If the $105.90 list price for “The Godfather DVD Collection” seems hefty to fans, they will be happy to learn that Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) will start selling the popular films as individual DVDs for the first time next year.
On May 11, 2004, The Godfather will be released as a single disc for $24.99. The other two films in the trilogy will come out separately later next year. “The Godfather DVD Collection” arrived in 2001.
“This is really about providing consumers with a choice,” says Michael Arkin, PHE senior VP of marketing. “Those who cannot afford to buy gift sets now have the option of buying a single film.”
The major drawback to purchasing the films individually will be the lack of special features on the discs. The only added value on each release will be an audio commentary, whereas the five-disc collection includes such extras as a 73-minute documentary, deleted footage and production stills.
Still unknown is whether PHE will apply a similar strategy to “The Adventures of Indiana Jones,” which was released solely as a four-disc set Oct. 21. Arkin says the company is not prepared to discuss the strategy behind the set’s release because it has been out only a month.
