Paramount Bails After March 4
by Pravin on February 28th, 2008 in news.
Just days ago, DreamWorks’ CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg commented that his studio was awaiting word from Toshiba about when that studio could pack up their HD DVD bags and go home. It appeared that we’d at least get Bee Movie from them, and who knows how many others.
Parent company, Paramount, had already indicated that they’d be making Blu-ray movies soon but had not said exactly when HD DVD discs would stop being released.
Well, we now have closure on the above topics. Video Business (from the same people that make the The Hollywood Reporter) is reporting that the Paramount HD DVD titles coming out on March 4 will be their last. Into the Wild and Things We Lost in the Fire are scheduled for release next week, and the article says that any titles scheduled beyond that have been pulled. This includes Bee Movie due March 11, and Sweeney Todd on April 1.
I’m curious whether they had actually started pressing any discs for Bee Movie yet, and whether some will leak out at all. It’s been common for discs to get shipped out around a week before their street date, which suggests they get through manufacturing at least some days prior to that.
Meanwhile, Universal has not indicated what their last HD DVD title will be, and Warner appears to still be committed to releasing discs out through May and some weeks into June.
- Paramount done with HD DVD next week at Video Business
- Paramount Stops HD DVD Production – much shorter article at Hollywood Reporter
February 28th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Wow, Paramount is like my favorite studio with Universal (Movie wise, not format wise). but this is like a slap in the face.
February 28th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I agree, this was uncalled for. Since they’re not making blu-rays until summer they should at least have been making HD-DVDs until then.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Ironic, that Warner who was responsible for the death of HD DVD will likely be the last studio releasing titles on the format they killed.
February 28th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
How is it a slap in the face?
Paramount gambled and lost – oh well, I guess even a few $$$ from Toshiba wasn’t even to keep Paramount faithful once HD DVD lost the war.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:40 am
I don’t get it. This studio is very rude indeed. Dropping formats like straight away. First, us BD fans got annoyed last August 2007 because they dropped BD straight away. Now, the record is straight. Although I am a diehard BD fans, I still prefer a slow withdrawal (Warner’s style). And since they are unable to offer BD now, they should release HD DVD for the moment (at least fulfilling the planned releases), as some of us would rather not buying anything than buying SD version.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:53 am
It seems paramount has a habit of ripping off it’s band-aids hard and fast.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:04 am
Too bad studios aren’t like some retail stores and are required to sale what they advertise on paper originally. Paramount is pretty classless both with this departure and the BD departure last year.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:21 am
We might use words like “rude” and “faithful” in describing their actions (and that band-aid analogy is great), but these are companies and not people. In the end, their decisions are based solely on financial reasoning, and not whether someone’s feelings will get hurt.
This goes all the way to Toshiba itself, who had to withdraw from the format war after so many strategic partners came out in support of the competing format.
If this was about people, then following such a devastating loss, a human being would be emotionally crushed. They’d eventually pick up the pieces of their life and move on, though the recovery might be slow and painful. Life could get put on hold and be miserable for a while.
In business, the failed project gets cancelled, and the company focuses on other projects. The recovery can be relatively quick. Life does not really end in this case, and emotional issues don’t block the business from continuing. Even if the company shuts down, the employees and owners move on to other jobs almost as if nothing happened.
It’s a big disappointment to HD DVD owners, but brace yourselves for the weeks ahead. Toshiba will have pulled out completely by the end of March, and there’s always the chance that Universal and Warner modify their plans if they feel that April and May don’t look promising.
March 1st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Yea I just got an E-mail from Amazon that my pre-order for the Jack Ryan collection will now not be available.
I didn’t pre-order Bee Movie so I don’t know what they are doing with that. It would be nice if they would at least support releases that they announced instead of dropping us cold.
So much for the Jeffery Katzenberg statement of loyalty to Toshiba. You can’t trust anyone in Hollywood!!
March 2nd, 2008 at 1:59 am
Why even continue releasing HD-DVD movies? I think it’s a waste as Paramount will end up spending more on production then they will get back in sales.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
Jeff, since the market is so small, you could say the same reguarding Blu-ray.