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Why the ‘Disney Vault’ and now the ‘Potter Vault’ are cruel

By Andrew Sims (@Sims) at 6:00 pm, September 20, 2011

“… before it goes back into the Disney vault.”

As kids we heard those threatening words at the end of commercials for the latest and greatest Disney movie hitting VHS or DVD. It created a sense of urgency and, in Disney words, helped them control the market.

Today we’re learning that WB is going to set up a Harry Potter vault, and I think it’s a very bad idea.

According to the studio, production of Potter DVDs will cease on December 29th. That’s four days after Christmas and less than two months after Deathly Hallows – Part 2 goes on sale. What this means is that several weeks later, availability of new copies will become small and you’ll have to resort to eBay and other online retailers who are selling used, old copies.

Warner Brothers is making a big mistake. They’re forgetting that aspects of the franchise like Pottermore, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Studio Tour, and sheer word-of-mouth will keep new generations looking for copies of the films every day.

Then there will come a time when they “reopen the vault” and publish the DVDs with new covers and probably new features. That’s when longterm Potter fans will be upset because they’ll know they’re missing out on special features.

While I understand WB’s desire to hype up re-releases, I think it’s cruel to rob potential new fans of availability for the sake of promoting new editions of the films that they’ll probably call “deluxe,” “crystal,” “diamond,” or any other exciting-sounding adjective.

Let’s keep the great films on shelves where they belong and pump up advertising campaigns when new editions are ready.

View the latest articles in: Features

http://fafafab.tumblr.com/ fafafab

word!
Seriously?

WHAT?! I’m not ok with this. NOT. AT. ALL.
http://profiles.google.com/meganconwy Megan Conway

Agree with you entirely, Andrew!
http://www.facebook.com/liliana.i.v.baptista Liliana Baptista

guess I have to buy the DVDs pretty soon then…
http://twitter.com/Keir_a Keir

Also it is going to make people resort to have to obtain them from torrents. There are plenty of Disney films that I have had to download because I didn’t buy them in their time frame, and I don’t want to have to deal with the inflated prices through a third party seller. Make it more inconvenient for the consumer and they are going to go with the easiest rout, piracy.
- AP87
  
  Personally, I find it easier to buy them used or wait for it to be released from the vault. But that’s just me.
  - http://twitter.com/Keir_a Keir
    
    Oh, I do too. But in cases where the title is rare and the cheapest you can get it is like 80-90 bucks, I will just download it. I think though that “rareness” with movies is a thing of the past. With some older limited edition Disney DVDs there were not many out there because of the short time period. With Potter DVD/blu-rays there are SO many out there that the price hikes buying it used will not be as extreme as some other things.
- Jen
  
  I completely agree w/ this. I’ve resorted to this as well. I mean, I feel bad about it but it’s like I want my nephew to enjoy these movies too but I don’t think he should have to wait until one comes of the the (stupid) vault.
katie_lavelle2

Yeah, this is a bad idea. Bad bad bad.
http://twitter.com/krislintz K

I agree, but is this “vault” threat just limited to the singular Blu-Rays/DVDs? There is different formats which we can purchase the movie from, such as the Ultimate Edition and Box Sets.
http://twitter.com/marypao Mary

Don’t worry…. we can still watch them all on ABC Family every three months. I hope. Unless they stop that too.
http://twitter.com/marypao Mary

@twitter-261601090:disqus - As much as I hate to say it, I think you’re right about torrents. This is an old business model that won’t work in today’s internet environment.
- PotionWillow207
  
  Obviously, it does still work in today’s environment. If it didn’t work Disney would have stopped doing it a LONG time ago.
  - http://twitter.com/xivegotsunshine Anna
    
    Disney has a different type of audience than the Harry Potter films. A majority of the people who buy Disney DVDs are parents of your children, grandparents ect. who either don’t know or decide not to download Torrents. On the other-hand a majority of Harry Potter fans are older and often times more tech savvy who will go to such measures to watch the films. Overall I think for both companies it is a bad idea since not having them in stock and having a bunch of people buy the DVDs from 3rd parties for inflated prices or downloading through torrents will ultimately make for money lost to the companies.
    
    Will they at least have the DVDs available at the WWOHP or in like the gift shop of the Studio tour ect?
    - PotionWillow207
      
      Okay, first of all, being tech savvy has absolutely nothing to do with the decision to purchase stolen merchandise. And I take issue with your claim that Disney is only for kids and old people and Harry Potter fans are mostly young adults and teenagers. Disney caters mostly to kids, but you seem to be forgetting that the Harry Potter franchise is geared towards ages 8-18. So their audience is pretty much the same.
      
      Second, as I said in a previous post we are talking about multi-billion dollar companies. If the vault system were causing them to lose a significant amount of money they would have stopped doing it a long time ago.
      
