Kino Lorber Studio Classics

[Ribs]

Kino have confirmed a new studio deal has been signed witb someone other than MGM, Universal, and Studiocanal. Think it seems about equally likely to be any of the major studios (except WB, I would think), though perhaps naively I am hoping Kino used its weird fairly good relationship with Disney for more of their and the Fox library even if that seems probably the least likely. People seem to be thinking Paramount though.

[domino harvey]

Fox or WB would be amazing, but I won’t get my hopes up. If it’s Paramount, hopefully they won’t face the same restriction of titles that haven’t already been released on DVD by the studio that other labels have faced

[FrauBlucher]

Would Paramount sign a deal with a boutique while taking titles away from Criterion to release themselves? Kind of doesn't make sense. Although, if true I would expect more Paramount Criterions going OOP.

[domino harvey]

Would Paramount sign a deal with a boutique while taking titles away from Criterion to release themselves? Kind of doesn't make sense. Although, if true I would expect more Paramount Criterions going OOP.

My understanding of some of KL’s other studio deals is that they get a list of possible titles and the studio either lets them pick or requires certain titles to be released as part of the larger deal. Titles they don’t want to extend resources on releasing themselves but can now generate income from with a KL deal. So overall it may make financial sense depending on what the mix is

[Ribs]

There are decent signs Arrow’s new deal is with Paramount, and Shout has several titles coming up that seem new as well. I believe the executice who spearheaded the “bring it back to us” approach to Paramount’s titles and oversaw the creation the Presents line is no longer in charge so it’s possible they are back to being happy to license to everybody.

They have also said that as of now the deal is only for Blu-rays with “maybe one” UHD (I assume by this they mean only one title they think would do well enough to be worth a release but haven’t finalized yet).

[captveg]

More OOP based on previously being in the "While Supplies Last" sale and now no longer appearing on the website:

City of Industry (1997) (BD)
Four Faces West (1948) (BD) (DVD Previously OOP)
Vigilante Force (1976) (BD)

[dwk]

Did they say if it was a new studio or if it was a studio they have previously had a deal with?

Kino has released some Paramount titles before (that included the stipulation that the titles were not previously released), but if it includes a UHD, I'm inclined to say it isn't Paramount. That would likely also rule out Sony.

WB seems highly unlikely, if George Feltenstein has any sway as he has said, without naming the company, that he doesn't like Kino's model

[FrauBlucher]

I believe the executice who spearheaded the “bring it back to us” approach to Paramount’s titles and oversaw the creation the Presents line is no longer in charge so it’s possible they are back to being happy to license to everybody.

Hhmm, if this is the case, then will the Criterion OOPs come back to Criterion or are they open game for others, possibly KLSC. Stay tuned

[dwk]

Pretty sure Paramount has already released or announced all but La dolce vita. So I wouldn't expect any of those (assuming the deal is with Paramount.)

[dwk]

Kino Insider said that future MGM titles that are on Blu-ray from Criterion will not include a Blu-ray version of the film. I would assume that Criterion complained to MGM after Kino's UHD of Silence of the Lambs included a Blu-ray of the film. (And I wouldn't blame them, I'd do the same.)

[Ribs]

Again, maybe I’m hopelessly naive, but I am increasingly confident looking at the past statements made by Kino that Disney is the most likely licensor. I feel like if it were Sony or WB they would outright say a new licensor (and feel the latter seems basically totally incompatible with Kino’s model seeing how the Archive line seems to be just a vessel for funding new restos for streaming and the archice), and just six weeks ago tossed water on the idea of a Paramount deal saying they aren’t really interested in licensing right now (which could have been a pointless redirect or maybe things turned around very fast). Whereas they have always been considerably more upbeat about Disney, always just said “we have done deals in the past, we are not pursuing a deal with them right now” or words to that effect. If any label has the foot in the door to make a big deal as opposed to the spare titles Criterion has wrested, it would be Kino who have released the most licensed Disney titles of anyone. I guess there is an outside chance of Lionsgate seeing as Criterion has seemingly had success there licensing for the channel and maybe for more releases that they might be open to such things now.

[captveg]

The new 31-title deal is all KLSC titles (no Scorpion or Code Red) from the 1940s-1990s, and 7 of them are new to BD in the US (2 or 3 if non-US is considered). With 24 being new versions of previously released BDs by the studio and/or other former licensing labels, I'm thinking these are 20th Century titles licensed from Disney. There are several OOP Fox BDs that could use a reissue, and Disney is unlikely to bother with those titles themselves.

[starmanof51]

I'm thinking these are 20th Century titles licensed from Disney. There are several OOP Fox BDs that could use a reissue, and Disney is unlikely to bother with those titles themselves.

Some of the old Twilight Time stuff from Fox could use fresh exposure

[Drucker]

Oh please give us Song of Bernadette with the old HD master.

[-o<

[captveg]

Well, speculation over. KL Insider just said it's Sony.

[dwk]

Interesting that Sony is open to licensing UHD rights.

