I seem to recall quite a bit of discussion (speculation) from a few months ago about the re-release of the Matrix DVD and then Reloaded in the fall and finally Revolutions, followed by box sets et al.

After leaving the theater yesterday it occurred to me ... from a purely business standpoint, they probably shouldn't (and won't) release Reloaded on DVD any time soon. I can see a theatrical re-release of Reloaded two weeks before Revolutions doing at least another $50mil worth of business. Certainly, it will lessen their ability to double-dip in the DVD marketplace, but I doubt that even the best home video scenario would approach that number.

Has anything official been said (or even hinted at) either way?

I doubt it.

It would make more sense to sell the DVD before Revolutions. The movie will be milked for what it was worth at the big screen and DVD before Revolutions.

Have to agree with DavidH, they will release the DVD a few weeks prior to Revolutions and reap rewards from there.

Whatever they do, I am waiting for the box set next year. I will give or go see Reloaded one time before seeing Revolutions so I can catch anything I missed the first time.

Matrix Reloaded has a tentative date of 10/3/03.

The following gift sets:

• The Matrix : Reloaded Gift Set
• The Matrix : Reloaded / Revisted 3 Pack

are set for November 2003.

I'd a guess a 4 pack would come in March / April 2004.

To theatrically re-release "Reloaded" before "Revolutions" would do little to help "Revolutions". If anything, it would cause confusion among moviegoers and draw attention away from "Revolutions". There's also the fact that flooding the marketplace can backfire. After four years (in which we only got "The Matrix" and "The Matrix Revisited") we're being assaulted by "The Matrix Reloaded", "Enter the Matrix", "The Animatrix", and "The Matrix Revolutions", all within a six-month period. When "Revolutions" comes around "Matrix" fans will be eagerly anticipating it but the rest of the world will have moved on. The same thing happened with "Back to the Future Part III", which was released six months after "Part II". According to Bob Gale's commentary, when it came time to release "Part III" the media was reluctant to cover "Part III" because they had given "Part II" such extensive coverage six months earlier. You have to understand, "Reloaded" is going on four years worth of hype, whereas "Revolutions" will only be going on six months. "Revolutions" will undoubtedly be a success but it won't be a success like "Reloaded", and to confuse moviegoers right before it's release would be a risk to say the least. The current plan to release "Reloaded" on DVD a month earlier is absolutely perfect, marketing-wise. The DVD will most likely include a ticket to see "Revolutions," which will help those who may think "didn't I just pay to see a new 'Matrix' movie six months ago?" decide to see another one.

Joel Silver has said that Reloaded will be released on DVD before the end of the year. There's also the possibility that it will include a ticket for Revolutions - we'll have to wait and see.

-- Jough

Let's just hope the free ticket isn't anything like the 'mail-in' crap they pulled recently with the Matrix DVD.

It would definitely make sense to release Reloaded DVD before the release of Revolutions, so that people who didn't catch it in the theaters will be able to see the movie and then want to see the conclusion in Revolutions.

Now how many people think the Reloaded DVD will get a Barebones vs. SE treatment?

IF the original matrix will indeed be rereleased into a new special edition (and they mention this BEFORE Reloaded is released on dvd). I'll wait to get the se trillogy.

I would bet on a barebones, with the SE treatment going to the trilogy set when it is released.

I hope they include a commentary track from bewildered audience members. "Who's that guy? What the hell is going on? Where are they now? Is this the Matrix or the real world? Whuh?"

My fav comment was when i went to see Reloaded in the theaters and they showed that Matrix Powerade commercial and a teenage girl behind me said that a friend had told her it was weird because the movie started with something made to look like a commercial... Cracked me up that she thought the commercial was the movie.

I think you are significantly underestimating the amount of revenue generated by DVD sales. I would think that even the *worst* home video scenario for Reloaded would exceed $50 million. And most reasonable scenarios would have have numbers about 4x that size.

Several stats:

* Pearl Harbor's opening-weekend box-office revenue (May 25-27, 2001): $59.1 million; Pearl Harbor's first-day DVD revenue (Dec. 4, 2001): $67.5 million.

* Shrek sold over $140 million worth of DVDs in the first month.

* Last week, Catch Me If You Can made over $16 million just in rental revenue... that doesn't even take into account that it also topped the sales charts.


With the popularity of the film, the increase in DVD owners, and the upcoming release of the 3rd film, I would expect an October/November DVD release to generate significantly more revenue than a brief theatrical run...

An October release for Matrix Reloaded would HAVE to be a bare-bones release...the "W" brothers are far too busy prepping the final movie to work on a DVD, and it takes months to properly do a special edition DVD. Thus, the reason why the Lord of the Rings movies come out in two versions.

I would expect a special edition about six to eight months after REVOLUTIONS is released...perhaps a DVD that shows RELOADED and REVOLUTIONS as one single film, rather than two.

The original Matrix DVD came out the Fall after the film was in theatres and was a decent special edition for the time.

Of course, they weren't in post-production on another film at the time...

But it's possible that it could be a decent SE with at least *some* bonus material - there have already been no less than THREE specials on television about the making of the film(s).

Couple that with trailers, TV spots, commentary from people not associated with post-production (like the actors, etc.)

-- Jough