      Lastly, you obviously did not read the original article with the press release. WB is going halt the production of Harry Potter DVDs. That does NOT mean that they will suddenly disappear from the shelves of every single store in the world. It means that they will, for an unspecified amount of time, not be making any new copies of the movies. That is not the same as “not having them in stock.”
      - Connor
        
        Actually Tech Savvyness is important. Alot of people have yet to figure out how torrents and other illegal software/websites work.
Erika Vega

Has there been any word at all about a Deathly Hallows Part 2 Ultimate Edition? How much after the initial release do you think they’ll offer that? I don’t want to buy the 8-movie collector’s box-set now because I want to wait out on that one, but this whole ‘vault’ thing is confusing me. I don’t want to miss my chance to buy the discs but I don’t want to get screwed. This is frustrating.
Clive

Surely that can’t be true. Why would they do that. What if for whatever reason people can’t buy the films before December 29th, do they just never get to see them. What if people’s DVDs break or get lost? How will they replace them.
I’m shocked enough to learn that Disney films aren’t for sale (I’d always assumed they were) but for films so recent, it’s ridiculous. Why bother even releasing a DVD for only 2 months!
- PotionWillow207
  
  There will still be DVDs for sale. WB is just halting production. Andrew seems to have left this information out of his editorial and people are misunderstanding.
  - NifflerQueen99
    
    “According to the studio, production of Potter DVDs will cease on December 29th. That’s four days after Christmas and less than two months after Deathly Hallows – Part 2 goes on sale. What this means is that several weeks later, availability of new copies will become small and you’ll have to resort to eBay and other online retailers who are selling used, old copies.” No, he said it.
http://twitter.com/when_she_smiles lindsay

This is a horrible, horrible idea. I hope they change their minds. The Harry Potter fandom is always growing.
Anonymous

couldn’t agree more. well said andrew!
Jason

Dude, no. Just no. When I hear those words on the Blu-Ray release for Disney, I do feel that little pang in my stomach. Seriously, that’s just really stupid. Warner Bros. is my favorite production company, having done Harry Potter, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception), and the Lord of the Rings- but I noticed they made money-grubbing decisions like this in the past. I’m glad you released this post.
Anonymous

An excellent article by an excellent Potter fan!
Aart223

They cant do this. this is the stuoidest idea i have ever heard we should protest!!!:(
- PotionWillow207
  
  They can do this. They own the rights to the movies. Grow up and use proper grammar.
  - Guest
    
    Uhmmm, excuse me, but punctuation and spelling are not the same as grammar. And it’s kinda rude to go around telling people to grow up. I think that’s a little harsh. D:
    - PotionWillow207
      
      Um, excuse me, but grammar CAN be used to refer to the orthographical rules of a written language.
      
      And I think that throwing a temper tantrum and calling a company stupid because it does something that you are unhappy with is rude and a little harsh. If you act like a child, then you get treated like a child.
      - NifflerQueen99
        
        This person called it a stupid idea, and he/she has every right to call WB stupid if he/she wishes. I had no idea that everyone who wished to express an opinion on Hypable had to behave like an adult. People are not allowed to get upset anymore?? And some of us still have hard feelings toward the company that moved HBP back 9 months for the sake of making more money, so don’t expect everyone to jump for joy because WB wants to stop producing our favorite series so that, again, they can make more money off of it.
  - http://twitter.com/KaylesKanamycin Kaley
    
    Grow up? They expressed an opinion. That’s the point of the comment section…
HP Fan

I think the vault idea is a bit stupid… they will be limiting their sales! I love all the old Disney classics but guess how many I own? none! I’m just not prepared to pay the inflated prices through third-party sellers when the films are “in the vault”… so they just end up sitting in my Amazon Basket for all eternity, waiting for that tiny window when the prices might come down or the film may be re-released, and honestly, how often does that happen?

It’s upsetting that they’re planning to do this with one of my favourite film collections (Harry Potter) because I’d like to think that it would always be available to purchase! And they’re planning to do it just 2 months after the dvd release??? Are they trying to invoke some HP fandom wrath here??

I get why they do this sort of thing but it really is unfair to the fans of these movies.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=187401082 Lindsey Judy
  
  disney films are generally re-released once every 10 years
Anonymous

Worst idea I’ve ever heard!
Anonymous

Worst idea I’ve ever heard!
Eoin

I agree one hundred percent. And although I am a totaly Harry Potter Fan I have yet to own even a single DVD. So this means. I’m goona have to get them all before December 29th. Cause even if the vault reopens soon I don’t want to wait long.
- PotionWillow207
  
  No, actually it doesn’t. The DVDs are not going to suddenly disappear on the stroke of midnight on December 29th. This isn’t Cinderella, people. All this means is that WB will not be creating new DVDs.
  - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=701556337 Hayley White
    
    But because of the production stopping, people will be out in droves to makes sure they have their copies. Which means that the quantity on the shelves will be much lower and will, in just a few weeks, be gone. Without replenishing the supply, most people will buy full HP sets and individual movies so quickly that if you wait very long, you won’t be able to purchase new ones.
Eoin

