Fox Confirms Delay For 'Independence Day' Blu-ray

Citing quality control issues, Fox has delayed the release of one of the biggest guns in its Q4 Blu-ray arsenal, 'Independence Day.'

The 1996 blockbuster had been due to hit high-def on December 4, but Fox has now confirmed earlier retailer reports that 'ID4' has been delayed.

We received the following statement from Steve Feldstein, Fox SVP of Corporate and Marketing Communications, with the exact reasoning behind the postponement:

"While putting Independence Day through our regular and rigorous QC process we detected a minor glitch. Even though 95 percent of users would likely not know or encounter it, we chose to do the right thing and remaster which necessitates moving the release date."

Though Fox has not yet announced a new street date for 'Independence Day,' the studio told us that it expects to reschedule the title for sometime in March 2008.

'ID4' is not the first next-gen title be yanked from Fox's Q4 slate. The studio has recently delayed several other previously announced titles, including 'Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World,' the original 1979 version of 'The Amityville Horror' and 'I, Robot' (also starring Will Smith).

This most recent delay leaves only two Fox catalog titles still set for Blu-ray release in 2007 -- the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie thriller 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' and the Tom Hanks drama 'Cast Away' (both due December 4).

As always, we'll let you know as soon as a new date is announced for 'Independence Day.'

In the meantime, we've moved 'Independence Day' to the "Release Dates Pending" section of our Blu-ray Release Schedule. Stay tuned.

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Discs mentioned in this article: (Click for specs and reviews)

Independence Day (Blu-ray)