[domino harvey]

So lame, sounds like it’s just going to be almost all reissues of TT releases

[ryannichols7]

So lame, sounds like it’s just going to be almost all reissues of TT releases

yes considering the insider confirmed only 7 of them will be new to region A bluray, and then "only 2 or 3 as far as the rest of the world is concerned"

so much for all that hype. this is just a defensive move against Indicator's US entry, no?

[captveg]

If they release any of the remaining 1950s 3D titles owned by Sony I'll be very glad of this deal.

Drums of Tahiti (1954)
Fort Ti (1953)
Jesse James vs. the Daltons (1954)
The Nebraskan (1953)
The Stranger Wore a Gun (1953)

(Twilight Time released Gun Fury (1953), The Mad Magician (1954), Man in the Dark (1953), and Miss Sadie Thompson (1953))

[dwk]

For the record behind the spoiler tag is a list of the 89 Sony titles that TT released:

Spoiler

Mysterious Island
Fright Night
Picnic
Pay Joey
Bite the Bullet
Bell, Book, and Candle
The Big Heat
As Good as it Gets
Cover Girl
Bye Bye Birdie
Steel Magnolias
Night of the Living Dead 1990
Bonjour Tristesse
The Blue Lagoon
Lost Horizon
Experiment in Terror
Nicholas and Alexandra
Christine
Major Dundee
Philadelphia
Hard Times
Sleepless in Seattle
Body Double
Alamo Bay
Mindwarp
The Way We Were
Oliver!
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger
Man in the Dark
The Eddy Duchin Story
The Front
All the King's Men
Used Cars
Two Rode Together
The Man from Laramie
Born Yesterday
The Buddy Holly Story
La Bamba
The Blob
Bunny Lake is Missing
Funny Lady
The Fortune
To Sir, with Love
First Men in the Moon
The Remains of the Day
A Man for All Seasons
The Night of the Generals
Places in the Heart
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Fat City
John Carpenter's Vampires
Devil in a Blue Dress
Sense and Sensibility
Born Free
The Last Detail
Cowboy
10 Rillington Place
In the French Style
Cat Ballou
The Member of the Wedding
Miss Sadie Thompson
Hardcore
Bobby Deerfield
The Chase
Moscow on the Hudson
The 3 Worlds of Gulliver
The Mad Magician
Edge of Eternity
Our Man in Havana
You'll Never Get Rich
The Stone Killer
The Valachi Papers
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow
Drunken Master
The Crimson Kimono
Suddenly, Last Summer
Gun Fury
The Pirates of Blood River
Gidget
The L-Shaped Room
Husbands and Wives
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice
Harry and Walter Go to New York
Manhattan Murder Mystery
The New Centurions
Underworld USA
Auto Focus
Model Shop

Anyone that wants to work on narrowing it down, can, but I pretty much have everything off this list that I want (either from TT or Indicator.)

[domino harvey]

In the plus column, KLSC routinely uses great cover art for their releases and any efforts will be better than TT’s cover abominations. On the negative side, I also already have anything I want from that list and adding another budget commentary by one of the KL stable reading off IMDB is not value added

[dwk]

here are the number of titles per decade:
90s x 3
80s x 6
70s x 9
60s x 3
50s x 9
40x x 1

[Ribs]

This is definitely the least appealing of the options. Wouldn’t it be rich if the UHD happens to be Easy Rider which Sony only released in Europe for some reason?

Have they addressed if they’re doing new scans themselves for any of them? I guess that’s at least a potential silver lining for some movies.

[dwk]

Sony does not allow licensees access to do their own scans.

[captveg]

Anyone that wants to work on narrowing it down, can, but I pretty much have everything off this list that I want (either from TT or Indicator.)

Sure thing:

Spoiler

Auto Focus is not from 1940s-1990s, so that's out.

Christine, Philadelphia, Oliver!, and Sense and Sensibility all have Sony UHDs, so I'd say no reason to license those.

Major Dundee was just released by Arrow.

The Blob, John Carpenter's Vampires and Used Cars had recent releases by Shout/Scream Factory.

Some of these have had two TT releases or post-TT releases by Sony: Fright Night, Pal Joey, The Big Heat, Mysterious Island, Bye Bye Birdie, Night of the Living Dead (1990), Bell, Book and Candle, Picnic, Steel Magnolias, Sleepless in Seattle, Body Double (BD-R), The Remains of the Day, A Man for All Seasons, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. This doesn't rule all these out (arguably it makes some more likely), but it seems these would be less likely on average.

Hard Times, The Valachi Papers, and The Stone Killer were included in a Bronson Mill Creek set.

Alamo Bay was included in a "Scars of War" Mill Creek set.

Mindwarp was included in a Mill Creek double feature.

Miss Sadie Thompson and You'll Never Get Rich were included in a Rita Hayworth Mill Creek set.

The Crimson Kimono was included in a Kit Parker Noir Archive set.

The Pirates of Blood River was included in a Hammer Mill Creek set.