiving a comparably priced US release that you're entitled to.

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chatterjees
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#21 Post by chatterjees » Fri Oct 03, 2014 8:51 pm

Thanks swo17. I thought I was happy importing Arrow releases whenever I was interested. I just love their UK releases, their packaging, especially those fat 14 mm transparent cases. Its hard for me to commit anything now before seeing what films and how they release those here in US. I already have the first two films (not the western). So, I am good for the beginning period of their US venture.

I am still in the dark regarding the very basic reason behind their decision for expansion. If its for the sake of movie lovers and fulfillment of their collection, I thought the solution was already there, i.e. region free blu-ray player and money in your pocket. It just feels little weird.

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Ashirg
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#22 Post by Ashirg » Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:02 pm

Opening the market into US would expand their business to not just those few who import titles, but also who would buy them for region-locked machines and would allow them to release titles in both regions A&B like they did with Mark of the Devil. I'm all for it. I hope they can bring back Russ Meyer into HD...

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MichaelB
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Re: Arrow Video USA

#23 Post by MichaelB » Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:04 pm

Another crucial point is that by taking on another market, and a significantly bigger one at that, it becomes much easier to justify the cost of original 35mm-sourced scans and restorations. Which from my perspective is perhaps the most exciting prospect of all.

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Adam X
Joined: Thu Apr 16, 2009 5:04 am

Re: Arrow Video USA

#24 Post by Adam X » Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:18 am

swo17 wrote:Something tells me that those gold list prices might only be a fraction of my annual DVD purchases, but I'm too afraid to investigate further.
Some things just shouldn't be dwelt upon.

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tenia
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Re: Re : Arrow Video USA

#25 Post by tenia » Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:41 pm

MichaelB wrote:Another crucial point is that by taking on another market, and a significantly bigger one at that, it becomes much easier to justify the cost of original 35mm-sourced scans and restorations. Which from my perspective is perhaps the most exciting prospect of all.
Arrow posted on their Deck blog about this specific point. Clearly, a bigger market makes easier paybacks on restorations.

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