Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection: Why no This Island Earth / It Came from Outer Space?

[dbone828]

I think Universal's The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection is a great set, but I can't help but notice the glaring omissions of This Island Earth, which includes what is arguably Universal's most recognizable Sci-Fi monster, as well as It Came from Outer Space, the Sci-Fi film that started it all for Universal.  Both are available to own either on DVD or BluRay as individual titles, but not in the Sci-Fi set.

At first I thought the reason for their exclusion would be that the Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection might have been designed to only include the classic films that were not available to purchase on DVD on their own.  This appears to be the case for most of the titles, but it does include the amazing The Incredible Shrinking Man, which is available to own separately on DVD.

I would love to see the Ultimate Collection get re-released on Blu-Ray, but I can't help but feel it is a little incomplete because of the exclusion of TII and ICFOS.

[Mike Scott]

This appears to be the case for most of the titles, but it does include the amazing The Incredible Shrinking Man, which is available to own separately on DVD.

I'd have to check the dates, but I think the individual release of TISM came after the Sci-Fi set was released. As you say, ICFOS and TIE had already been released before the Sci-Fi set.

[dbone828]

I'd have to check the dates, but I think the individual release of TISM came after the Sci-Fi set was released. As you say, ICFOS and TIE had already been released before the Sci-Fi set.

That would make sense if The Incredible Shrinking Man was released individually after the release of the Sci-Fi box set.  Thanks for your feedback!

I think a Blu-Ray release (at least of Volume 1), with the addition of This Island Earth and It Came from Outer Space could be packaged as Universal CLASSIC SCI-FI, using The Essential Collection caption previously used for the Blu Ray box sets for Universal's Classic Monsters and Alfred Hichcock collections in recent years.



On a slightly different note, I just stumbled across this DVD box set on the UK Amazon store that includes Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man, This Island Earth, Tarantula, It Came from Outer Space, as well as The Thing from Another World and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  Any idea how these last two titles were able to be packaged and distributed under the Universal brand?  Perhaps Universal has distribution rights in the UK for certain films that they don't have in other parts of the world?

[Mike Scott]

That would make sense if The Incredible Shrinking Man was released individually after the release of the Sci-Fi box set.

My ISM DVD says 2011. The first SCI-FI COLLECTION set was 2006.

Any idea how these last two titles were able to be packaged and distributed under the Universal brand?  Perhaps Universal has distribution rights in the UK for certain films that they don't have in other parts of the world?

That's basically it. Different DVD distribution deals in different countries cause movies from different studios to appear in the same box sets.