I agree one hundred percent. And although I am a totaly Harry Potter Fan I have yet to own even a single DVD. So this means. I’m goona have to get them all before December 29th. Cause even if the vault reopens soon I don’t want to wait long.
http://www.facebook.com/kevin.landeen Kevin Landeen

Totally not okay with this. It is a pointless idea that will just hurt fans. Like Andrew said, Pottermore and the Wizarding World are enough reason to keep them out on the market! People will get them one way or another, so WB is just going to end up hurting themselves.
ElmStar

I will never understand why film studios are so intent on punishing the few people who are actually still willing to legally purchase a movie. I feel like they are just alienating their audiences.
- JessicaP
  
  I agree completely, and that’s exactly what happened to me. A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to re-watch all the Disney movies I loved as a kid, I couldn’t find the DVD’s I wanted to buy anywhere so what did I do? I downloaded them all. I was quite happy to buy them, but obviously they don’t want my money.
  - PotionWillow207
    
    No offense, but to Disney (and likewise to WB) the little bit of money that you were going to spend on those movies is insignificant in terms of the bigger picture. These are multi-billion dollar companies. Even 1 million people missing out on the DVDs is not going to put a dent in their profits. They make tons more on the re-releases than they would make leaving the DVDs out there all the time.
    - JessicaP
      
      But these are the same companies that are whining about the impact the illegal downloading is having on the industry as a whole and by keeping the DVD’s off the shelves for even a short period of time, they’re promoting it. In the long run, won’t that have a bigger impact on their profits?
      - PotionWillow207
        
        No, actually they’re not promoting the ILLEGAL download of DVDs. That’s like saying that charging $1500 for a big screen LCD tv is promoting shoplifting. If you decide to risk getting prosecuted for purchasing an illegal copy of a movie, then that is your choice. No one is forcing you, and it has nothing to do with the marketing decisions of WB.
      - Ilikecheesegirl
        
        Nobody ever gets prosecuted for illegally downloading a movie.
        By saying “No you can’t buy it legally” what do they THINK people are going to do? Wait until they triple the price and release and “ultimate ultimate addition”?
        I would never break a law, but I know plenty of people who don’t pay for things easily available, forget highly expensive crap.
      - Anonymous
        
        It’s not the price aspect. It’s the fact that they make it unavailable.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1776780125 Brett Holden

The market is already saturated with millions of copies of these films. Ceasing production of the DVDs until the release of the next edition is not going to be such a big deal. “Newer” fans should have no problem finding these movies online or at used film stores between re-releases.

I also think people are overestimating how fast the Potter fandom grows. Yes, it is growing all the time but without the production of the films and books then it can be expected to slow significantly. Things like Pottermore and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are for people who are already fans of Harry Potter.

As a business model, ceasing production of the Potter films will increase demand for the re-releases. Historically, these re-releases have netted huge profits for Disney that make up for the moratorium (and then some) on production between re-releases. In the short term, this is going to drive up sales of the Potter films.

The re-releases are themselves for new generations. The time passage between releases allows the number of new Potter fans to grow (there isn’t a market for younger children).

An example would follow like this (numbers of course are made up but follow the idea behind the vault):

Sorcerer’s Stone DVD revenue over three years (normal production without the vault system in place): $100 million

Sorcerer’s Stone DVD revenue (re-release and vault system in place) within a year: $150 million
- PotionWillow207
  
  Thank you SOOOO much for posting this!!! It is mind boggling how people are jumping to conclusions without actually reading the press release. It’s not the end of HP movies, just a temporary halt of production. The DVDs aren’t going to suddenly disappear forever. People need to educate themselves, then take a deep breath and relax.
  
  i actually think this is a very smart move for WB. Doing this means that when the movies are re-released there will be a much higher demand for them. Better than spending all that money continuing production for only the small base of fans who doesn’t already own them. People are more likely to be excited about and buy the DVDs when there is some huge Potter-related promotion happening.
  
  This vault idea does two things: first it will save them money on production; second it is obviously creating hype and a sense of rush. People will feel that they have to buy the movies NOW. Money saved + money earned = a smart move for WB.
  - NifflerQueen99
    
    Just because it’s a good move for the company doesn’t mean that the fans have to be happy about it. Can we all say Half-Blood Prince?? I’ve never liked the Disney vault, so don’t expect me to jump for joy because WB wants more money.
DreamNox58

This is just wrong.
Anonymous

What a stupid idea.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Joey-Mangum/1820064015 Joey Mangum

ARE THE ****ING STUPID?! NO! They CAN’T do this! They just CAN’T! D:<
http://twitter.com/julegamache Jule Gamache

This makes me very unhappy.
Alexxxx

With Disney, I can totally understand the whole vault thing. When they are being re-released they are in DVD format instead of VHS, and as a child growing up with a lot of these movies its nice to get the special editions, and many of them are for the first time on blu-ray. With HP all of these things however, there really isn’t a whole lot of “newness” to be added on. All true Harry Potter fans will already have everything before it goes into the vault – so it’s really kind of a moot point.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1683360003 Paige Barton

