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Warner Archive Collection

Home video line from Warner Home Video

Home video line from Warner Home Video

FieldValue
nameWarner Archive Collection
logoWarner Archive Collection Logo.png
logo_size275
logo_captionLogo used since 2024
typeDivision
industryHome video
founded
productsHome video releases
servicesDigital distribution
Physical distribution
parentWarner Bros. Home Entertainment

Physical distribution The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the intention of putting previously unreleased catalog films on DVD for the first time. In November 2012, Warner expanded the Archive Collection to include Blu-ray releases. Some Warner Archive releases, such as Wise Guys, previously had a pressed DVD release but have lapsed out of print and have since been re-released as part of the Warner Archive collection.

DVDs are manufactured on-demand for the consumer and authorized distributors for online resale using DVD-R Recordable media rather than the traditional business model of pressing large batches of discs that ship to "brick and mortar" retailers. This saves on the costs of storing unsold stock in a warehouse and mitigates the risk of a retailer holding unsold merchandise, especially since the majority of the films in the archive do not have widespread public demand. However, the use of DVD-R Recordable media for manufacturing DVDs on-demand created an opportunity for the sale of counterfeit DVDs, as their quality was much easier to replicate than that of traditional mass-produced discs. Warner Archive claim the discs are indistinguishable in quality from to their mass-produced counterparts.

In addition, Warner Archive also sells films and television shows as downloadable Windows Media files, and formerly operated a subscription-based streaming video service, Warner Archive Instant, which allowed members to stream many of the Warner Archive properties in a format similar to Netflix. In 2018, Warner Archive Instant merged with its sister service FilmStruck. The combined FilmStruck / Warner Archive streaming service was discontinued on November 29, 2018, and was replaced by HBO Max.

Collection and operations

The collection consists of theatrical films, television shows, and television films from the libraries of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment Co. (including pre-May 1986 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Associated Artists Productions, RKO Radio Pictures, Brut Productions), Hanna-Barbera Productions, pre-1991 Ruby-Spears Enterprises, HBO, The Saul Zaentz Company, Lorimar Productions, Warner Bros. Television, post-1970 The Wolper Organization, post-August 1946 Allied Artists Pictures, post-1946 Monogram Pictures, post-November 1984 New Line Cinema and post-1994 Castle Rock Entertainment.

Sony Pictures (including Columbia Pictures titles), Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Studios, and 20th Century Studios also started MOD services after the success of Warner Archive. Their services are named Sony Pictures Choice Collection (formerly Screen Classics By Request), MGM Limited Edition Collection, Universal Vault Series, Disney Generations Collection, and Fox Cinema Archives, respectively. Including Warner, major film studios and including Lionsgate, CBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon also started to offer MOD discs of catalog titles through Amazon CreateSpace. MGM Limited Edition titles are also sold through Warner Archive. In 2013, as part of Paramount's agreement with Warner Bros., select Paramount titles were released under the Warner Archive moniker.

Blu-ray

The Archive Collection began releasing titles on Blu-ray in November 2012, with the first two releases being Deathtrap and Gypsy. Unlike their DVDs, all Warner Archive Blu-Rays use pressed discs.

Over the years, Warner Archive's Blu-ray releases expanded to include season sets of current television series, such as iZombie, The 100, Longmire, The Originals, Lucifer, Lethal Weapon, Ballers and Final Space.

The Warner Archive Collection began releasing titles on Ultra HD Blu-ray in November 2024, starting with The Searchers.

Streaming

Expanding their films' availability to Internet streaming, in July 2014, Warner Archive introduced the Warner Archive Instant service. Similar to Netflix, Warner Archive Instant allowed its members access to various Warner Archive library titles via their website, in addition to apps for Roku and iOS-based devices.

In February 2018, Warner Archive retired its online streaming service, transferring several of its films to FilmStruck. It was discontinued as of November 29, 2018, and was replaced by HBO Max in 2020.

Music

WaterTower Music with Linn now also reporting to Paul Broucek, president, music, Warner Bros. Pictures. In March 2015, the company switched distribution from Turner Classic Movies, and was replaced by Rhino Movie Music in 2015, which later soundtrack to just WaterTower Music in 2015.

Licensors

  • The Criterion Collection
  • Arrow Video
  • Mill Creek Entertainment (now Alliance Entertainment) (select television series and movies only)
  • Shout! Studios (television series and movies library)

References

References

  1. "Warner Archive Rolls Along".
  2. "WARNER ARCHIVE RELEASES ANOTHER BATCH OF RARE MOVIES - AND OFFERS A THREE FOR TWO DVD DEAL".
  3. "Warner Bros. Launches Warner Archive Collection".
  4. "• View topic - Warner Brothers Archive Collection Blu-rays".
  5. (23 October 2014). "A note on the format of our Warner Archive Blu-ray discs. (YouTube)".
  6. Stephanie Prange. (9 April 2019). "Warner Archive Celebrates 10th Anniversary". Media Play News.
  7. Snider, Mike. (1 February 2014). "Cutting the Cord: Warner Archive Instant delivers a stream of rarities". USA Today.
  8. Spangler, Todd. (February 26, 2018). "Turner's FilmStruck Adds Warner Bros. Classic Films, As Warner Archive Service Winds Down".
  9. Spangler, Todd. (October 26, 2018). "WarnerMedia to Shut Down FilmStruck Subscription-Streaming Service".
  10. "The future delivered now. Powering today's leading entertainment supply chain.".
  11. "Sony Bows Screen Classics On Demand DVD".
  12. "MGM on MOD: The MGM Limited Edition Collection".
  13. "Universal Vault Series opens at Amazon".
  14. (23 May 2012). "Amazon Adds More Classic Content for Customers to Enjoy in the "Never Before on DVD" Store".
  15. "DVD Extra: Selznick's busy RKO year; Fox unveils first MOD slate".
  16. "Lionsgate Home Entertainment to Release More Than 100 Titles on DVD Through CreateSpace's On Demand Service".
  17. link. (2020-03-25 , sonypictures.com)
  18. (28 May 2012). "MOD Movies for Intrepid Cineastes". The Wall Street Journal.
  19. "The Warner Archives Collection Announces First MOD Blu-rays". Hi Def Digest.
  20. Hunt, Bill. "BREAKING: The Warner Archive Collection to release its first 4K Ultra HD title… John Ford's THE SEARCHERS!".
  21. Haring, Bruce. (February 26, 2018). "FilmStruck Adds Warner Bros. Films As Warner Archive Sunsets".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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