Shout! Factory / Scream Factory

[Finch]

Irongod elsewhere: "Hey guys, just a quick post to let you know that I'm I'm involved with these upcoming Shout! releases along with the great Brandon Bentley! It's been tough keeping my mouth shut these past few weeks! Lol

So no worries be rest assured that these titles will be given the proper treatment as far video, audio & subtitles!"

[Mr Sausage]

I'm over the moon about this. Peking Opera Blues now has a chance to be rediscovered by a whole new generation of cinephiles.

[ryannichols7]

given Shout's recent collabs with Arrow, as well as Cliff's involvement and Arrow having the budget that 88/101/Eureka don't, I would be very surprised if anyone in the UK puts these out besides Arrow

[Finch]

Sublicensing is happening according to a few people aware of Shout's plans and it makes sense to try recoup the six or seven figure costs however and wherever they can. They've worked with Arrow previously and apparently there'll be US theatrical rereleases of the most popular titles. I share Sausage's excitement about Peking Opera Blues but what really makes me giddy is the prospect of maybe seeing the first Chinese Ghost Story restored. That was my gateway to HK cinema as a kid. Anyone know if the Michael Hui comedies are part of the Golden Princess catalogue? Though those would be amongst the more likely titles to be a Shout site exclusive box set.

[ftsoh]

Sublicensing is happening according to a few people aware of Shout's plans and it makes sense to try recoup the six or seven figure costs however and wherever they can. They've worked with Arrow previously and apparently there'll be US theatrical rereleases of the most popular titles. I share Sausage's excitement about Peking Opera Blues but what really makes me giddy is the prospect of maybe seeing the first Chinese Ghost Story restored. That was my gateway to HK cinema as a kid. Anyone know if the Michael Hui comedies are part of the Golden Princess catalogue? Though those would be amongst the more likely titles to be a Shout site exclusive box set.

Most of Hui's notable comedies in the 70's and 80's are made for Golden Harvest. He went independent in the late 80's but if memory serves me right, he did not make anything for Golden Princess.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

Worth noting that the library Shout! acquired quite likely includes That Day, on the Beach. Whatever rights dispute used to exist appears to have been resolved and the 2017 restoration screened at a bunch of North American venues last year, several of which credited Golden Princess as the distributor.

[ryannichols7]

Worth noting that the library Shout! acquired quite likely includes That Day, on the Beach. Whatever rights dispute used to exist appears to have been resolved and the 2017 restoration screened at a bunch of North American venues last year, several of which credited Golden Princess as the distributor.

cool, I'm sure there will be quite the rush to get those out, sitting alongside my big Criterion box of Yang's work...

in all seriousness, since Criterion and Shout have worked together before, I wonder if Criterion sublicenses just The Killer and Hard Boiled since those were OG titles. I don't think it's necessarily likely as they've had a lot of their earlier titles go elsewhere in North America, but since they have a friendlier relationship with Shout as opposed to say, Vinegar Syndrome, I wonder if it's a possibility. obviously Shout would still have plenty of cash cows they can release themselves, but I do recognize those as two of the bigger titles..

[willoneill]

There are 156 titles in the catalogue, with about 15 mentioned in the press release. My uneducated guess is none of those 15 will get sub-licensed to another North American label, and will be the centerpieces of SF's release strategy. I'm also predicting that a minimum of 50 of the 156 won't get any physical release at all. But the Yang title, that I could see SF be willing to part with to Criterion, maybe in exchange for Criterion's commentaries on the Woo titles.

[dwk]

Burn After Reading on UHD is supposedly coming from Shout Factory in April.

Renfield UHD is also coming in April.

[Buttery Jeb]

Burn After Reading on UHD is supposedly coming from Shout Factory in April.

Renfield UHD is also coming in April.

According to Blu-Ray.com, they've also found listings of April UHD releases for Hail, Caesar!, The Hunt, Scent of a Woman and Sorority House Massacre. Assuming this will also include the previously announced UHD for Bring it On.

[dwk]

Looks like the Coen. brothers titles and Scent of a Woman were early leaks, as none were announced. The April slate is
Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure Of Foggy Mountain Blu-ray
Summer Wars Blu-ray
The Hunt UHD
Renfield UHD
Timecop UHD
Sorority House Massacre UHD

And super limited member's only re-issues of some of their sold out site exclusive limited edition Blu-rays. (Communion, Cage Heat/Jackson County Jail double feature)

[Finch]

Summer Wars is getting an Amazon 4K steelbook exclusive for April 1.

[domino harvey]

What does “member’s only” mean here? Do they have a subscription club?

[swo17]

Looks like you have to be a member to order those items or even view their pages. Membership is free though and comes with some perqs

[FigrinDan]

Physical Forever Club
Easily found on Shout Factory's website. I've received a few emails and, so far, it's been exclusively sold OOP blu-rays.

[What A Disgrace]

Wolf Children is another Hosoda film getting a UHD steelbook release.

[dwk]

In a major digital restoration initiative, Shout! Studios is bringing five seminal Jet Li martial arts classics to 4K resolution, marking a significant moment for fans of Hong Kong action cinema. The legendary martial artist’s collaborations with directors Gordon Chan, Woo-Ping Yuen and Corey Yuen will debut on digital platforms Feb. 18.

The collection includes “Fist of Legend” (1994), “Tai Chi Master” (1993), “The Legend” (1993), “The Legend 2” (1993), and “The Bodyguard from Beijing” (1994), representing a golden era of Hong Kong action filmmaking that helped establish Li as an international star.

