Decker

Up until recently, two tiered releases (whereby both a bare-bones one disc and a special edition 2 disc set were released at the same time) were fairly rare. There was the occasional rare title like Red Dragon and Disney used to do it with their animated features, but for the most part, if a movie came out day & date as a 2-disc set, you could just get it. Fox fell in the habit of chopping off the bonus disc from their sets after a while, but I didn't mind so much, since I had already bought the deluxe version without paying a preium for extras.
I now see a disturbing trend developing. Of 2003's five Best Picture nominees, four had seperate regular and SE versions. One with LOTR's EE that we all knew was coming later, the other three (Seabiscut, Master & Commander and Mystic River) all came in two-tiered releases. If you wanted the better version (and I did), you had to pay a pretty premium. Now that trend has continued. Spielberg got on board for a very expensive version of The Terminal. A couple months ago, there were two versions of Ray, then "I Heart Huckabees", and now the trend is in full swing. In the next four weeks, we has successive two tier releases for Lemony Snickett, Phantom of the Opera, Aquatic Live With Steve Zissou, and Kinsey.
What I really hate about this strategy is that not only does the deluxe set cost more (which makes sense), but it's never discounted nearly as much as the regular version; sometimes it's not on sale at all. The price never drops on these versions; they just become scarcer. You can't find them in the video store, so you can't rent them or get them as PVD's. I fear that the standard deluxe two-disc set is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and I hate it.

wennma01

i still actually would prefer this to double-dipping 2 days after i buy the bare bones...but it is kind of annoying. Phantom of the Opera is doing this, but the 2-disc is only going to be about $20 if you were interested in that movie

vedderstapp

I'm happy with the 2 tier. I always go for the movie only version, as the extras mean nothing to me. Delighted that I currently am saving a fortune!

MrE

Must also disagree with the OP. Much preferable to an unannounced SE later on.

garmonbozia

for these three mentioned titles, the double disc release is only $1-2 more than the single disc release...so I have absolutely no complaints with them....

what sucks is when there is an msrp difference of 15$ between the releases....

Qui Gon Jim

But what really bites me in the ass is that video stores such as Hollywood and MG don't carry the more loaded versions, and that is primarily where I get my DVDs. I agree with the OP. I say don't bother with the movie only version. I think it is a total concession to blockbuster and their ilk.

Drexl

Well, in many of those cases, it doesn't bother me because usually the expensive version has an extra disc (meaning that the single-disc version has the same first disc as the SE), or even just non-DVD material like pictures or a book. So, you still get some extras with the less-expensive version. What really sucks is what Warner did with Mystic River and it looks like they're doing with Million Dollar Baby, where they are witholding all extras from the single-disc version and making them exclusive to the "deluxe" version which includes the soundtrack CD that drives up the price. I wonder if Clint has anything to do with this.

jamieoni

I think it's more of a concession to a two-tiered buying public, actually. I think as more and more people are getting DVD players, there tends to be a lot more who don't really care about all the extras. They probably just want the movie and that's it. I work in a small video store, and we usually get both versions for rentals, and it's only a small amount who come in to rent the special editions, or even care. I imagine the buying public is the same. I think we tend to forget that here sometimes; we are not necessarily the norm.

I prefer the same-day release, as well. Depending on the movie, I can make my decision based on what's offerred. More often than not, I got for the loaded edition. Whereas I am less likely to indulge in a double-dip, such as Eternal Sunshine. I stuck with what I already had.

Decker

Thanks to a CC.com misprice and a coupon, I'm getting the SE for $16.99. In the ad, the regular version is on sale for $14.99, the SE is on "sale" for $29.99. That's more than a couple of bucks, it's double. The Terminal and I Heart Huckabees both set me back between $22 and $25, or nearly $10 more than the regular version, with no chance of picking them up used from a video store. (BTW: I regretted both puchases as I din't like either film).

jgiv

I agree. Also saves some of the SE at the store for purchase, since most of my local stores only carry a few if any, as the average movie buyer will opt for the inexpensive copy.

nightmaster

I'm of the school where the movie is always the thing I'm concerned with and the extras are seldom watched, but I agree that the two tier pricing is garbage. If the movie is something I'm crazy about (such as MDB) I'll lay down the money for more content, but if it's a movie I merely like (such as Master And Commander), I'm happy with a movie only package rather than fork out more dough.

D.Zero

Agree totally. You're complaining about companies actually trying to make two distinct groups happy. The early format adopters who were probably laser disc buyers & film buffs and the casual movie watcher who doesn't give two craps about commentaries.
As was noted earlier, as long as the two editions are announced at the same time, I'm good with it.
And no matter how much anyone complains about having to spend a few extra dollars to buy the more loaded edition, prices are still a far, far cry from fully loaded laser disc SE's.

garmonbozia

yes i mispoke about Lemony Snicket (i was thinking of the fact that it's on sale at amazon for $21)....but the phantom and the life aquatic 2 discers were only 1 or 2 dollars more than the single discs