After a massive take at the worldwide box office The Dark Knight continues making ridiculous bank, selling over 3 million copies on DVD and Blu-Ray in the first day of release (f you don’t have a copy yet just wait for Christmas, It’ll probably end up stuffed in your stocking).
The Blu-Ray version of The Dark Knight sold approximately 600,000 copies, setting the single day sales record for Blu-Ray. The previous record holder was Iron Man (400,000 copies), which was released earlier this Fall.
I guess Blu-Ray is here to stay, if sales trends like this continue.
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Some analysts (a.k.a. internet bloggers) are estimating that The Dark Knight will sell approximately 7 million copies by the end of the week, which would tack another $150-200 million onto its total earnings figure. Redonculous numbers. Finding Nemo remains the bestselling DVD of all time (60 million units), at least for the foreseeable future…
But not everything is sunny in The Dark Knight’s world right now. The film has been snubbed by the Golden Globe Awards, earning just one nomination for Heath Ledger’s phenomenal turn as The Joker. Fear not though: a snub at the Globes in no way means death for The Dark Knight’s chances at the Oscars later this year. In fact, some analysts (again, I mean internet bloggers) believe that the diverging tastes of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences leaves plenty of room for The Dark Knight to make a dark horse run at Oscar glory.
However there remains one problem which will not have a happy ending: the lack of features on The Dark Knight DVD and Blu-Ray. Fans have been waiting for five months to truly delve into the exceptional film that Christopher Nolan and Co. created, and those fans with an expanding collection of Blu-Rays have grown especially accustomed to the laundry list of features those discs offer.
However, as Neil Miller over at Film School Rejects does an excellent job of pointing out, many of the key features you would think would obviously be with the DVD/Blu-Ray of The Dark Knight are noticeably (and frustratingly) absent:
- No kind of feature on Heath Ledger’s process in bringing The Joker to life; no real mention at all of Ledger’s contribution and impact to the film. (I know that powers that be are trying to be respectful of the late actor’s memory, but come on, give the fans what they’ve been clamoring for. What better way to honor an actor’s accomplishment?)
- No real commentary track from Director Chris Nolan. (Just a “Descriptive Narration” from a robotic voice talking over the movie.)
- No deleted scenes. (Chris Nolan doesn’t believe in them, which is fair enough, but if you’re not going to give us commentary or behind the scenes features, at least give us something!)
Neil Miller does a much better breakdown in his post (which you can read here). In the end, while the DVD and Blu-Ray will likely keep flying off the shelves this holiday season, serious fans are grumbling that they got shorted on the extras. Not the kind of disgruntlement you want to have circling you around awards season. No doubt this signals the classic studio “double dip” where a few months after the initial release of a DVD a new, really special edition of the film is released with tons of extra features.
Do you own a copy of The Dark Knight on DVD yet? Or is this the film that is making you go out and buy a Blu-Ray player? Let us know where you stand on this one.
Source: MTV News & Film School Rejects
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53 Comments
I actually just saw the movie, so I’m not as effected by this as others might be, but more than certainly this looks like an intentional way to make even more money with the “Special-Special” edition. I’ve got the DVD version, so I guess when I upgrade to Blu-Ray someday, I’ll be getting that “Special Special Edition”.
I remember reading somewhere that the reason that there were no cut scenes was the fact that the film was scrupulously vetted in pre-production, almost to the same extent that animated films usually are, so that by the time the film got to editing there was precious little to do. They only shot what was absolutely necessary to move the story forward. In other words, they cut the fat before filming. Nolan has said, as I recall that everything is already on screen. Given the length of the film, I’m inclined to believe him.
I agree with most of the other points. There extras here are remarkably small and insignificant compared to what should have been on such a highly anticipated release.
WB better not ask for a bailout !!!
Hey 790..it’s only our money that’s saving these “Corporations” Scary when you think about it but if this bailout scenario was viable a year ago we might still have a New Line Cinema..just goes to show how worthless money..i.e greenback actually is if they need 700 billion and just make it…Gold is the way to go…By-the-way..is all the gold still in Fort Knox or was it pilfered by the NWO
Lol Greenknight, New Line was absorbed by another studio, those folks are fine,,,
I agree with your assesment on the economy…
Gold is the way to go however the gov can always confiscate it,,,
Last I heard most of the gold in America is located in California,,,
Wasn’t New Line a subsidiary of Warner Bros..Guess they had no choice there..
Geez I’d better hide the wife’s then
Lastly Greenknight333,,,
One thing everyone needs to consider is how the media is influencing these bailouts…
They say that the car companies will fall if they don’t get a bailout. That’s bs,,, they will file chapter 11,and get protection under bankruptcy laws. They will NOT crumble to the ground… Sure some ppl will be laid off but that’s inevitable ,,,
Same with the banks,,, that’s a huge payback for starting all this in the first place.
(Its crazy but take a close look at what’s really going on)
this is all being orchestrated.
The powers behind the media news and print media are manipulating what we think,,,
Sounds crazy huh??
Ok conspiracy rant over,,,, go obama.