I completely agree with you, andrew
http://twitter.com/taylie27 taylore thompson

I understand why Disney does this, for one thing they have 51 animated movies and counting. Also Disney rereleases the same movie once every 7 years, unless something special like a sequel comes out. But it works with Disney because they can rerelease 7 movies a year and not make a dent. Also Disney has only rereleased it when a new format comes out (VHS, dvd, Blu-ray). I don’t think it will work for Potter especially considering there is only 8 movies, and I really don’t want to wait 7 years for another copy of Deathly Hallow Pt. 2 if I get it at Christmas and it brakes and then i’m stuck until they rerelease it. The good news is most stores still have it for quite a while after it goes back in the vault
- PotionWillow207
  
  No, you are NOT “stuck” until the re-release. Halting production does NOT mean that there will be no DVDs to buy. It means that WB will not be making any new DVDs. The stores will have HUGE stockpiles of these, so there will not likely be any shortage.
  
  Good grief, people.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Mitchel-Clow/1144400859 Mitchel Clow

Very nice opinion piece Andrew. It was short, got it’s point across, and left you with a good understanding of your opinion.
MoonstoneWing

Well, guess it’s our turn to break into Gringotts. ;)
- Anonymous
  
  So… who wants to drink the polyjuice potion?
  - 9ronweasly
    
    Sure, can’t brew it on Pottermore yet so I don’t know how we can get it. Do you know any local goblins that can help?
    - Alyssa
      
      I’ll talk to Billl, see if he knows anyone.
      - Chey
        
        I’ll go get Norbert!
        
        - Chey
        http://www.cheyennelynnae.com
      - http://twitter.com/Ian_T_Atkinson Ian Atkinson
        
        Norberta***
  - Corrine Clapp
    
    I do!!!
    - Dkenyon
      
      I’ll bring my Invisibility Cloak.
      - moonshoespotter1712
        
        you have one? wow they’re rare.
      - Belac889
        
        The Liget Deathly Hallow one or that fake one Fred sells
  - http://twitter.com/taylie27 taylore thompson
    
    I volunteer to be the foreign person who can’t speak English!
  - Cjhprubiks
    
    But who’s going to steal Bellatrix’s wand??
    - Cjhprubiks
      
      or better yet, David Heyman! Let’s turn in to him, i bet he could get in to that vault!
  - Belac889
    
    Anybody got the hair
- Ilikecheesegirl
  
  I’ll capture the dragon!
- Amber
  
  I don’t know what I’m gonna do (all jobs are taken), but I am gonna kick some ass!
- http://www.facebook.com/people/Claudio-Catino/100000082110136 Claudio Catino
  
  I’ll use imperio on griphook then I’ll meet you diagon alley!
Michael Filipovic

Bad idea all the way. We are trying to pay them and they won’t let us basically.

The Pottermore Reference reminded me I still haven’t gotten my email. I signed up on day 4 :(
Kennedy

And they would make more money if they left them on the shelves long term. Ugh. This is only the biggest franchise ever, it’ll be crazy to get limited editions.
- PotionWillow207
  
  Read the actual article, people!!! They’re not taking DVDs off the shelves!!! They’re halting production which means they won’t be making new ones. There will still be millions of DVDs floating around the world in Wal-Marts, KMarts, Targets, etc. Educate yourselves BEFORE you start flipping out!!!
  - Alcyone
    
    Wow PotionWillow207, you’ve made a lot of comments here defending WB and Disney’s decisions. I’m not a fan of the vault, but I think that most of the people who actually plan to buy the dvds will get them before they can’t anymore. YOU seem to be the one who is flipping out here!!
    - PotionWillow207
      
      If I’m the only one flipping out, then why are there 100 people on here suddenly screaming, “WB has no right to do this,” and “This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Clearly I am not the only one flipping out. I am the only one actually finding out the facts of the matter and trying to promote it.
      
      Yet clearly, the majority of these people seem adamant on bashing WB and misreading the information. It’s disappointing that HP fans would prefer to live in willful ignorance.
      - NifflerQueen99
        
        People are allowed to disagree and think that this is a bad idea. Just because you don’t agree and see things from WB’s perspective doesn’t make these people wrong. You keep saying the DVDs won’t disappear off the shelves, but you’re crazy if you think they won’t. True, they may not all be gone by New Years, but they will soon be very difficult to find, and I highly doubt WB would go through the trouble of the “vault” if they were just going to rerelease the whole series again really soon. At best, it’ll be a year or so before we see SS again, probably more than that. People have every right to be freaked out. I personally know several people who JUST got into HP and wanted to buy the movies. Some people want a box set of the whole series. Some are saving to buy the Ultimate Editions. Perhaps you are the ignorant one here.
http://www.facebook.com/iDomi Domi Ed

” or any other exciting-sounding adjective” lmao, Andrew.
CK

A really horrible idea. Disney doing it is one thing; they have a lot of films. Harry Potter is one series. And now a days people will just download what they cannot get.
Fravit

