Do We Expect TOO Much From The Boutique Labels? 

When they charge $30-$50 for a single movie we should have high expectations.

I think the disappointment I feel sometimes is when there’s an announcement that simply doesn’t justify the price or even the label’s effort to release it. HD picture quality is not enough these days for me and many other collectors. I want quality new special features and ported over previous features, attractive packaging and artwork. And I don’t think it’s too much to ask for the prices they charge. If they can’t deliver that then they shouldn’t bother buying the licence.

Let me be straight forward: For the price they charge, the value is clearly NOT there. As a collector, I don’t care about booklets, photos and other crap. I care about a movie with top quality: Dolby vision, Dolby atmos. I’ll pay for a single version. But really nothing more.

I think 4k market is live and well thanks to boutique labels. Shout for example releases more in one month than Disney in a year

At this point Ken, im just happy to get physical media. Im not just a movie guy. I have a collection of cds starting in the 90s. Also vinyl. Im a collector. Books too. Its important!!!

The only thing i expect from boutique labels is that the movie looks great a cut above the studios.

i think the faculty should have at least got a steelbook

I think it boils down to we have a choice as physical media consumers and we need to show more common sense. Too many people fall in love with a label as opposed to the film itself. We don’t need to own everything from Criterion, Shout, Arrow, Second Sight, Kino, etc. I think there is this sense with some collectors to own any title from VS or Arrow. If the film is not any good, it’s like putting lipstick on a pig with certain titles. There is also a big sense of needing to buy a title as soon as it gets released. I remember the Friday the 13th blu-ray box set from Scream Factory was supposed to be limited to a certain number of units and it’s still around 4 years later and is often on sale.

We are living in a Golden Age of Home Video. Seriously, the 4K U.H.D. format is the best format that has ever existed. 8K? 16K? I don't think that we are going to see a new or better home-video format ever again. No release is perfect.... Now, having said that, movies on 4K are $25, $30, $35, and $40 these days. I don't want to waste my money on subpar releases!

I don’t like when they pay for a licensing fee, then they rebox it only to find out someone else did the restoration!!!

I’m exhausted with most of these boutique labels. They’re either constantly rehashing titles (looking at you Silence of the Lambs) or giving the premium treatment for crap titles that no one asked for. And I’m tired of these overpriced pieces of cardboard you call “chunky” box sets. I’ve ran out of shelf space first and foremost and I’m not wasting anymore money double or triple dipping. I’ve become much much more selective with my collecting now.

Take out all the garbage cards and shit I don’t care about. Nicky package, most of all, a nice image, and special features are cool but don’t care that much. Criterion doesn’t right, wish all their packaging was the plastic cases, I hate cardboard. Also, less is more, I don’t want some huge box for one movie on my shelf taking the space of 4 movies, it’s ridiculous, it’s just a disc after all.

For the prices some of these labels are asking, no I don't think we're asking for too much. We pay a premium price, we want premium products.

Ken, you're falling and can't get up Up UP... 😂😅😂

The non boutique label that is a studio but at the same time feels like a boutique label is Sony. They mostly restores movies perfectly with original audio provided and with remixed audio aswell + good special features. No other studio or boutique can beat them in my opinion! Of course they have money to do it, other studios have money too but they lack something - Dedication!

I agree that not every movie needs the big box treatment. But it shows they care about the films. Compared to iconic movies like NOES and The Terminator that the studios are not giving that treatment to.

I am. I'm expecting basic packaging for a quality 4k transfer with HDR and Dolby Atmos. But, they gotta justify the licensing premium somehow, so we get a lot of packaging bloat marketed as limited collectors' editions to take up valuable space (Hello 4k Demolition Man). Honestly, I should charge them rent. Here's hoping to a simple 4K Princess Bride release for the 40th anniversary.

Do expect too much from Boutique Labels? Hell no.

Thank you Ken!!! I really think people should be more grateful and more appreciative that we live in a time where boutique labels are doing what they can to get us movies that the studio won’t bring us.

Everyone has their preferences. We want the movies we like to be loaded. And we have a right to critique. I love Criterion but over the past years they have been skimping on special features. For the price and special features Arrow seems to knock it out the park every time. If it’s a movie I want I’ll buy it from all labels . If it’s not limited edition; I choose to wait for a sale.

