Still fresh in movie theaters, a couple of this summer’s big tentpole movies have already been announced for Blu-ray. More importantly to collectors, they’ll be available in SteelBook cases.
‘Star Trek Beyond’
Available at: Zavvi
Release date: TBD
Price: £23.99
Region code: Paramount Blu-rays are usually region-free
Paramount recently reissued all of the pre-reboot ‘Star Trek’ movies in SteelBook cases. The prior two reboot movies have also each had two or three different SteelBooks of their own. Completist collectors will be relieved to see the series continue in metal case form. Also a relief, the Zavvi edition will contain both 2D and 3D versions of the movie. (SteelBooks often exclude 3D.) Sadly, there’s no sign of UHD.
I wish I liked the artwork better. Assuming that this is the final art, it’s a little generic with the giant Spock head, and the swarm of alien ships doesn’t do enough to break it up. The design doesn’t at all match any of the ‘Trek’ anniversary SteelBooks, but I think it will look OK with the cases for the other reboots.
Here in the United States, Best Buy also has a listing for a ‘Star Trek Beyond’ SteelBook priced at $27.99, but the page doesn’t display any cover art yet. I’m guessing it will be the same design as the UK case, but will not include the 3D version of the movie.
‘Star Trek: 3-Movie Collection’
Available at: Zavvi
Release date: TBD
Price: £43.99
Region code: Paramount Blu-rays are usually region-free
If you missed the chance to buy ‘Star Trek’ (2009) or ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ in any of their prior SteelBook options, Zavvi will also bundle all three reboot films into a special 3-movie collection. Both ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ and ‘Star Trek Beyond’ include their 3D versions. (The 2009 film never had 3D.)
The cover art is OK, but it’s really too bad that the image chosen had to come from the lame ‘Into Darkness’. Also, although I recall that the U.S.S. Vengeance was larger than the Enterprise in the movie, I don’t recall it being that much larger.
‘Ghostbusters’ (2016)
Available at: Zavvi
Release date: TBD
Price: £23.99
Region code: TBD
Remember those hideous “pop art” SteelBooks that recently came out for the 1984 ‘Ghostbusters’ and its sequel? Unfortunately, the remake will continue that theme with an equally hideous case of its own. As if people didn’t already have enough other reasons to be wary of the movie…
Chris B
Any word on what the bestbuy exclusive SB will look like for consumers in North America?
Josh Zyber
AuthorBest Buy hasn’t revealed cover art yet. I’m guessing it will be the same artwork, but no 3D in the case. (I’ll add a mention of this in the post.)
William Henley
I preordered the 3 movie collection but have been debating on canceling it and ordering the movies seperately, because I don’t care for the cover art on the three movie collection.
And yeah, the Vengeance was ridiculously larger than the Enterprise and I know me and some of my friends were wondering if it might be even larger than a Bird of Prey. It was one of the many reasons for disliking Into Darkness
William Henley
Oh, I also passed on the Ghostbusters Steelbook, electing instead to support the bundling of 4k discs and 3D discs in the same package. Plus, the standard package has much better artwork
Timcharger
I am not too sure this is true.
I fear that the Amazon listing is wrong.
And about the standard edition’s cover
art, it seems like a placeholder picture.
Shannon Nutt
Not a steelbook, but Amazon is offering an exclusive Ultra HD version of “Star Trek Beyond” that includes the 3D Blu-ray and the 2D Blu-ray (the other retail versions of the Ultra HD disc only include the 2D Blu-ray), plus a model of the U.S.S. Franklin.
And re: that Into Darkness image on the 3-movie steelbook…yeah, the Vengeance was big, but not THAT big. Maybe six times the Enterprise’s size? But certainly not 20. 🙂
Timcharger
In this case, Amazon’s picture does
have the 3D blu-ray disc pictured and listed
on the Ultra HD’s cover art.
I hope that Ghostbusters (2016) does include
the 3D disc, but it seems like only retailer
exclusives will possibly have the complete
package of discs.
William Henley
Could be a place holder for artwork, but no matter what they choose, it has to be better than the garbage they have for the Steelbook.
And if it turns out that Columbia is not releasing the 3D and 4k disc in the same package, I will just cancel my order with the note “Product description changed” and note its missing the 3D disc
EM
I think the best-looking of the bunch is The Birds…which raises the question, If you’re going to slavishly ape original poster art, why not use the original poster art?
EM
I hate when I switch topics.
Al
The first ever 4K SteelBook was also announced, recently.
Best Buy is featuring an exclusive 4K SteelBook of ‘Huntsman: Winter’s War’. I know it might not be a huge movie, but I think the first 4K SteelBook is pretty noteworthy, nonetheless.
Wayne
Man people crap on “Darkness” quite a bit. The third act was badly flawed but the rest of the film works quite well and Cumberbatch makes a great Khan. As to the fact that he doesn’t look Indian, well, wouldn’t YOU have surgery to avoid being detected? What better surgery than looking like an English white guy?
Chris B
Agreed…I liked Into Darkness when I saw it in the theater and I still do to this day. It’s become very fashionable to shit all over it unfortunately.