Is this actually a bad idea, or is it an idea you just don’t like? Perhaps, for WB, it’s a fantastic idea.
- http://twitter.com/when_she_smiles lindsay
  
  It’s a good idea money and business wise. But not for the fans.
- Ilikecheesegirl
  
  It’s actually a horrible idea business and money wise. How many people do they think are REALLY going to wait?
  People will get them if they want them, they’re just going to resort to doing it illegally.
Scallenger

I agree, Andrew. Is there a way maybe you could come up with a petition for this to WB so they can hear from us all what a bad idea it is? Especially so soon after Christmas. Some of us may be putting off buying some of the films til after Christmas since we are all shopping for other people, and sure we could ask for the films as gifts ourselves, but I’d certainly wouldn’t want to rely on that to miss out. I think a petition is very much needed.
katniss-potter

I agree with 100% with this and if they are going to be including DH2 in this then for places like the UK who don’t get until Dec 2nd that means they’ll have just 4 weeks to get their copy. What about people who were going to wait until after Christmas/New Year to get their copy or even their boxset? It’s so stupid!
- PotionWillow207
  
  Okay, I’m going to type this in really big letters so that people will perhaps read and understand: HALTING PRODUCTION DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO BUY DVDS. IT MEANS THAT WB WILL NOT BE MAKING NEW DVDS.
  
  Andrew, you seem to have left this out of your editorial. WB is not going to send a hit squad to suddenly forcibly remove the DVDs from the shelves and yanks them out of people’s hands. The stores will have millions of these DVDs stockpiled from the Christmas season and these will still be available to consumers. WB will just not be creating any new DVDs until the re-release.
  
  It’s not stupid. It’s not a bad idea. You just don’t like it.
  - http://twitter.com/KaylesKanamycin Kaley
    
    It doesn’t take long for millions of DVDs to be sold.
    - PotionWillow207
      
      Yeah, but that requires everyone going out to buy their DVDs at the same time. Any HP fan worth their salt is going to own all their DVDs LOOOOOOONG before December 29th. I seriously doubt that there is suddenly going to be a flood of people showing up at every store on December 30th to buy a copy of Sorcerer’s Stone.
      
      Everybody just needs to calm down and be reasonable. But apparently that is too much to ask of most HP fans.
      - NifflerQueen99
        
        So what?? People think it’s a stupid idea. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We are allowed to think it’s a bad idea. Just because you are on WB’s side does not mean it’s a GOOd idea. And I disagree that “Any HP fan worth their salt is going to own all their DVDs LOOOOOOONG before December 29th.” Not owning the DVDs does not make someone a lesser HP fan or not “worth their salt”.
Irfonw

To be honest, in the end, what’s the point keeping the DVD in publication all the time. It costs to do that. You’ll still be able to buy the dvds, shops will not stop selling them. Plus, before long, streaming will be the way we watch films. Harry Potter will be on demand. The day of the DVD and blueray is numbered. I bet DH part 2 will also be the exception, seeing as it’s so new.
- starquill
  
  The shops WILL stop selling them, because if the DVDs aren’t in publication, then the DVDs will stop shipping to the stores and the stores can’t stock shelves with items they don’t have!!!
  - PotionWillow207
    
    Not true. The stores will have millions of the HP DVDs stockpiled from the Christmas season. And halting production is NOT the same thing as pulling the items from the shelves.
    - NifflerQueen99
      
      Ok, but they still won’t last forever. And if WB is planning on copying the Disney way, they won’t release them for a while nor all at the same time, and in that case, they certainly WILL disappear off the shelves.
Witchfav

Wait…whaaaaaat? I havent bought mine yet!
http://twitter.com/Zonkos Joke Shop

oh fuck
- starquill
  
  Would hypable mind removing such comments from this site? Children might see it, not something I’d want a kid of mine to look at.
- Corrine Clapp
  
  I understand that you’re upset but, you couldn’t have said fudge?
http://www.facebook.com/chrismarieee Christine Urtz

terrible, terrible idea.
Mayvioletblackburn

Yeah, one time when I had a part-time job and nothing to spend my money on, I was gonna go out to Wal-mart and buy a huge box set of every Disney animated classic so far, no matter how much it cost.
What did I find at Wal-mart? No box set. It didn’t even exist. There were a few movies. Mostly sequels. They didn’t even have every animated classic for sale SEPERATELY.
So what did I do? I got someone to burn downloaded copies onto disc for free.
I was willing to pay hundreds for like 50 movies all in a beautiful set, but no, they want to alienate me.This makes me want to hate the Disney corporation.
- AP87
  
  Did you try any other stores besides Walmart? There are used Disney movies all the time at my local music/video store. I guess this doesn’t help you if you didn’t want used dvd’s but it is an alternative to downloading copies.
- PotionWillow207
  
