Warner Bros. has gotten around to packaging Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies on Blu-ray and DVD into a singular box set due in stores on November 1st. That’s great news if you’re happy with the theatrical editions, but the extended cuts will set you back a mortgage payment.
Officially dubbed the Middle-earth 6-Film Collection Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray, this impressive 30-disc box set includes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in their extended versions.
Each film includes all of its previously released bonus features from the theatrical and extended cut releases, housed in six faux leather books and a collectible Hobbit-style wood shelf to put the books in. Also included in the package are an exclusive 100-page sketch-style book with replica The Red Book of Westmarch, and two original reproductions of watercolor paintings by conceptual artists John Howe and Alan Lee.
The retail price for this package is $799 so expect actual store pricing in the $400 to $500 range. I would think you’d get real leather over faux leather for that much money but it is what it is.
Update: Amazon.com has begun taking pre-orders at a slightly discounted price (see Amazon pricing).
The more cost conscious consumer can pick up the theatrical cuts of all six films on either Blu-ray (SRP $68.99) or DVD (SRP $35.99). These come in standard, boring packaging, and it appears no bonus features are included.