Extended cut or not, Blu-ray adopters want their Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray Disc. And they want it like yesterday.
When the LOTR Trilogy box set showed up on Amazon.com yesterday afternoon clearly marked “theatrical editions,” buyers flocked to lock in their pre-orders without a release date or official announcement. The sales have been so brisk that the LOTR Trilogy on Blu-ray has been the number one hourly Blu-ray bestseller all morning.
While the theatrical cuts rack up sales, the extended edition’s fate remains in doubt. A statement has been making the Internet rounds with no clear original source (some sites are posting it as if they wrote it, don’t believe it) indicating an extended cut set is coming but not in the immediate future.
“Sources close to director Peter Jackson have indicated that he’s holding back the extended editions for an elaborate “ultimate” box set release closer to the debut of the new Hobbit films – that’s why these are set to be theatrical only. Obviously, not everyone is going to want them as such, but they’re designed to satisfy fans who want something in the meantime. So simply be aware that if you want to wait for the more elaborate release, you’ll get one eventually.”
The theory is “eventually” translates to the first Hobbit film’s theatrical release. In 2011. As in two years from now.
Expect the theatrical box set in stores this upcoming holiday season. I’ll pass along an official announcement the moment it is available.