  Try the Disney Movie Club. It’s pretty awesome.
Mikey Tonkin

I think this is the stupidest thing i have ever heard, what right to WB have to take Harry Potters grand legend away from us? They are ruining publicity!?!?! This is such a stupid thing to do.
- PotionWillow207
  
  Well, considering that they own the rights to these films…they have EVERY right. Think about what you say before you say it. And they’re not ruining publicity. They are setting up for MORE publicity once they release the special editions. Can anyone honestly say that they wouldn’t buy a hyped up, extended version of a Harry Potter movie? I know a bunch of us have bought the ultimate editions even though we already owned copies of the DVDs.
MaybeDavey

There are not many more ridiculous ideas out there, hell, I saw Bee Movie on a shelf today at Walmart. And c’mon HP is better. And some of us wanted to get all the Ultimate Editions at one time for one awesome sitting. UGH!!! WB is making a HUGE freaking mistake.
- PotionWillow207
  
  No they’re not. This is actually a very smart business move. What is the point of spending all that money producing DVDs that most of us already own. The majority of the fan base who would buy these DVDs already have them or will buy them within one week of the release for DH2.
  
  Also, this announcement is going to create a rush to buy the DVDs because people will want to get them before they go into the vault. That was the point of the announcement. And the re-releases will create new hype for the movies encouraging new fans.
  
  So WB is saving money and making money at the same time. Gaining revenue is not a mistake.
  - NifflerQueen99
    
    Then why don’t they shrink production and see how sales go with that??
- AP87
  
  Maybe Bee Movie has been out of production but Walmart hasn’t sold all its copies from the original purchase yet and that is why you still see it on the shelf?
http://twitter.com/Annanass777 Anna Diehm

This. Sucks. MAJORLY.

…does this also count for the Ultimate Editions and all those sets that are comping up?
http://www.facebook.com/emileems Emilee Marie Self

At walmart, they have $5 and $10 HP movies. This is without special features. WB is not going to make money from this.
MichelleDM

This is a very bad idea. People hate Disney because of it, now Potter will join those ranks also.
- PotionWillow207
  
  People don’t hate Disney because of the vault. That’s ridiculous.
PotionWillow207

Everyone seems to be missing a very relevant part of the original article. WB has said they’re going to “halt production.” That doesn’t mean they’re going to immediately yank all the HP DVDs from the shelves. It means they are going to stop making them. Wal-Mart, Target, KMart, etc. will still have their humungous stockpiles to sell in their stores. It’s not like the supply of movies is going to instantly dry up. You might just have to try a little harder to find them.
- AP87
  
  I completely agree with you. Thank you for posting this! I think somtimes it’s hard for the hardcore HP fans to take a step back and actually look at WB’s decisions objectively. First and foremost, WB has to look out for their best interests as a company and if that means putting HP in a vault then so be it.
  - NifflerQueen99
    
    Well, WB kind of has a slight history of caring more about its revenues than its fan base, which is what made HP so big in the first place. People have every right to freak about this if they want, and just because stores will still have stockpiles doesn’t mean that they won’t disappear, especially when people hear about the vault. After all, how many Disney classics can you find on the shelves right now?? Not many, if any. You are correct that they won’t instantly “dry up”, but they certainly won’t be there forever, and I doubt WB will rerelease anytime soon. Most fans seem to feel cheated by this, and I think they have a right to feel this way.
PotionWillow207

Everyone seems to be missing a very relevant part of the original article. WB has said they’re going to “halt production.” That doesn’t mean they’re going to immediately yank all the HP DVDs from the shelves. It means they are going to stop making them. Wal-Mart, Target, KMart, etc. will still have their humungous stockpiles to sell in their stores. It’s not like the supply of movies is going to instantly dry up. You might just have to try a little harder to find them.
JSmithSalon

All this means is that instead of people going out and purchasing the DVD sets they are going to download them off the internet.
- AP87
  
  or buy them used or borrow them from friends when they want to watch them.
Anonymous

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! *darth vader voice*
RScar

I have a feeling WB is going to re release all the films in 3d in theaters like Star Wars, Lion Kings, Titanic etc… when they are in the vault
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1652550015 Tara-Lee Upshall

Not to mention the fact that not everyone has blueray DVD players. I was planning on purchasing all of them again when I upgrade to blueray.
http://twitter.com/iamatk angela tweedie

well, this is just silly
Andrea

Ahahaha @72aa927ce043eeb1c2d7ced7e5c6a071:disqus that is hilarious! But seriously, this is a bogus idea. I mean, it’s probably inevitable that they will do this but shoot wait until next year at least. Give us the chance to get HPDH2
http://twitter.com/Spacecadet570 Spacecadet (Jamie)

Well crud … i was holding out for a boxed set…..
http://twitter.com/RachelgurlFL Rachel Gay

i hate this idea
Laura Jones

so we only have 2 months to get our copy of DH2 before it disappears :(
Christine19