Nothing in this day and age is crazy 790.. JUst look at the last 8 years…they all got richer, we bail them out and they still get richer..It’s win win for those &*&&**&&^&*^#$^# !!!
Vic you are not a subsidiary of FOX or Viacom or some other Corp are you?
I will not buy anything BluRay until they stop making the DVD format..I bought my DVD collection to replace my video collection so I am not starting all over again…They probably will just come up with another format in 5-10 years anyway
Yeah I totally agree GreenKnight333, I’ve invested too much into my dvd collection to phase them out to BluRay.
Besides dvds last forever and that’s a big advantage over VHS and even downloaded content. Eventually computers fail, files are lost , dvds are our generations record albums…
Sure if I was uber rich I’d prob be buying Bluray but I’m not, so its Dvds for me !!! Lol
+ I wanted HD to win the format war!
Damn it!!!
Actually 790, optical discs (DVD’s, CD’s, etc.) don’t last forever. They actually do wear down eventually, not by friction, because there isn’t any, but through the chemicals wearing down by heat.
Of course, this take a long time, by the time that happens a new format would have been released, lol.
But anyway, about the news of TDK selling like hot cakes. I only have one question:
Do hot cakes really sell that well??
i have the special edition and it sucks – nothing good on it other than the movie which is not worth 30 bones on = ripped off
@greenknight
Nope, the “subsidiary” comment was just a joke – it’s just little ol’ me running this shop with the help of my boyz to write for you.
Vic
And you and your Boyz do a foine foine job..
Cheers
@ Ken J
Hotcakes or pancakes must sell really well since IHOP is a large chain specializing in hotcakes…
I am still using a Tube Television still, and until i can convince my wife that we need another TV or this one breaks down I won’t be investing into Blue Ray just yet, and besides, Like everyone else i have spent considerable time building my collection since the phase out of VHS and i am not looking to start all over again. (The first DVD i ever owned was Star Wars Ep I). I receieved my copy of TDK after a 3 day wait only to have my wife take it an wrap it for christmas, so i have not yet expierenced the suckiness that is TDK special features.
My first DVD was the Matrix..I think I have burned all the chemicals out of that one because I watched it about a hundred times
Just quit messing around and give me HD digital downloads, already.
Ordered it recently, not in yet (I might have to wait for it about 10 days, but by importing it I can get it €10 cheaper than getting at my local store (how weird is that ?). Though, wile i’m reading this I was kindly remembered that there is likely gonna be a special ’special edition’ in a few months.
So I’m rather sure that I am gonna be slightly annoyed if there will indeed be a better release. ah well, **** happens. Maybe I can convince one of my friends to buy the special edition from me, if the more-special edition comes out.
Lol Ken J, I have always wondered why that phrase was used, partly because I have never seen a Hot Cake.
@ 790
Its true that DVDs offer so much more content and personalization, but my family has had VHSs from twenty years ago and they still run fine. Plus, whereas VHS tapes can be dropped on the floor continuously, and still run good, DVDs should NEVER be dropped as they scratch easy. Now before you use the age old defense of “Well then don’t drop them!” Let me clarify that we handle our DVDs like gold. However, I do agree that DVDs are better than downloaded content, partly because you know exactly where the DVD is, (Most of the time) and because a DVD can’t get viruses.
As for The Dark Knight DVD, I was surprised (like everyone else) to see that the #1 movie of this fall had so little special features. But for having not seen TDK in theaters I was more than happy with just the movie. I was also glad to see that there were no deleted scenes, as it made the trilogy of content bearable. (The drama of Bruce Wayne not wanting to be Batman, The Joker, and Two-Face)
@ sock monkey
hotcake=pancake=crepe=Pfannkuchen
I am such a nerd…Pancakes anyone?
“Hot cakes cooked in bear grease or pork lard were popular from earliest times in America. First made of cornmeal, the griddle cakes or pancakes were of course best when served piping hot and were often sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions. So popular were they that by the beginning of the 19th century ‘to sell like hot cakes’ was a familiar expression for anything that sold very quickly effortlessly, and in quantity.” From “Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins” by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997)
Vic
Vic you are a geek dud!!
geek dude…geez one vowel changed the meaning of that whole sentence
Wow…these comments are going coming up faster than hot cakes…
@ppnkof
Groan….LOL
Just glanced over the whole DVD vs Blu-Ray conversation up there.
Speaking to a lot of folks and hearing these conversations, it doesn’t seem that many are aware that a Blu-Ray player will play regular DVDs and even upconverts them from 480p to roughly 1080i so there is absolutely no need whatsoever to ‘rebuild’ your entire collection from the ground up like in the VHS to DVD changeover.
I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, but I understand that while you are correct and DVDs look MUCH better on a Blu-Ray player due to up-conversion, Blu-Ray discs still blow away even THAT picture.
I’ll find out in a couple of weeks.
Vic
That is good stuff to know, I didnt think that a BR Player could play DVD’s. Does anyone know when Xbox will release their BR Player if they have not already?
