Warner Brothers plans to release a slew of DVD gift sets, gunning for your entertainment dollar. We get word of this announcement from the kitsch caves of Yahoo:
Elaborate DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions of “Batman Begins,” “Casablanca” and “The Flintstones” top this year’s slate of pricey gift sets from Warner Home Video, a category that experienced 26% growth in the past year, according to the studio.
A total of 25 gift sets, priced from $40-$200, will be released in the final four months of this year, leading up to the holiday shopping season and targeting gift buyers. Warner began releasing DVD gift sets — stuffed with cards, booklets and other memorabilia and often housed in unusual packaging — in the fourth quarter of 2005, with the original “King Kong” movie packaged in a collectible tin.
I consider most of these sets to be a waste of space and money. I have moved much, and learned that clutter is the enemy. Extra theme cases are awesome when you first get them, but in time it all just seems to collect dust and ends up being useless shit that’s in the way.
Now I will be the first to admit that some of these Gift Sets feature some pretty amazing stuff, and if they release a favorite of yours – then I can see why you would get a set. For 99 % of films however, I just don’t see the appeal. I may be in the minority however because 26% is quite a growth margin for one year. We will see if the trend continues to move skyward, if so, expect to see even bigger, badder and more expensive sets.