I totally agree with you, Andrew, these movies should be readily available (just as the books are) to new generations of fans that are discovering the books and now Pottermore. It is upsetting to hear that the Potter movies will be set aside to collect dust and not be re-released until many years from now….)’:
Silverdrew77

i seriously can’t believe they would do this to all the fans who have stuck with their MEDIOCRE movies for all these years. Why waste your money on the movies when we have the MUCH better books??
Smartonehailee

will they be putting the ultimate editions in there too? cause i havnt even been able to buy them yet!!!!!
Smartonehailee

will they be putting the ultimate editions in there too? cause i havnt even been able to buy them yet!!!!!
Alohomora

This is cruel yes and also wrong. Wrong because first, like I’m sure has been mentioned, people will simply resort to piracy. After all, where else will they be able to watch it immediatly?
Second, this also deprives people of HP fandom. Greed is no way one of the ethics mentioned in the books and greed is what is no doubt motivating these people. Greed for money. Many people only watch the films on DVD and I’m sure there are people who will just give up on Harry Potter if they can’t find somewhere legal to watch it.
Now, we don’t want people giving up on Harry Potter, do we?
- PotionWillow207
  
  How does halting production of new copies of the DVDs deprive people of HP? That’s ludicrous! Are you not aware that there are Harry Potter books? Have you not heard of Pottermore?
Ellie

Time for a petition!
Rayeofsunshine

I get Disney. But, I think you’re right about Harry Potter. Disney put things in vaults to control the value, and it’s kinda worked. But, what if they kept the kept the dvd sales to exclusive? (Wizarding World, pottermore, etc.) Is that a happy medium?
http://twitter.com/madhav516 Madhav Patel

This is incredibly STUPID. Oh my god, i cannot express it in words enough. THIS. IS. RIDICULOUS. and now im going to have to try to buy the full boxed set BEFORE christmas and our family might not be able to afford it and OHMYGOD.
http://twitter.com/madhav516 Madhav Patel

This is incredibly STUPID. Oh my god, i cannot express it in words enough. THIS. IS. RIDICULOUS. and now im going to have to try to buy the full boxed set BEFORE christmas and our family might not be able to afford it and OHMYGOD.
Corrine Clapp

Well this sucks… I only have number 6.
Corrine Clapp

Well this sucks… I only have number 6.
Corrine Clapp

I’m putting the complete boxed set on my wishlist on Amazon right now!!
Tonks

Why would they put Harry Potter into “the vault”? It’s just denying them money.
Alyssa

What will happen with getting them from iTunes? I’d maybe like to own the 8th one online, but I don’t want to have to rush.
http://twitter.com/xhpfanatic Grace Chen

WTF
Ncnapper92

This is an awful idea, new generations of Potter fans should not have to spend a small fortune to watch the films after they just read the books. Is there a way to protest this? Maybe this site could start a petition to send?
http://twitter.com/fotogurl44 Chelsea Combs

I agree completely! and what about the Ultimate Editions? Are they going to halt those as well?
Emily

That is really really stupid of them.
Alexandra M

Its hard enough getting these sort of things in Australia already. I guess I should go and buy my Ultimate Editions now. It seems like WB’s plan is already working because if anyone was thinking of updating, for instance to Ultimate Editions or BluRay, they’re going to do it now for fear of missing out later.
Raffc

oh my…… i’m speachless :(
Guest

If WB is not selling, there’s always torrents.
- PotionWillow207
  
  Not selling and halting production (which is what the press release actually says) are not the same thing.
  - NifflerQueen99
    
    But you can’t sell something you are no longer producing because at some point you will run out of product.
stargazer

NOOO!!! I’m finally coming to that time in my life when I can actually afford my own copies, but I can’t buy them all at once or all right now!
Bethanie

Well, what about the last two Ultimate Editions? I expect those will still have to come out? I hope they’re not considering making us wait forever for those…with this whole vault deal.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_JKDKYBXUGFK6UITCPM2BHLOM44 Liz Lemon

WHY are they doing a Potter vault so soon!! They can at least wait until next year. Idiots.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=690341156 Andrew Davies-Land

any the entertainment industry wonders why people are resorting to piracy, WB are such idiots! its obvious they couldn’t care less about the franchise it was just a money train for them!
http://twitter.com/upper_westsider NYC Girl

I’ve been a fan long enough to know that WB understands HP fans very well. They know many of us will buy multiple copies of the same movie as long as the DVD also includes a new feature. I refuse to buy the special, the ultimate, the colossal, and the super duper editions. I already have the movie, which is most important to me anyway, and the special features can always be downloaded FREE from the web.
KatnissPotter123

Looks like WE need to break into gringotts!!!!!!!!! ;)
Mary

This is so stupid. I’ve always hated the Disney vault, finding it rather pointless and just simply a way to annoy fans into buying their overpriced “special” DVDs with like, one unimportant added bonus feature.
So now my favorite films of all time are doing it? What a joke. I hope they don’t go through with it. The only reason I would ever consider this a good thing is if they added every single deleted scene they filmed to each DVD. Then it would be would be worth it but will they do this? I HIGHLY doubt it.
pirouettephoenix

