Posted Mon Oct 16, 2006 at 01:27 PM PDT by
The Blu-ray camp put its best foot forward today in England, where the high-def format wars have only just begun.
Blu-ray players from both Samsung and Panasonic became available today in stores across the U.K., while Toshiba plans to release its first HD DVD players to the market in November.
So which movies will British early adopters have to choose from this week to demo their new Blu-ray players? Four titles were released today: 'S.W.A.T.,' 'Tears Of The Sun,' 'Hostel' and 'The Exorcism Of Emily Rose.'
Notable is the fact that both 'Hostel' and 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' have yet to be announced for release in the U.S, and none of the movies in the U.K. launch slate were included in the U.S launch slate (which most memorably included the critically drubbed 'Fifth Element').
Among the 40 or so Blu-ray disc releases currently scheduled for the U.K. in the coming months, there are a good number of titles already (or soon to be) released in the U.S. -- but there are also several other yet-to-be-announced-in-the-U.S. titles, such as 'The Replacement Killers,' 'Snatch,' and 'Brokeback Mountain.'
List of Scheduled U.K. Blu-ray Disc Releases: (from Play.com; as of Oct 16, 2006)
Oct 16:
- Hostel
- S.W.A.T.
- Tears Of The Sun
- The Exorcism Of Emily Rose
Oct 23:
- Pat Metheny Group: The Way Up - Live
Oct 30:
- Ultraviolet
- The Black Crowes: Freak 'N' Roll... Into The Fog
- Elvis Costello And The Imposters: Live In Memphis 2004
- Toto: Live In Amsterdam 2003
Nov 13:
- Hitch
- 50 First Dates
- Brokeback Mountain
- Gattaca
- A Knight's Tale
- Gangs Of New York
- Into The Blue
- Kung Fu Hustle
- Million Dollar Baby
- Phantom Of The Opera (2004)
- Stealth
- Stormbreaker
- XXX
Nov 20:
- FIFA World Cup: All The Goals Of Germany 2006
Dec 4:
- As Good As It Gets
- Metropolis (Anime)
- R.V.
- Snatch
- The Patriot
Dec 11:
- Monster House
Dec 26:
- Driving Lessons
Jan 29:
- Black Hawk Down
- Bram Stoker's Dracula
Feb 12:
- Replacement Killers
- Gandhi
- Legends Of The Fall
- Sense And Sensibility
Feb 26:
- Underworld Evolution
- Underworld: Special Extended Edition
- Donnie Brasco
- Saw: Uncut Version
- Spy Game
- Valiant (Animated)
Feb 27:
- The Crow
- U-571
Mar 5:
- The Da Vinci Code
Mar 13:
- Guns Of The Navarone
July 2:
- Jerry Maguire
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