On June 1, Joe Johnston’s reimagining of The Wolfman arrived on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and digital download. I’m not in love with how Johnston handled the franchise (read my The Wolfman Blu-ray review), but Universal is trying something new with this release that is worth a closer look.
Purchasers of The Wolfman on Blu-ray are granted access to the original 1941 classic The Wolf Man with Lon Chaney via via BD-Live, the pocket BLU app for phones and at UniversalHiDef.com. This streaming version will only be available for a limited time.
There are two things Universal can accomplish with this experiment. First, they can determine interest in The Wolf Man based on the number of downloads which could result in a standalone high definition release in the future. Second, they can introduce the classic film to a new generation without them having to pay extra for it — which they probably would not.
Here’s a clip of The Wolf Man that Universal has recently released:
Do you all think Universal offering The Wolf Man as a limited time only stream is a good idea? Or would you rather they take the riskier approach and issue the film directly to Blu-ray?
