Seantn

2019 will be the 40th anniversary for Dawn of the Dead's US theatrical release. (I believe it was 1978 in some foreign markets, 1979 in US). Seeing as how this has been long OOP on blu-ray, and has never had any kind of special edition on blu-ray, have there been any rumblings of something from say a Scream Factory or elsewhere type of release?

I've been away from blu-ray/DVD forums for quite some time now, so forgive me if I've missed any obvious news. I did do a search of the forums though and didn't see anything immediate that jumped out.

Josh-da-man

Unless something has changed, it’s highly doubtful.

Long story short, Richard Rubinstein, who owns the rights to Dawn of the Dead, spent several million dollars to create a 3D version of the film that nobody wanted, and he’s asking for an excessive amount of money for the home video rights to recoup his losses.

sracer

I heard about that. I'm not counting on anything being released. Besides, it wouldn't contain the "Extended Mall Hours edition" and so... no sale.

Mike86

I didn’t realize the Blu-ray was out of print. Bought it shortly after it came out. Looks to fetch pretty high prices in the secondary markets. Even having the Blu-ray I sort of regret not picking up that ultimate edition four disc DVD set that had all the various cuts on it.

Goonies85

I'm soooooo glad I picked up that DVD set. Plus, I got it signed by George A. Romero himself at the Calgary Comic-Con. Almost sold it a couple times, but I just can't part with it...He was a really nice guy in person, too...Even though the line was insane, he still managed to chat with each person at least for a couple of minutes...Way taller than I thought he'd be, too...That man was a giant...

majorjoe23

I’ve got the ultimate edition signed by Romero and Ken Foree. It’s probably my most prized DVD (that or the MST3K set with Godzilla Vs. Megalon).

Seantn

I'm not sure what Rubenstein's end goal is. He spent $6 million on the 3-D, and now he's sloooooowly doing theatrical screenings of it around the US. (It's screening in LA this week for the first time since it premiered in LA 2 years ago). He's not gonna make $6 mil back that way, so what's he waiting for? Even before the 3-D version, I had talked to some theater owners who said the reason they didn't screen the movie at revival midnight shows was because Rubenstein was asking too high of a price for renting the print, and so nobody would show it. The original blu-ray is out of print, so he's not making any money off of that, the 3-D version is screening occasionally, so that's making a little money (but not much by comparison of a big home media release), so he's just saying "Give me tons of money or else I won't release it! Oh, you won't give me tons of money? Fine, I just won't release it and I won't make ANY money!"

Dan

Isn't that version only available in sub-DVD quality on YouTube?

I haven't been able to track down anything of higher quality.

SterlingBen

I wouldn’t mind upgrading my Ultimate DVD set with an Ultimare BR set that contained new commentaries and a 3D version of the film. I think that guy is holding Martin hostage too if I recall correctly.

Seantn

I'm sure he'll be spending $10 million to give Martin a 3D IMAX re-release that'll screen twice a year before he ever considers releasing it on blu-ray. Seeing Dawn 3D in theaters recently with a sold out crowd that loves the movie, it's amazing that Rubenstein doesn't want their blu-ray dollars.

SterlingBen

How much was the ticket for that?

Seantn

$15, pretty much average ticket price in LA.