Get Your Harry Potter Fix Before It’s Too Late! Warner Bros. Will Make All HP Films Disappear Starting 12/29
It seems like Warner Bros. is taking a page out of Disney’s marketing playbook. Deadline reports that the studio will stop shipping all titles from the Harry Potter saga starting on December 29. Avid fans will smartly wonder about the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as well as the comprehensive set that will includes all eight Harry Potter films that are both scheduled to appear on store shelves on November 11th. Those will also not be available once your local retailer runs out, meaning it will soon be extremely difficult to get your hands on any Harry Potter films after Christmas.
Because of the overwhelming success of the franchise — which is the highest grossing of all-time, Warner Bros. isn’t exactly hurting for cash in the short-term so this is a very smart marketing strategy which will send holiday sales through the roof. Disney has pioneered this strategy to great success. By holding on to many of their classics for years with virtually no availability, they create built-up anticipation for the re-release of the blu-ray/DVDs while leaving the door open for a potential theatrical re-release years down the road (as seen with the smashing success of The Lion King 3D). Is this what Warner Bros. has in plan?
At this point, we don’t really know for sure but if you are interested in physically owning the movies, I would highly recommend buying them before the end of the year.
What do you think of this move?
29 Comments
Noted!
I’ve actually been waiting on the compendium that they were obviously going to release once the series was finished.
Yea me too. There was a one-day deal on Amazon for half-price on the first seven movies a month ago. Too bad I didn’t pull the trigger then.
Seriously? Unbelievable. Isn’t that considered market manipulation? Makes me want to not purchase it just out of spite.
Unless they are not planning on charging a premium for the set during holidays…
Ahaha why would that be market manipulation? They can do what they want with their own products.
I know I’m just griping. grumble grumble.
I hope it’s not true.
Otherwise, it will be a very long time until I watch any of those movies again because having to confront crazy holiday shoppers for a set is not my idea of christmas…
or….. we can just wait for Bluray rips to pop up online. LOL not that I’m encouraging piracy… but if people really want to watch HP once in a while, they can just find it somewhere xD
It’s nice to have the films……. even if I haven’t bought a HP movie (or OST) since Goblet. LOL
I’d rather read the books (which thankfully are not that hard to find). But yes, there will be an increase in piracy and fake copies selling around.
Yeah, and it’s easier to find fans of the books who already have their collection completed… like me. xD I even have my Spanish collection…
But yeah, usually the only thing that happens with these things is increase demand of it online. I know I have my digital rip of Song of the South until Disney decides to release it…
True Amy but nothing quite like seeing it on the TV instead of a computer screen
you can watch bluray rips on LG players just fine on HD screens
– they can even read subtitled files! I just found that out after turning BR this year xD
Depends on whether or not your computer screen and sound system may actually be better than your TV, like it is the case for me.
Geez, so they make fans shell out for TWO movie tickets to see the final movie and now they’re playing the “for a limited time only” game with the DVDs?
I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but…
Yea we should have expected them to milk it to the last penny.
I’m sure they’ve run the numbers and consider this a good marketing strategy, and while I’m sure that they planned this to maximize the almighty dollar, the marketing campaign might also help with the awards season–I’m thinking technical nominations here–as the commercials are released first, and then the news stories about the final dollar numbers can help to blow everyone away.
I must confess that I have never seen any of these Harry Potter films or read any of the books. Perhaps its just the contraian in me but the whole Potter thing just seemed like a form of mass hysteria.
That being said from a marketing stand point its pure genius.
6 months ago, I was in the same position as you, now I’m part of the mass hysteria
Seems like a rather douchey move on there part, imo anyways
To be honest I couldn’t care less. I never got HARRY POTTER bug.
I bet it will cause panic though
I like HP but I never have the slightest interest in purchasing any of their DVDs so this makes no difference to me.
Before feeling disappointed with book 7…I didn’t have any interest of collecting the movies either Ruth….I tho I love the books so much (up to book 5)
One word: Pathetic.
I second that!!!
I hate this marketing policy with a passion. I used to have a great Disney collection on VHS, now there’s very few that I can get hold of. And because releases are limited there’s never any chance that they will come down in price.
Thankfully I’ve already got the full series (except the last one obviously) but it’s a mean-spirited move by Warner Brothers.
Kind of lame that they are doing this …. that said, I preordered my box set this past weekend
This is an antiquated sales system designed to artificially inflate the market – I bet you any money the illegal downloads and torrents of HP will go bananas once these films are pulled off the shelves. Not everyone has enough money all the time to go but these films – I know I don’t, so I think it’s a nasty, manipulative move by the studio.
People want (and can get, thanks to illegal downloads) films at any time they choose, and for Warners to start this, is a pretty brave move indeed.
Agreed. I’m thinking they are going to come up with “collector sets” at inflated prices and bet on making up for lost profits that way but I think they are overestimating just how much money people are willing to spend on these things when blue-ray rips are so easy to come by. Also, thanks to youtube and co., it’s not like the exclusive videos won’t be online within hours of the release.
Nasty and manipulative indeed, but it’s their own loss. People will get what they want to get one way or another. It’s not like the old Disney movies which originally came out in VHS and were thus impossible to rip at high quality and could therefore be considered rare.
I guess you can call it a smart move, but why?why would you get out the stores one of the most successful franchise in the world,loved by children (the ones who can influence their parents into buying anything)?
I do want the box set with the 8 movies in my house, but I’m wondering how much is it going to cost?considering the strategy and knowing the fanbase, it’s going to be a lot!
Seems like a cynical marketing ploy to me but it’ll probably do what the studio expects. I better get my blu-ray box set quick.
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