I would guess either Independence Day or T2

Off the top of my head, it was probably Armageddon, which I think I got for my birthday in 1999. Also my first Criterion DVD.

What was the first 2-disc loaded special edition DVD ever released? (We're talking Hollywood movies here.)

Probably the Independence Day 4 star edition, but the first one I actually cared about was Gladiator, from Fall 2000. Still haven't seen the movie in it's entirety besides in theaters on opening night, but I saw the hell out of those special features. Bought X-Men that same day, which was definitely not as fully loaded.

First one I got was Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. But I've since acquired both the Halloween Limited Edition and Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition which predate it. And I echo how special those felt in the early days of DVD. Hell, the Episode I set blew me away on the menus alone.

I still feel like the Collector's Edition VHS release was more impressive. Yes, the DVD version has all that bonus material...but the VHS version came with a book and a film cel, packaged in a visually attractive box. The DVD version looks like any other DVD on the shelf.

DVDs weren't the sole commodity quite yet. It wasn't til the prices of players in general, and the PS2 in particular, went down that EVERYONE had one. I bet Lucasfilm was going with what they knew would make money. I mean, we didn't get the OT til '04, and only next year will the Blu-Ray be released. For everything Uncle George is ahead of the curve on home video releases aren't one of them.

Interesting. Never never knew of that untill now.

I didn't need the history lesson. I was just remarking that I didn't get the sense that the DVD was anything special like the VHS release was, even though the DVD release had all that bonus content. In fact, I've kept the VHS release all these years just for the book and film cel!

hmmm i don't remember... neither Freddy vs. Jason or Boyz N the Hood (SE).

This

I believe it was later reissued as a flipper.

I bought it release day as a flipper. Back when that was the must-own DVD for everyone, there seemed to be a great deal of inconsistency as to who got a flipper, who got a two-disc, and whether people got the metal sleeve or a silvered cardboard one. Artisan used several different manufacturers to facilitate demand, it was theorized.

Well it was all over but the 2-disc cases were wider than the typical flipper case. You could tell in the stores. I had gotten the flipper for Christmas that year. I remember being in Walmart not long after it came out and they had both on the shelf.

I guess my first 2-disc SE was X-Men then in the Fall of 2000.

^ My X-Men DVD was a single disc. The cardboard digipak version?

Hard to say for sure, but perhaps The Abyss.

Just went through my collection and I'm fairly certain it was Legend: Ultimate Edition. -kd5-

The Crow (Miramax/Dimension Collector's Series)

Even though I started collecting movies for entertainment value back in '01, I didn't start recording my spendings until 2008 so... here's the oldest 2-disc DVD I found:

Good Fellas 2-Disc Collector's Edition

That box is still sitting on my shelf. Minus the actual VHS tape that was loaned out long ago and never returned.

This thread put me in the mood to actually look at my VHS box again, and I forgot that when I pre-ordered at Suncoast, I got a Darth Maul gift card (which I still have). I also got a lightsaber key chain, which I still have. You know what I got with the DVD? Not a damn thing. VHS FTW!

Gladiator was the first one for me, but it was a gift.

As far as purchases go, I'm pretty sure it was Fight Club, followed by Dogma and Moulin Rouge.

I'm thinking it was one of the Star Trek films. Either The Motion Picture or The Voyage Home maybe. If not one of those it also could have been Freddy vs. Jason.

I don't remember. Was either:

Fight Club
Terminator 2
The Sixth Day

Which ever was released first.

hmmm... I want to say Clerks X but it might have been Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the Criterion Ed. Those are the ones I remember anyway.