Now that’s good DVD news…

Updated on November 15, 2005 By Ken Begg 3 Comments

Finally…per the good folks at DVDdrive-in.com:

“Arkoff Titles Finally Coming to Region 1 DVD!

Lion’s Gate Films will finally start releasing a string of classic AIP titles from “The Arkoff Film Library” on Region 1 DVD. On January 10, they will release a double feature disc of EARTH VS. THE SPIDER/WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST as well as HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER/BLOOD OF DRACULA. Each double disc will retail for $14.98. More information to follow.”

About friggin’ time. Hopefully there will be a lot more where that came from.

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  • Heheh.. posted the same thing with the same excitement on my blog.

    Why, though, nnot pair COLOSSAL BEAST with AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN? Meh?

    Ah well, as long as INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN shows up eventually.

  • Self-Loathing Narcissist

    Unfortunately, chances are that THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN won’t be coming our way via these Lion’s Gate DVDs. The reason for this is that AIP’s library of 1950s titles were split up some time ago, among 3-4 entities.

    Samuel Arkoff (later, his estate) got a bunch of titles (including THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED, THE SHE CREATURE, etc), which are the ones that Lion’s Gate has access to (and were previously released on DVD in the UK). I’m not sure what, if anything, the Arkoff Collection has, beyond what has already been released on DVD in Great Britain (mainly a mix of horror/sci-fi and juvenile delinquent flicks).

    Former AIP starlet, Susan Hart (DR. GOLDFOOT & THE BIKINI MACHINE, WAR GODS OF THE DEEP, THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI, etc), the widow of AIP co-honcho James Nicholson (who died in 1973) and who is now known as Susan Hart Hofheinz, holds the rights to a prime batch of the titles, including (but not limited to) THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, IT CONQUERED THE WORLD and INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN. Some these titles she owns came out on VHS about a decade ago (mixed with some of the Arkoff-owned titles, I think), via Sony/Columbia, but that agreement apparently has lapsed. It looks as though she hasn’t worked out a DVD release deal with anyone yet, and has been known to sue, at the drop of a hat, anyone who uses film clips or images from the films she controls.

    AIP producer Herman Cohen (now deceased) got the rights to two of his films, HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM and THE HEADLESS GHOST.

    The rest (mainly 1959 releases and onward) presumably belong to Sony/MGM, via their Orion Pictures catalog, like the already-released ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE, ANGRY RED PLANET, THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW, etc. They also control the very early sci-fi flick from proto-AIP, THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES. I’m not sure what else they retain from AIP’s 1950s era.

  • Thanks, SLN. I think part of the problem in situations like this is that when ordinary people own the rights to these films, they tend to overestimate how much the rights are worth. They are so intent on not getting ripped-off that they don’t make what money they could.

    Why should (purely random example) MGM worry about spending huge amounts of time and lawyer fees negotiating for the right to films which may net them (by their standard) mere hundreds of thousands of dollars, when they have other, perhaps slightly less popular titles that they can release without all the hassle.

    The movies announced for sale are to be sold two for (suggested street price) $15. Minus regular discounts, they will sell for around $12.

    Let’s say that the merchants buy them for $8. If they order two hundred thousand copies, that’s one-point-six million dollars. Minus product costs, you might reap half of that, minus taxes on that amount, blah blah.

    I’m not saying you don’t make money, but I’m betting Nicholson’s widow has a hugely inflated number in her head.

    Maybe after these come out somebody can show her the actual sales figures for the movies and get her to be more realistic.