GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE DVD/Blu-ray from Echo Bridge

[kpa]

Douglas, if Echo Bridge releases BIOLLANTE it will be under very different conditions than their other titles. For the Miramax films they're working with whatever materials Miramax provides, which in some cases are old transfers that aren't under to current standards. But Miramax couldn't find their materials for BIOLLANTE, so Echo Bridge would need a new copy in order to do a DVD or Blu-ray release. They called me and I put them in touch with Toho's LA office. I have no idea if Echo Bridge can make a deal or how long that might take, but I do know they were asking for a new HD transfer from Toho.

Why couldn't they make a deal? There is no rights issue here. They said several months ago they were working on getting the master delivered.

Toho charges for everything and can be extremely difficult over providing materials or approving content such as extra features. I don't know of any such issues occurring with BIOLLANTE, but I also won't consider this a done deal until Toho, Miramax, or Echo Bridge says so. For now, I'm just cautiously optimistic.

[Tyler]

Anyway, if I was someone who didn't know about Godzilla which one would I be most likely to buy for my kid: the one with a shit-ton of monsters on the cover, the one with a bunch of monsters that look like Power Rangers characters, or the one with Godzilla fighting a giant plant?

Why does it have to be for their kid?

[Mac]

You people are homosexual morons. Due to their wide exposure, Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs Megalon are probably the most well known Godzilla films in the States.. No one gives a shit about Godzilla vs Biollante. It's not dark or gritty, it's just a good monster movie. Which, in the end, means nothing for sales (This is coming from someone who might actually prefer Biollante to the other films mentioned).

[Tyler]

You people are homosexual morons. Due to their wide exposure, Destroy All Monsters and Godzilla vs Megalon are probably the most well known Godzilla films in the States.. No one gives a shit about Godzilla vs Biollante. It's not dark or gritty, it's just a good monster movie. Which, in the end, means nothing for sales (This is coming from someone who might actually prefer Biollante to the other films mentioned).

Do you have to be so mean spirited?

[Rockzilla]

That guy was a previously banned member.

[JoshK]

The most well known Godzilla films in the States are:

Godzilla, King of the Monsters/Gojira
Mothra VS. Godzilla
Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla 1985
Godzilla 2000

I guarantee that most people here in the States, who only know of Godzilla as a monster movie character and probably haven't but one of his films, haven't heard of Godzilla VS. Megalon and, especially, Destroy All Monsters, The ones that have heard of Megalon probably know of it from MS3K, whose target audience was the very people that would probably watch monster movies anyway.

The films I listed I list because they include names of familiar characters, like Mothra, that the general public is most aware of, not that they've seen any of them. And Godzilla 2000 because it was released in the theaters here in the States.

Also note that it is getting harder and harder for Godzilla to find a younger, broader audience over here because cult films' appearance in general retail stores, from Wal-mart to even Best Buy, are being limited more and more every year. Whereas you used to find a bunch of Godzilla movies at Best Buy, you can't find hardly any there anymore. Hell, I couldn't even find the new Evil Dead 2 Blu Ray there.

By some miracle, I found it at Wal-mart. I used to be able to find a decent selection of Godzilla VHS' in Wal-mart, including titles from Scimitar, Sony (then Columbia/Tristar), and Goodtimes at Wal-mart, Meijer, and Target, as well dollar stores, Goodwills, etc. At the same time, we had a cult show on TNT called Monster Vision, which showed cult films such as monster movies and various horror movies. It's weird. There is a love/hate thing with nostalgia lately. People love it. They are willing to wear a shit in public, but they don't seem to eat up the property itself anymore, and stores are less willing to sell you any of the actual DVDs in store, but they sure as well will offer you a nostalgic Godzilla t-shirt for $7, because it would seem that people are more willing to buy that shirt than one of the movies themselves, or that is perhaps, what retail seems to think, and they are probably right, mostly.

As for the homosexual morons comment. One should have thick skin, but there is a thing called tact, which helps sell your theories to others better than calling insulting them. Such comments only makes one come across as naive and unpleasant.

[hewylewis]

Why are you guys excited? I heard Echo Bridge makes terrible DVDs!!

You heard correctly but there's always the chance that they've processed the overwhelming negative feedback from consumers and are working to change their reputation. Hey, a guy can hope, right?

Let's hope so, because I don't want to have to start an angry mob.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

You people are homosexual morons.

Ooh...ooh...! *raises hand* I know this one!

Is it because Biollante is a flower? Is that why the fans are homosexual?

[Mac]

I'm so, so sorry guys, I didn't mean to offend you. I meant heterosexual morons.

[Hellspawn28]

Why are you guys excited? I heard Echo Bridge makes terrible DVDs!!

Their Hammer Dracula DVD's where not that bad. At they got a good commentaries and it has the best looking version of The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973) that you can find.

