At a Panasonic Blu-ray lunch held November 25 in Australia, 20th Century Fox
Managing Director Chris Dunn was asked when '
Star Wars' can be expected
to come out on Blu-ray. Dunn replied that one would need to ask George
Lucas, but he remarked that the DVD release of the original 'Star Wars' trilogy
happened in 2004, very late in the format's lifecycle, when it was pretty much
ubiquitous.
Dunn also explained the how movies from the back-catalogue are selected for
release on Blu-ray.
Firstly, the studios gauge demand for the title. At the moment, the movies
that sell best on Blu-ray come from the genres of action, thriller or science
fiction, due to the demographic of Blu-ray buyers. This is expected to expand
and diversify as more households discover the benefits of Blu-ray.
The studios also consider the quality of the film elements (including the need
for remastering), and any rights issues with directors and producers.