We expect to much from them. It's a tough market

Most people just want the movie for a normal price i have a couple of collector editions and it was cool at first but i never look at them after i open the box i just watch the movie. Its all just junk to me now i paid 20$ more for some different looking case and some cards inside for nothing its cool if you like it but i just dont care for the fancy collector stuff anymore same with special features i dont watch them for 90% of movies anymore

I’ve definitely slept on the faculty. Even though I love Rodriguez it looked cheesy and I never watched it back in the day. You and others talk it up so much. I cannot wait for this scream factory release.

The only physical collectibles I enjoy are lobby cards or art cards that fit inside the disc case. I don’t really like slip covers or steelbooks or posters, etc, mostly because my collection is so ridiculously large that I throw away every blu ray or DVD case that I can. They are just space-hogging, off-gassing plastic garbage! I repackage most into sleeves. And the prices are too high…they all charge like they’re Criterion, but more often than not, the quality of film is just not on that level. My favorite label is Kino because of the variety and pricing…I just wish they’d stop with the slipcovers.

No I don't think we are asking to much from the small labels. But the small labels need to do better in pricing & in what they releaes. Bc my god some of there releases are bottom of the barrel release. And if the labels did care what we want to be released. We would already have gotten some of the most requested catalog titles on either bluray or 4k by now.

My personal take.. I don't honestly expect a whole lot. Especially if we're getting 4K upgrades with new special features. I believe we've gotten to a point where putting more stakes into goodies than the quality of film from boutiques. Take Umbrella for example. I feel like so many people give umbrella a pass because of packaging. It's extremely rare they actually do any restoration on the films they put out. Vs someone like a Scream Factory, Criterion, and Arrow. Who not only gives us new restorations but also new features. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with Chase over at AVA PopCulture talking about Criterion and how they seem to get a pass when they use the same identical packaging for a movie for both the bluray and 4K release. I think they are lazy with their releases.

Scratch Factory is a rip off. $35-$45 for a bare bones release when Kino is $18-$25. Arrow asks $35 for their Limited Edition releases. So some are doing great work but Scratch Factory is a trash company who rip off consumers.

i don't think we do anything to any labels. lets face it whens the last time or if ever has a Boutique label ever listen to their paying customers, their could be that one off on that. we drop so much for a movie but get so little in return. i live in canada and im paying $100 something just for like 2-3 full price movies sometimes with or with out shipping fee's. V.S is a big money drain on me and i have drop like bags of money on them. its hard out there for us collectors. then we always have to put up limited number releases, don't get me started on that which needs to go in the market place.

I think every really BIG movie i care about has already been released or will soon be released in 4K. That's why every new 4K announcement seems lackluster. What's left to really get excited about at this point? The Elm Street Series? Lethal Weapon Series? Die Hard?

I think if they charge a premiun you should expect the best. But also we have been spoiled by so many awesome horror releases. And now we expect every release to knock our socks off and in my case they mostly do. So I'm not complaining.🤔

I would hold Shout/Scream Factory to a higher standard if they would just include reversible artwork again, especially on releases that previously had reversible artwork on blu rays from the past. It’s just lazy to do that. I was pleases that The Blob 4K had reversible artwork, but why not Dawn of the Dead (2004) 4K? Just B.S.

What about a basic boutique label steelbook? That will be the end of Ken 😂

To me, Arrow does it perfectly. You get the chunky box sets for some releases, but their standard release with slips and sometimes a poster are great too. Recent examples are Friday the 13th and Chronicles of Riddick, both had multiple 4K cuts of the film (on separate discs) and excellent slips. Good slate of special features too, for around $30 to $35.

I like my 4K movies to play on my 4K player!

I just want The Mask on 4k, and not from Shout factory. Arrow would be perfect

Ken, I would like these boutique labels just release 2 versions, one a standard edition with the movie only and a SE with all these extra's... Personally, for example, I like the 80's horror movies, Jason, Chucky, Freddy, Michael, and I have a lot of these already, but honestly, I have not watched any special features on any of those. Give us a choice!

