An Evaluation of Studios and Titles

by Clint DeBoer — last modified September 03, 2007 11:01

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Blu-ray.com: The 'Now Available' List

Title	Studio	Release date
Underworld: Evolution	Sony Pictures	20-Jun-06
xXx	Sony Pictures	20-Jun-06
Basic Instinct: Director's Cut	Lionsgate Films	29-May-07
Rambo: First Blood	Lionsgate Films	6-Feb-07
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	Lionsgate Films	27-Jun-06
Total Recall	Lionsgate Films	Aug 29, 2006
The Brothers Grimm	Disney / Buena Vista	17-Oct-06
The Prestige	Disney / Buena Vista	20-Feb-07
Reign of Fire	Disney / Buena Vista	13-Feb-07
Fantastic Four	20th Century Fox	14-Nov-06

Beyond these titles, I found additional titles on HD DVD that are not out on BD yet that would ultimately come from BD-only studios.

While I have included links to the websites where these titles are for sale as a convenience, this is not intended to advertise these particular merchants and I welcome all to submit the web addresses of any other merchants that readers might discover.

Sony

Wikipedia: TriStar Pictures (spelled Tri-Star until 1991) is a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1982.

Wikipedia: XXx
xXx - xploitedcinema.com

Wikipedia: Screen Gems is an American subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation.

Wikipedia: Underworld Evolution
Underworld Evolution - xploitedcinema.com

Walt Disney

Wikipedia: Touchstone Pictures (also known as Touchstone Films in its early years) is one of several alternate film labels of The Walt Disney Company, established in 1984. Its releases typically feature more mature themes than those that get released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. Touchstone Pictures is merely a brand and does not exist as a separate company: the two de facto companies behind it are Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Inc. and Walt Disney Pictures and Television.

Wikipedia: Reign of Fire
Reign of Fire - xploitedcinema.com

Wikipedia: The Prestige
The Prestige - amazon.co.uk

Wikipedia: Miramax Films is a film production and distribution brand that was a leading independent film motion picture distribution and production company headquartered in New York City before it was acquired by The Walt Disney Company. It was considered an important quasi-independent studio for many years after the Disney purchase.

In 1993 Miramax was purchased for $70 million by The Walt Disney Company. Harvey and Bob Weinstein ran Miramax until they left the company on September 30, 2005. During their tenure, the Weinstein brothers ran Miramax independently of other Disney companies. However, Disney had the final say on what Miramax could release (see Fahrenheit 9/11 and Dogma, for examples). Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment division releases Miramax output.

Wikipedia: The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm - xploitedcinema.com

Despite initial fears by some critics and film fans (based on the fact that the release date was rescheduled several times), The Brothers Grimm was released August 26, 2005 after final arrangements made by the Weinstein brothers and the Walt Disney Company concerning how to divide the catalog of Miramax films currently in production. MGM and Miramax's Dimension Films produced the film, MGM has international rights, and Dimension/Miramax has US distribution rights. MGM backed out of its deal to co-distribute in the US, which also contributed to the delay in its release.

Wikipedia: Renaissance
Renaissance - xploitedcinema.com

Wikipedia: Becoming Jane
Becoming Jane - amazon.co.uk

MGM

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., or MGM, is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs.

On April 8, 2005, the company was acquired by a partnership led by Sony Corporation of America and Comcast in association with Texas Pacific Group (now TPG Capital, L.P.) and Providence Equity Partners. MGM Mirage, a Las Vegas-based hotel and casino company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "MGM", is not currently affiliated with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Sony Pictures will distribute several MGM/UA/Columbia TriStar co-productions—most notably Casino Royale—but outside of the co-productions MGM is now actively involved in acquiring worldwide film rights and distributing theatrical motion pictures domestically. 20th Century Fox will be handling the international theatrical distribution and worldwide home video distribution of MGM titles.

Wikipedia: Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vega - amazon.co.uk

Twentieth Century Fox

Wikipedia: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Smith - xploitedcinema.com

Wikipedia: Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four - xploitedcinema.com

Lions Gate

Wikipedia: Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, (usually rendered as Lionsgate) is an American entertainment company which originated in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and now is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. As of 2007, it is the most commercially-successful independent film and television distribution company in the United States.

Wikipedia: First Blood
Rambo First Blood - xploitedcinema.com

Artisan Entertainment was a privately held independent American movie studio that has been owned by Lions Gate Entertainment since 2003. At the time of its acquisition, Artisan had a library of thousands of films developed through acquisition, original production, and production and distribution agreements.

The company owned the home video rights to the film libraries of Republic Pictures, Vestron, and Carolco Pictures. They also owned Family Home Entertainment (FHE), and its motion picture subdivision, FHE Pictures.