Burbank, CA – October 24, 2011 – Harry Potter, the #1 motion picture franchise of all time, will soon disappear from shelves, as Warner Bros. stops shipping all Harry Potter theatrical film titles (including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ – Part 2, and Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection) as of December 29, 2011 (moratorium does not include digital – Electronic Sell-Through & VOD – or games). The Harry Potter franchise has grossed more than $12.1 billion for Warner Bros. Entertainment – with $7 billion at the worldwide box office for Warner Bros. Pictures and $5.1 billion for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
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Disney complex much?
I’m confused. What’s the reason for doing this?
In a word: Capitalism
Capitalism paid for your… everything. Don’t like it, move to North Korea, Cuba or China and you can be part of the machine.
You know, back ages ago feudalism paid for everyone’s everything too. Same with bartering, or whatever hunter-gatherers used. Just because it’s what was used in the past doesn’t mean it can’t become something else, or that something else wouldn’t be better.
I also don’t think Communism is the answer, nor is socialism, necessarily.
People need to stop knocking Capitalism. On principle it’s glorious. It’s the people that abuse it through the detriment of others that need to be looked at.
The comment you replied to didn’t seem to knock anything. This decision is firmly rooted in capitalism. The best way to make more capital is to discontinue sales for a while. This makes the demand for the product higher, which means future re-releases will sell better. It’s what Disney has done for years, and I don’t think for a second they’d use their “Disney Vault” so frequently and for the things they produce if it didn’t work.
Boosts their holiday sales in the short-term; further down the road, this allows them to turn the myriad inevitable rereleases into “events.” It’s worked pretty well for Disney.
Um… why?
What about Netflix and the like?
What the what? Why?
Easy – scare parents into buying all the HP DVDs they don’t own for Xmas.
Expect the full set DVD box to be out shortly.
Probably a smart move.
^ Artificial demand.
I guess they (Warner) are hoping there’ll be a “rush on the bank” so to speak, and that people will panic and scoop up all they can, just in time for Christmas.
A year from now, the fickle audience for Twilight will have moved on to the next big thing and won’t have any interest in it anymore. So Warner’s getting while the getting is good.
Obviously they want to make even more money on a new, super-duper special edition set.
Oh i can’t wait for that one! I heard it has 15 seconds of new material.
All this means is that the market will be flooded with Chinese bootleg copies for years while the real editions are out of print.
This doesn’t make any sense. The average Joe Blow with 2.5 kids doesn’t follow industry news, so the chances of them knowing that Warner’s are ceasing copies is limited, throwing out the ‘Last Minute Rush’ to purchase copies out the window.
A very strange decision, and a poorly written article to boot, as it cites no reason or comments from Warner’s about why such a strange choice was made.
It wasn’t an article…Deadline simply posted a press release.
What the what? So they will only allow Part 2, which comes out 11/11 on Blu-ray, to be on shelves for 6 weeks?
Disney & it’s policy of putting film into it’s vault got me & i’m sure a lot of other people to buy stuff over the years.
This is why I have refused to buy a single HP dvd. After the LoTR debacle with the extended super duper extended and now with extra audio editions came out, making the extended editions worthless, I decided to wait for Warner to pull their heads out of their ass and make a final HP edition before I bought anything.
It’s kind of like what that greedy man James Cameron did releasing a super shitty normal version of Avatar, then an extended version and finally an extended 3D version. Though I have no doubt in my mind he still has another ace up his sleeve for when Avatar 2 comes out: Avatar the final extended 3D version director’s cut with commentary blu ray only.
How was Lord of the Rings a “debacle?” They announced the extended editions before the initial DVDs were released. Same thing with Avatar. And the 3D version isn’t the extended version. It’s also a bare bones version that you only can get with the purchase of a 3D TV.
“Pull their heads out of their ass?” What the hell are you talking about? Why is everyone so surprised? A movie studio that wants to make more money on one of it’s franchises. Shocking! At least they are doing the right thing by letting you know there will be another version coming. So you’re upset that you have to – God forbid – wait a little longer to get your immediate gratification. Yeah, nobody likes to wait. But you know what people like less? Listening to you complain.
“100 points to Slytherin!”
Smart move Warner Bros, you just pulled a Disney. Off to Target…….
This is because, despite grossing $12.1B+, Harry Potter has made a huge loss and the flood of red ink must be stopped. Warner Bros.’ accountants told me so.
I agree with Ripsnorter, Clearly a last ditched attempt at recoupment!
this tactic will not work in this day and age. people will just shrug off the scarcity and download a pirated copy on the numerous torrent sites available instead — for free
I’m just going to buy the master box set on blu-ray and that’s all I need. I’m sure that Warner Bros. will still make limited amounts that can be purchased via online.
YEAHHHHHHH!!! GOOD! BYE BYE HARRY!! I’m so sick of Harry Potter. Take it off the shelves, GOOD! Harry Potter isn’t some Disney classic. So what, pull it off the shelves.
The reason why they’re doing this is because THEY AREN’T SELLING!!
hahaha, I agree totally! (except for the “they aren’t selling” part, which I deplore). I hate Harry Potter. I wish Bloomsbury and Scholastic would quit publishing those lousy books, too.
the last movie made 1.3 billion and smached every record worlwide!the hp 7 pt.1 sales went to heavenand now the hp 7 pt,2 dvd is smashing records again as the biggest dvd in pre-order!yes…i guess they aren’t selling!!!
this is why I don’t buy movies!
Good on you Rob!!!
It’s WB’s only meaningful franchise.
Reboot.
Folks, they will quit shipping on the 29th. This encourages all sales outlets to order a poop-ton of copies before then. After that, any additional sales will be incremental, at best.
What is left. If JK won’t write more books in that universe, what else is left?
Simple, redoing the series.
The last movie showed them what they should have done for the entire series. Break up the books into multiple movies. That way the movies can stay truer to the original intent. Plus, you know, twice the revenue, especially if the talent is already locked in for the whole series.
In one decade, at best, they will reboot the series. Only this time they will do exhaustive talent searches and lock down the talent for the entire series. Plus, they can shoot them in “real time” doing one movie(s) per year. They no longer have to wait for JK to finish the next book.
They made 12 billion while essentially flying by the seat of their pants. In a decade, there will be a new generation of fans, and this generation of fans will have children ready to discover the series. More importantly, there will be a whole generation of parents who need to keep their kids occupied for a couple of hours. They can double their money, even taking in inflation.
“The last movie showed them what they should have done for the entire series. Break up the books into multiple movies. That way the movies can stay truer to the original intent. Plus, you know, twice the revenue, especially if the talent is already locked in for the whole series.”
Did you see the last movie?? Nothing was true to original intent! They cut the book in the wrong place, just so they could have more battle of Hogwarts time and make an action movie. Half of the stuff wasn’t in the book, and didn’t add anything to the story line, just cool special effects and action sequences….OK sorry I’m done ranting now.
are they just stupid? If its made alot of money, now its over it will become a classic, people will talk about it in years to come and they are simply taking it off the shelves???
What a greedy, filthy scummy thing to do to fans.
This is a marketing ploy to create demand. 7.5 Billion then they thank us by crapping on us.
Stick to downloading for free if you can.
Screw us? Screw them in return.
Wow, jumping to the defensive much? You can’t deny capitalism IS the answer to why they’re doing this, so you immediately tell them to move out of the country if they don’t like it (and they never said they didn’t.) That’s just sad.