[Cimmerian Dragon]

I'm so, so sorry guys, I didn't mean to offend you. I meant heterosexual morons.

No problem. These guys can help: http://www.proof-reading.com/profession ... eading.asp

[Legion1979]

The most well known Godzilla films in the States are:

Godzilla, King of the Monsters/Gojira
Mothra VS. Godzilla
Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla 1985
Godzilla 2000

I'd put King Kong vs Godzilla and Godzilla vs Megalon over half that list. Easily.

[Malchik]

The most well known Godzilla films in the States are:

Godzilla, King of the Monsters/Gojira
Mothra VS. Godzilla
Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla 1985
Godzilla 2000

I'd put King Kong vs Godzilla and Godzilla vs Megalon over half that list. Easily.

I'd put Megalon close to the top. That film saw hundreds of different video releases.

[Tohosaurus]

The most well known Godzilla films in the States are:

Godzilla, King of the Monsters/Gojira
Mothra VS. Godzilla
Godzilla VS. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla 1985
Godzilla 2000

I'd put King Kong vs Godzilla and Godzilla vs Megalon over half that list. Easily.

Me too. I would strike G85 and G00 from the list, in spite of their theatrical releases here, in favor of Megalon and maybe King Kong. Plus there's Emmerich's film.

[Crazy Jim Films]

Was Godzilla 2000 even that big of a release? '85 found an audience with both video and a prime-time special but I never felt "Godzilla 2000" did all that well.

[Living Corpse]

Was Godzilla 2000 even that big of a release? '85 found an audience with both video and a prime-time special but I never felt "Godzilla 2000" did all that well.

It didn't. It bombed. I remember seeing it with my mom and one of my cousins who had a blast (strange since they normally don't care for these kinds of films) and there was hardly anyone in the theater. My mom and cousin were surprised to see that their were more adults then kids.

[tymon]

^CDragon, myself and a few others discussed that subject a while back, about how a marketing campaign geared more towards kids (as opposed to the late night commercial slots, and marketing that seemed to focus on nostalgic fans rather than children) may have brought more viewers to Godzilla 2000, but who knows. People were still sick of Godzilla from the disaster that was GINO, plus it's a dubbed foreign film in a culture becoming increasingly intolerant of dubbbed foreign films..it didn't have a much of a chance. Still, I wouldn't say it bombed per se, in fact I'm pretty sure Sony made about as much as they expected to make.

[Tohosaurus]

Was Godzilla 2000 even that big of a release? '85 found an audience with both video and a prime-time special but I never felt "Godzilla 2000" did all that well.

It didn't. It bombed. I remember seeing it with my mom and one of my cousins who had a blast (strange since they normally don't care for these kinds of films) and there was hardly anyone in the theater. My mom and cousin were surprised to see that their were more adults then kids.

Godzilla 2000 made $25 million thanks to its US theatrical release as well on a sub-$10 million budget. No other Millennium movie did better, although to be fair that's due mainly to its US release. Eliminate that and it only did about as well as Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and worse than GMK. But looking at it as a whole, G2K did make Toho the most money from a theatrical standpoint. I'm not sure what their projections were. It may well have performed the worst, but again it still made the most money overall, better than any Heisei movie as well.

[Tamura]

I was one of the people who contributed to the theaters being empty during G2K's run. I remember seeing a big cardboard promotional mockup for the film at the theater, and the Godzilla on the promo didn't look like Godzilla to me. I got it on tape later on, and it didn't really impress me.

[JoshK]

You guys give general audiences way too much credit. Remember, we aren't talking about general Sci Fi fans. Just average moviegoers, most of whom won't know what a Megalon is. It may have had a ton of VHS releases, but also remember they of the Goodtimes variety, often found in bargain bins and Big Lots. As far as I ever saw. Whereas the original film, many of the Sony VHS releases, and even 1985, you could go to Target and find.

I also don't believe a general moviegoer could actually list a Godzilla movie, but they'd have the best chance with Mothra, Mechagodzilla, and maybe even King Ghidorah (who they might recognize as Monster Zero), each of whom are slightly more familiar than the throwaway monsters like Megalon, Hedorah, and Eborah.

Godzilla 2000 has a decent chance because it was actually released in theaters recently. Doesn't mean people will remember it or 1985.

I also could include KKvG, but I'm also not quite sure most average joe moviegoers would even know that King Kong fought Godzilla. However, I didn't include it because it simply slipped my mind.

But I don't see how Megalon would be one of the most familiar Godzilla films to general consumers in the US. Same goes for Destroy All Monsters. Godzilla 1985 and 2000 are slightly less obscure than Megalon. There might have been a time when that wasn't true, but that certainly isn't the case now.

As for the American Godzilla film. I wouldn't really say that counts. Of course, audiences are familiar with it. It made a lot of money, and was infamous for being terrible. But it isn't THE Godzilla either.