The question is...are we spoiled?

Whatever titles that the studios release and don't release in 4K on physical media, is entirely up to their discretion. In reality, how can we (as consumers) expect anything? It's out of our hands! We'll just have to go with the flow.

I tend to agree, Ken, that if, for whatever reason(s), a label is not able to produce any special features, there should be a price reduction. The one that sticks out to me as a rip off is Shout! Factory’s 4K release of ‘Death Becomes Her.’ The BluRay release was a major disappointment in itself with just one measly special feature but the 4K even more of a rip off. They didn’t even attempt to add a commentary or something relatively easy to do like that for the 4K. The best they could provide was a free, limited run poster. Whoopee doo dah day! As a result, as much as I love the movie and am a huge Meryl Streep fan, I’m voting with my wallet. Even if they reduce the price on this next year, I will not be upgrading to the 4K.

To me the boutique label charge a little too much on the movies you buy from them. Like shout factory you pay more and you have to meet 50.00 or more for free shipping and they also charge taxes too. Vinegar Syndrome charges alot too and you pay taxes on your order. Kino Lorbor okay, they have free shipping on 50.00 and they don't charge taxes. Some movoe releases now are being re released too to 4k. Like walmart you get free shipping on 35.00 or more but the 4k are usually 34.95 and that doesn't help you get free shipping.

I don’t think a lot of these releases need all the extra stuff. Honestly Second Sight has it done to a science. It’s just the right amount of stuff. Generally a book. I certainly think special features are important for the price we pay.

I think they're all awesome and rarely disappoint. And The Faculty will always be a classic.

Look at the Hitcher on 4k uhd from Second Sight, they did everything, so does Arrow do their own Remastering, but there are a lot oit there 88 films, 101 imprint from Australia , got Final Countdown from usa from Blue Underground not heaard from them lately.

All i want is a standard release 4K disc only don't need or want all the extras which are nice from time to time

At 11.58 not really overpriced, if they carry on like that they will go out of business, people aare not stupid if they dont wanna pay what Secerin are charging it will not sell.

If I wasn't into special features and sometimes the packaging I would just watch movies on streaming service. But I do think some companies do a great job releasing movies and I'm happy .

Not being into horror much, there are lots of the boutique labels where the announcements just don't interest me. On the flip side I know there are a lot of titles I'm into that probably aren't as popular with a lot of people. Probably not a lot of people here who would pay $88 to preorder the Imprint Priscilla Queen of the Desert like I did. 😂 To each their own. In the case of special features, if the existing ones are good and cover most of the bases, I'm fine with there not being new ones. If the director gave a good interview in 1999, I don't need one from 2024 just for the sake of being new. To be honest I rarely have time to watch special features anymore. I was all about them back in the laserdisc days when I was in my teens and 20s. Now I have real adult responsibilities and consider myself lucky to have time to watch the film itself. On the price issue, being a collector from back in the laserdisc days, I can remember paying $30-$40 for a single film with no extras at all. DVD kind of spoiled everyone by being so mass market that prices came down drastically. So while I don't love paying more (who would?), it doesn't really phase me much. It just means I have to be more selective where I put my limited discretionary funds.

People are hard on boutique labels because we pay more for them. While maybe packaging is cool, it is not always a must for me. Extras are not important to me at all. What I want most is a 4K copy of all versions of the film, a blu-ray, and digital code.

I paid 60.00 CAD for Nail Gun Massacre! Wanna support the boutique labels!

I don’t understand the logic of Shout Studios not doing slipcovers for half of their non scream factory titles. I swear I would collect a lot more shout titles if they did

The pricing on steelbooks is a joke. I'd love to pick up Deadpool and Wolverine or Alien: Romulus on steel but I refuse to pay over $40 for the basic edition. I'll hold off for the inevitable premium editions and get the better quality steel, a nice slipcase, all the extras, for MAYBE a little bit more money. Studio greed is out of control!

