Posted Tue Aug 1, 2023 at 12:35 PM PDT by Matthew Hartman
"I'd know it was for pre-order on 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray. I'd feel it, in my bones, and I'm telling you that thing up there is a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray up for pre-order!"
Tired of us prattling on about various releases of The Exorcist on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray yet? Well, we are too! After a whirlwind week of U.K. and European-only Deluxe Collector's editions and the listings going live on Best Buy and Amazon for standard releases, we can finally confirm what we already knew that William Friedkin's iconic horror masterpiece, The Exorcist, will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with both the original Theatrical Cut and the 2000 Director's Cut on disc in 4K. However, as we'll detail momentarily - aside from the audio commentaries all of the legacy bonus features will be available streaming only. So unless you have the past Blu-ray releases already, be sure to redeem that digital code instead of selling it! Here's what's coming to fans Stateside -
The Exorcist: 50th Anniversary - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
The Exorcist: 50th Anniversary - 4K Ultra HD Best Buy SteelBook
As we've already pointed out in previous articles and Facebook posts, foreign markets got some snazzy deluxe packaging options with booklets and extra swag - but those are pretty well all sold out unless you're willing to plug gray-market prices or if DiabolikDVD still has some ready for pre-order. For those looking to score the Best Buy SteelBook, it's currently listed as "Coming Soon" since it looks like the early pre-order allotment sold through, but it's a safe bet there will be plenty to pick up on street day.
Here's everything that's going to be on disc or left to streaming:
The Exorcist Ultra HD Blu-ray disc (theatrical version) contains the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Digital release (theatrical version) the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contains the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Digital release contains the following previously released special features:
Now the press release we received didn't list Dolby Vision so expect HDR10 at minimum - audio is a bit of a mystery so we'll be checking in on that if they opted for Atmos, 5.1, or if they stuck with mono.
Once again these are up for pre-order an we suspect most of you already placed your orders as soon as they went live - in which case if you ordered through our links, thank you very much. Your pre-orders really do go a long way towards keeping our show going.
Here's that full press release for your perusal:
THE EXORCIST
COMES TO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAYTM AND DIGITAL
TO CELEBRATE THE ICONIC SUPERNATURAL FILM’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY,
THE EXORCIST WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4K RESOLUTION WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)
Purchase the film on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital on September 19
Burbank, Calif., August 1, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, the iconic supernatural film The Exorcist from Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin (The French Connection) will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time this September.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of its 1973 release, on September 19 The Exorcist will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.
The Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs include both the 1973 theatrical version of the film and the 2000 Extended Director’s Cut of the film which features eleven additional minutes of footage not seen in theaters.
Directed by Friedkin from a screenplay by Academy Award winner William Peter Blatty, the film is based on Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same name. The Exorcist stars Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore), Academy Award nominee Max von Sydow (Pelle the Conqueror, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), Academy Award nominee Lee J. Cobb (On the Waterfront, The Brothers Karamazov), Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowan, Academy Award nominee Jason Miller, and Academy Award nominee Linda Blair.
Widely regarded as a supernatural masterpiece, the film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director as well as acting nominations for Burstyn, Miller and Blair. The film won two Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Blatty.
In 2010, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
The Exorcist will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc for $33.99 SRP and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the theatrical version of the feature film in 4K with HDR, an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc with the Extended Director’s Cut of the film in 4K with HDR, and a Digital download of both versions of the film. Fans can also own The Exorcist in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning on September 19.
About the Film
The Exorcist tells the now-famous story of a girl's demonic possession, and a gripping fight between good and evil. Linda Blair, in a breakout role, plays Regan, a young girl who starts to exhibit strange, arcane behavior. Her mother (Burstyn) calls upon a priest, Father Karras (Miller), to investigate. But Karras, who has a spiritual crisis of his own, is suddenly confronted with the unimaginable evil of Regan's possession. Father Lankester Merrin (Von Sydow), an archeologist-priest, is called to help, and a horrific battle for her soul begins.
The Exorcist Ultra HD Blu-ray disc (theatrical version) contains the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Digital release (theatrical version) the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contains the following previously released special features:
The Exorcist Extended Director’s Cut Digital release contains the following previously released special features:
BASICS
PRODUCT
The Exorcist Ultra HD
The Exorcist
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Theatrical Version Run Time: 122 minutes
Extended Director’s Cut Run Time: 132 minutes
Rating: R for strong language and disturbing images
Physical Street Date: September 19, 2023
Digital Street Date: September 19, 2023
THE CREDITS
About Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment (WBDHE) distributes the award-winning movies, television, animation, and digital content produced by Warner Bros. Discovery to the homes and screens of millions through physical Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD retail sales and digital transactions on major streaming, video-on-demand cable, satellite, digital, and mobile channels. WBDHE is part of Warner Bros. Discovery Content Sales, one of the world’s largest distributors of entertainment programming.
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