The films showcase Li at the height of his powers, from his portrayal of Chinese folk hero Fong Sai-Yuk in “The Legend” series to his role as a conflicted martial artist in “Fist of Legend.” “Tai Chi Master,” which pairs Li with Michelle Yeoh, demonstrates the actor’s range in a story of betrayal and redemption centered around the ancient martial art. In “The Bodyguard from Beijing,” Li steps into more contemporary territory as an elite security professional, blending intense martial arts action with a modern crime thriller narrative while protecting a murder witness played by Christy Chung.

Under the comprehensive distribution agreement, Shout! Studios has secured worldwide rights, excluding China, U.K., and Indonesia. The deal encompasses physical media, electronic sell-through (EST), advertising-based video on demand (AVOD), subscription video on demand (SVOD), transactional video on demand (TVOD), free video on demand (FVOD), linear streaming, broadcast, theatrical, non-theatrical, and ancillary rights. The films will be available individually and as a digital bundle exclusively on Apple TV and Fandango at Home, marking the first time these titles have been packaged together.

“Movie fans can now easily enjoy these entertaining films in stunning 4K on various digital platforms,” Li said in a statement. “I hope a new generation of audiences will be introduced to these action classics that give a glimpse to the talent of directors, writers, actors, stunt people, and crew that come from the rich history of Hong Kong cinema.”

The move follows Shout! Studios nabbing worldwide rights (excluding select Asian territories) to the coveted Golden Princess movie library, a treasure trove of 156 Hong Kong cinema classics that’s been MIA from Western markets for decades.

The Jet Li 4K release initiative represents a significant investment in preserving Hong Kong’s action cinema legacy, with additional announcements planned in the coming months regarding special features and promotional activities surrounding the releases.

[dwk]

May titles:
Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 1 set. UHD

• Across 110th Street (1972)
• Coffy (1973)
• Hell Up In Harlem (1973)
• Black Caesar (1973)
• Truck Turner (1974)
• Sheba, Baby (1975)

What Lies Beneath UHD
Scent of a Woman UHD
Sky Catain and the World of Tomorrow UHD
The Colors Within Blu-ray (GKids)

Fade To Black UHD (probably an early leak and not part of this months announcements)

While they are carrying over the older audio commentaries by the directors and/or writers, other than the 4K transfers, it looks like the only new special feature in the Blaxploitation set is

NEW It's Where The Action Is The Blaxploitation Films Of A.I.P., Part One – An In-Depth Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Film Critic And Author Odie Henderson, Film Producer and Son Of AIP Film Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff - Lou Arkoff, Afrocentric Film Scholar Dr. Michelle B. Taylor, Author And Film Historian Chris Poggiali, Film Historian Nathaniel Thompson, “Coffy” Director Jack Hill, And Post-Production Supervisor at AIP James L. Honore

[therewillbeblus]

Wow, haven't seen the last two titles but that's a strong UHD set based on the first four

[cdnchris]

The Blaxploitation set also has Across 110th Street.

[nicolas]

Full Specs announced:

DISC ONE: ACROSS 110TH STREET (1972 - 4K UHD):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

DISC TWO: ACROSS 110TH STREET (1972 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
NEW It's Where The Action Is The Blaxploitation Films Of A.I.P., Part One – An In-Depth Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Film Critic And Author Odie Henderson, Film Producer and Son Of AIP Film Producer Samuel Z. Arkoff - Lou Arkoff, Afrocentric Film Scholar Dr. Michelle B. Taylor, Author And Film Historian Chris Poggiali, Film Historian Nathaniel Thompson, “Coffy” Director Jack Hill, And Post-Production Supervisor at AIP James L. Honore
Trailer

DISC THREE: BLACK CAESAR (1973 - 4K UHD):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen

DISC FOUR: BLACK CAESAR (1973 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
Trailer

DISC FIVE: HELL UP IN HARLEM (1973 - 4K UHD):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen

DISC SIX: HELL UP IN HARLEM (1973 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Larry Cohen
Trailer

DISC SEVEN: COFFY (1973 - 4K UHD):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jack Hill

DISC EIGHT: COFFY (1973 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Interview With Director Jack Hill
Interview With Actor Pam Grier
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Jack Hill
Trailer

DISC NINE: SHEBA, BABY (1975 - 4K UHD):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon

DISC TEN: SHEBA, BABY (1975 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Interview With Screenwriter David Sheldon
Audio Commentary With Screenwriter David Sheldon
Trailer

DISC ELEVEN: TRUCK TURNER (1974 - 4K UHD):

NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Presented In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible)
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Director Jonathan Kaplan

DISC TWELVE: TRUCK TURNER (1974 - BLU-RAY):
NEW 4K Scan/Restoration From The Original Camera Negative
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Audio Commentary With Director Jonathan Kaplan
Trailer

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

That Truck Turner Blu-ray from Kino was fetching high prices, so I'm very happy Shout rescued it. It's a real personal favorite of mine with an incredible score.

[pistolwink]

...Is she an afrocentric film scholar or a scholar of afrocentric films...?

[beamish14]

That Truck Turner Blu-ray from Kino was fetching high prices, so I'm very happy Shout rescued it. It's
a real personal favorite of mine with an incredible score.

Same. I’m sure you were at that great screening of it in L.A. with Jonathan Kaplan. He’s such an underrated filmmaker

[jazzo]

This does, indeed, seem like a great collection of films.

That being said, that cover may just be the most hideous thing I've ever seen.