I believe they should put out a good product no matter what however. I dont go to hard on the prices to much cause i get inflation affects everything however i think some do overcharge for stuff. Cough cough dark sky Anyways thats my two cents. So now i must get my car packed. Because im headed up north to get out of the oath of yet another hurricane

I don't want refrigerator magnets, but I would like more information about the making of the film by the creators. I don't want celebrities talking about why they like the film, but I do want to hear from the crew about them working on it. Reversible covers are nice. Reproductions of lobby cards and posters are nice, too. Included soundtracks on CD are also a pleasant surprise. If the film's sound was recorded in a special way like Sensurround, Prespecta Sound, and the original 70mm sound mix I like for them to be included.

I love Kino for always sticking to the original poster artwork.

Anyone not in that side of the business thinks it’s a simple phone call or email to get an interview. It was not that simple. No matter who you are, there is so much that goes into getting a person in the interview chair. Agents. Managers. Schedules. There is so much involved. If you think that Shout Factory didn’t try to get Robert or Jordanna in the chair, you are nuts. And money isn’t the issue either. They don’t pay for interviews.

When I announced titles at everythingblu we got really hard criticisms but that all stopped once they got the product in hand. Do customers expect too much that all depends on price.

Hey great video! I remember when Via Vision did the SAW Ultimate Collectors Edition. I thought that was really cool! I am equally happy with the SAW 10 film collection 20th anniversary edition though but I still thought it was cool since it has a reverse bear trap replica. These boutique labels serve a purpose and the prices aren’t bad for what you pay for…. Except that TCM plastic chainsaw. I thought that one was awful

It does kind of bother me that Criterion doesn't add any features or even give us different artwork when upgrading their blurays to 4k.

In a way yes we kinda do especially when you expect more special features from a collector’s edition. Yes we want the best from these releases. But they already charge enough especially Shout, Arrow and Vinegar Syndrome. I’d never buy any release above $40 and Shout is slightly under that rate. That being said this year I’ve bought more from boutique labels than the regular studio releases. I currently have 65 preordered releases at the moment and 40 are from boutique labels.

Every month is a shitmonth when they don't announce/release Kill Bill 4K haha

We need CALIGULA on 4K from VS or Critetion …I’m sure it’s goona be the hotcake

Yes especially when people complain about the cover art.

I’m one of those where the Faculty release is fine because I haven’t even watched it since it came out honestly, the movie was cool to me but being a big horror fan from a kid, it didn’t stand out as much to me, but I understand for some it may

I think shout Studios gets way too much criticism. Because of the titles they release from horror to cartoons and everything in between they are by far my favorite boutique label no comparison.

I think you have incredibly balanced opinions.

You do with the constant complaining, every news of a new release is always followed by a complaint about what it doesn't have or what it doesn't come with. We should all just be glad that these studios and boutique labels are even releasing these movies.

Absolutely, and I still don't get what I pay for. For Example, the dubbing in other language for all this Movies labels is None Exist. To me that's flat out Lazy. I have family from my Wife side that only speak Spanish and I can't use the best Version of the Movies and my Collection to share with them. They don't even put Subtitles in other Languages, to me, that unacceptable.

Yes, everyone expects way too much. Buy your blu ray, enjoy, and stop b*tching or we get nothing.

Some of yall expect a new car with every purchase..

In the minority here, but all I care about is the movie! I don’t care about packaging, special features, etc… Just give me a decent looking movie with decent audio!

Well, I don't really care too much about extras and gimmicks. I definitely don't double dip just for a couple of new extras or a steelbook, a limited this and that. I want to own a movie in the best possible quality. If I double dip, there has to be at least some kind of quality upgrade. I'll get the new steelbook of Shaun of the Dead, because the steelbook looks nice AND because the film gets a much needed new Dolby Vision transfer and a new Dolby Atmos track. If it was just the new steelbook with the same old transfer, I wouldn't buy it just to have a nicer packaging. So if boutique labels give us just a movie I've waiting for for years with some basic extras but also with great quality, I'm totally happy with that. If that's the case with The Faculty, fine by me. Honestly, I just want to watch great films. I simply don't have the time to watch hours of extras.

In terms of “value.” Arrow 9/10 VS 9/10 Kino 8/10 namely bc of their sales Imprint 7/10 Indicator 7/10 Scratch Factory 1/10