I don’t see how so many people are surprised. I’m not surprised. They are expecing the fanboys to spend another $8-$12 to watch it again in theaters for goodness sakes, you don’t think they KNOW they can rip people off with multiple special, “special special” edition DVD’s?? I’m not at all surprised they would do this. And sad thing is, IT WORKS.
People are like foaming at the mouth at even the mention of TDK, the campanies making money from this would be stupid to not take advantage of it, lol.
And I think they need to change the saying. It should now be “These hot cakes are selling like TDK blu-ray discs!”
Anyone remember the dyas when there was jsut one edition released and you didn’t have to shell out additional money for a 2 Disk edition?? And i am still not sold on the Digital Copy Crap, especially since i can’t put it multiple devices and can only copy once, it, to me is stupid, because really how many copies of one movie do you need? If i am going to watch, Ill get up off my lazy ass and put the disk in the DVD tray.
Yeah I remember those days Metalicat79.
Isn’t ironic that Wall•E preaches that were destroying the eco system with junk, and look there’s 3 versions of Wall•E on dvd/Bluray. The special edition even has that cardboard sleeve thingy that I throw away as I’m walking out of the store. There’s usually no recycling bin near by so I throw it in a regular trash can. (Damn I’m killing the planet)
I think this is all part of their “Go Green (to save the children) Program?”
Or maybe going Green stands for making money…
Nah they wouldn’t lie to us,,,
I’ve been using the digital copies as dvd coasters,,, they work great for large beer bottles. You can also use the digital copy to signal aircraft if you get stranded out in the desert or on a boat,,, they don’t work good as Frisbees though,,,
You could use them for target practice?
@790
The thing that pissed me off the most about Wall-e was not so much the packaging or the Go Green attitude, it was the friggin price for the 3 Disk Edition. $35.00 but with all the taxes and such thrown in there. 35 bucks!!!
Hellboy 2 3 disc only set me back 28 bucks, Disney is definetly going green, but in the environmental way. I was realy choked that i had to settle for the Single disk, being the Special features Junkie that I am.
We should get together and see how well we can turn them into Ninja Stars and Fling them at the doors of the studios and their Distributors.
I forgot a NOT in there, it should say NOT in the environmental way.
Sorry, Brain Thinks faster than my fingers
Yah, if you’re really good, you can try to shoot through the hole without hittig the disc. I think my most accurate rifle that is sighted in at the moment is 1.5MOA, might need something better…
Yeah its all BS with this Go Green crud.
Its Soylent Green!
Disney sucks !!!
The effort there putting into converting films to 3D is disturbing as well!!!
^
Ken I was thinking more like digital clay pigeons…
12 gauge fodder.
What about the “Platinum and Ruby Deluxe Ultra Special Director’s Edition Dark Knight Mantle Set”?
That thing would sell like Hot Cakes.
All this talk about hot cakes is makn me crave them. Where can I buy the best hot cakes?
IHOP
Well I’m kind of embarassed to say that I did not know that Blipvert…maybe I will go get that BluRay player now
Thanks
IHOP does not have the best hot cakes… That’s like saying McDonalds has the best burgers…
best is subjective Ken J…My house is the place to get the best hot cakes!!
or FOX makes good movies
greenknight
Save yourself the several hundred bucks. Just get a PS3. (Even if you don’t play console games.) It reads Blu-Ray, DVD and CD formats.
It’s a huge blunder I’ve noticed from the Blu-Ray developers that simply have not advertised that fact to the general public. Most folks are sticking their feet in the ground and saying ‘no i will not change over again. I just got a good collection going’ If the blu-ray makers informed most of these folks that their collections are still well and valid it would speed along the whole transition.
Even folks who have bought a Blu-Ray are not fully aware. I just scored 20 pretty recent and decent DVD movies for 40 bucks from a fellow in the classifieds who switched over to Blu-Ray and was under the impression his DVDs were coasters now. I just didn’t have the heart to tell him that his discs would work fine in his blu-ray (plus i wanted his super cheap DVDs lol) Maybe that’s the reason they’ve remained so hush about it.
Everyone tells me the same thing “get a PS3.” But I didn’t. I got a Panasonic Blu-Ray with excellent reviews for less than $200. I don’t need to spend $350+ for a PS3 just to watch movies because I don’t play video games.
I went with this one:
http://twurl.nl/eqogyc
Which I was able to pick up for under $200.
Vic
Within 3 months BluRay players will be around 100 bucks. By next Christmas they’ll be under 100.
I’m in noooo hurry to get one. My dvd player still works.
It’s most disappointing and a shred of greed would seem to in the mix if they EFF us over with another version of extras later on.
So like, what, it will the special edition with a Bat Cowl?? It better if they’re going to pull this!
Grr… argh… phffft.
Sorry, my cat got on the keyboard.
Yah, PS3’s are way overpriced, and all-in-one electronics rarely perform individual functions as well as dedicated machines. A Panasonic anything will basically out-perform a Sony anything, so I say Vic made the right move. But I’m going to wait until they get even cheaper. My target is in the $100-$150 range for a name-brand Blu Ray player.
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