Warner Home Video announced on Monday that it will release more than 150 classic films on DVD as part of the Warner Archive Collection, downloadable from the WarnerArchive.com Web site, including several sci-fi titles.
Drawing from a library assembled from both the studio’s own archives and its ownership of pre-1986 releases produced at MGM, Warner will make a slate of releases spanning more than 60 years of cinema available via DVD for a retail price of $19.99 and digital download for just $14.95.
Warner launches the program with a total of 152 sought-after titles and intends to add 20 titles per month to the Warner Archive library. Fans can visit the site and vote for titles they would like to see made available next.
Among the initial sci-fi releases:
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969). Director James Hill (Black Beauty) directs this film, starring Robert Ryan as the infamous captain, who rescues shipwrecked survivors and brings then to his underwater fortress.
Captain Sindbad (1963). Director Byron Haskin (Robinson Crusoe on Mars) and Guy Williams (Lost in Space’s ‘Prof. John Robinson’) re-imagine the famous literary character as he takes on an evil wizard to save the princess he loves.
Countdown (1968). Director Robert Altman (The Player) assembles a cast including James Caan and Robert Duvall in this fictional thriller about the international race to put a man on the moon.
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). From director Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run) comes a live-action adaptation of the superhuman crime fighter, written by George Pal (The Time Machine) and starring Ron Ely (TV’s Tarzan).
This is an interesting business model. I don’t think any other studio has done direct sales like this before. Might it be inspired by the Amazon create / download on-demand service? They seem to be doing pretty well with that. (At least, if Dr. Horrible is any indication.)