Special Announcement
In celebration of the 27th Anniversary of DVD format (and all that has followed) the DVD & Blu-ray Release Report is now making the Theatrical Catalog excel file (compiled over the past 27 years) OPEN FORMAT
This
database file currently contains (April 16, 2024) 61,912 data entries
for just Theatrical Catalog. It is updated constantly ... what's in it
today will certainly different tomorrow.
Anyone
reading this, simply email me at Southrim1@aol.com and a copy will be forwarded
to you. Feel free to forward this link to any colleague or other
source that might be interested in having a copy of the database for
research purposes or for reference.
If
you find "missing" entries, please gives us a shout out. It is by no
means complete (release announcements have been known to slip through
the cracks ... when spotted, entries and corrections are made).
A
major source of "missing" theatrical catalog entries are from sources
(whether legit or not) that do not document the street date. There are
ways to overcome this and when possible that is done, but certain html
platforms have defied cracking.
Using
the WayBack Machine is a not time-effective when you are processing 600
to as many as 1000 new entries across three formats and 23 categories
in a single week. If you spot a "missing source," it is likely that
their retail platform does not include dates and opening the html code
for "published" "timestamp" "list" and other key words provides no clue
as to when the title was first released. That is frustrating.
First,
note ... this Excel file is generated on a Mac, using Palantino 10
point typeface (150 percent magnification), if this is not compatible
with your daily setup for Excel it may "look funny" when you first open
it. Make the necessary adjustments to meet your needs and it should be
fine.
Second, what's included in the file?
All
three formats — DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD — for all domestic
theatrical releases from 1927 (advent of sound with The Jazz Singer)
through December 31, 1996. After that date, theatrical releases are
referred to as New Theatrical (in order to measure the window from
theatrical rollout to the subsequent to the physical media marketplace).
In the columns from left to right you will find the following (all columns can be sorted):
Note,
make sure you select all columns when you sort ... example, sorting on
date without the format column can create chaos (trust me, I've done
that).
Here we go ...
Format - DVD, Blu-ray 4K Ultra HD
Date of Release
Title
MPAA rating (NR = Not Rated)
Suggested Retail Price
There's
a second column with price that is not used (grand plans during the
launch of the DVD format was to note price changes ... that was a fool's
errand ... the plan is to slowly, slowly, slowly convert this column to
the date the film was first released theatrically).
Running Time (you will notice different times on occasion for the same release ... this is what the "source" listed)
Format
-- 5 replicated DVD --- 5R MOD DVD, etc ... wherever you see an "R"
behind the number that is a MOD ... 4K is listed as such "4K"
TC
.... There are over 23 distinct "genre/product' categories used in the
DVD & Blu-ray Release Report ... since this is a theatrical catalog
database only, you will see TC in every entry, the shorthand for
Theatrical Catalog.
Number
in the release – not all theatrical catalog releases are a single title
— designated as "1" — some are box sets or double features, etc. The
number in this column represents the number of films that comprised the
release. They are not broken out in this database, which means that
there are probably over 65,000 (certainly more) individual titles
included here.
Year
- the year the film was first released theatrically in the United
States ... British, Australian and elsewhere may have been release in
one year and the US followed. Foreign Language films that were dubbed
in English for domestic consumption are noted as the year they were
release theatrically in the US. A Spaghetti Western, for example, may have been released in Europe in 1967, but did not arrive here until 1971.
AC Does the film have audio commentary? Best effort has been made to note these releases with AC
DC and UV ... Digital Copy and the now dormant Ultra Violet column (maybe be deleted or repurposed at some point).
Studio
- this column contains many blanks (empty) as the number "1" was used
to designate Studio releases ... it became apparent that this Yes/No
answer needed to be refined and so it is a long "back and fill" process
in adding the other number designators to
note the source — "2" is for Boutique Label "9" is for "Helper" (likely
pirate, although some "pure" PD labels have gotten that tag when they
strayed) There are some hobby film buffs who enjoy putting out PD
films, mainly Westerns and long-lost series programming.
The
Source of the release ... studio archives are noted whenever
possible. Over time it has been discovered that certain "Helper"
source use multiple trade styles and when possible the duplicate
listings are purged.
The
final column is the year the film was released on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K
(sorting on date was a pain, so this easy to sort column was added).
There is no reason not to share this database for all who are interested. Remember, it is not complete, it never will be.
Best,
Ralph
Ralph Tribbey
DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