All that effort that went into making the movies just to have it locked away?? That doesn’t exactly do justice to the cast and crew…
moonshoespotter1712

no i dont want that! i agree with you andrew! :(
Joel Cruz005

what about the ultimate edition?
Hopanopnopahop

you guys do realize that it only applies to PHYSICAL copies of DVD’s, not the digital ones? Blu-Ray will probably be the last of it’s kind, and WB probably feels they are expensive to make in comparison with the profit they probably make from their digital sales. no one will HAVE to resort to torrents and it’s not really that earth-shattering. I love having the DVD’s but I’ll have plenty of time to get my copy of Harry Potter before they stop selling them.
http://twitter.com/_FinalHorcrux_ Tyler J-PiZzle

This sucks Royal Hippogriff.
Anonymous

I hope everyone here is clever enough not to fall for this charade. WB will be releasing the DH Part 2 Ultimate Edition DVD/Bluray next year, which will be followed by an Ultimate Edition Box Set. Don’t waste your time and $ rushing to the stores to get the DVDs this holiday season to boost WB’s sales.
http://twitter.com/evanna11 Carolien

Yeah, maybe that’s not really a smart thing to do, with the internet and all. Also, people don’t have a reason to trust/like WB at all anymore. There’s no next movie, it’s not the same as delaying HBP when everyone still wants to see the movie in the cinema anyway. And yes, they aren’t only alienating people who have been fans for a while AGAIN, they will also alienate new fans who won’t be able to find the movies quite that easily. And what about the more casual fans that don’t really know about the release dates and stuff and usually buy the dvd a few months later?
If they go through with this, I don’t think it will work out very well for anyone.
Anonymous

I have a question. If production stops at the end of this year, what is the WB going to do about the Ultimate Edition of Deathly Hallows? Surely there won’t be Ultimate editions for just the other 6 films.
guest

*FAINTS*
Bubblestring

That PotionWillow person is bananas!
- Alyssa
  
  rude, no specific reason why you think so, and just plain random.
Guest2

here could be a good point. The main reason why they vault it is so they can have a few dates set every now and then to manufacture the DVDs. It probably cost more to manufacture DVD’s that are dwindling in sales when you can just restock the DVDs and advertise a new edition at the same time.
DB

For what it’s worth, it will probably only be a year-long wait before they’re available again. Warner Brothers had previously stated this:

“Hard-core Potter fans will be pleased to know that
2011 is not the end of the Harry Potter film franchise on DVD and Blu-ray.
Warner Home Video plans to release a comprehensive Harry Potter film
collection, with even more extras and collectible premiums in 2012. More
details about the collection will be available at a later date.”

Remember, they still have the Ultimate Collector’s Edition versions of the last two movies to release. Of course, none of this rationalizes the decision to put the moratorium in effect before the holiday season is even over, and so close to the release of the final film. But I stopped buying the discs after OOTP anyway, figuring I’d hold off for an eventual complete set. Which it looks like will be out next year.

“H
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000274774360 Leif Bjarne Hammer

WB is being Umbridge!
Ameen Yassin

Oh Andrew. You are so naive.
This is ugly, piggy capitalism. These decision makers at WB should be put in prison.
Power to the people!
Anonymous

It’s like They WANT people to pirate the movies.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Claudio-Catino/100000082110136 Claudio Catino

I’ll use imperio on the goblins then when we’ve finished, I’ll meet you in diagon alley!
Santiarof

I’ll definitely be buying the movie as soon as it comes out on DVD. But I also think this is a bad idea for us (i can assure you businessmen in WB have thought this through). I just hope they re-release an 8 box blu-ray for when i have one!!
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Guest

thats actually really annoying… i scratch my DVD’s like every 3 months because i overuse them and i always need to re-buy them.. now i dont even have the option :S d**kheads…

however, on a lighter note, i’ve just been exploring this site for a good half an hour and just realised how awesome it is :) im deffo going to use this site more often from now on!
Pingback: Poll: Are you buying any ‘Harry Potter’ DVDs ahead of their removal from store shelves? - Hypable
Anna

I know they’re just doing this to make money, but I think they’re forgetting the most important part… it’s Harry freaking Potter. Cue the AVPS song.

People are going to keep wanting to watch these movies, and they’re going to be unable to find them. What about people who are little kids now, who could get into Harry Potter very soon? If their parents don’t already own the movies, and their kids want to see them, they’ll have to pay like $70 for one movie (the crystal diamond ultimate limited edition on blu ray or something stupid like that). I would just watch it on megavideo or get it from Netflix, but it’s not the same. And what new features would they release? Would they release new copies for new fans with features full of stuff we original fans’ve already seen, or would they release new copies for old fans with features full of never-before-seen behind the scenes stuff that we actually want to see?
Torrieana

I’m just so confused as to what’s going to happen with the Ultimate Editions… I was holding out for THOSE copies and now who knows?! Ugh!
Pingback: The Beginning of the End: New shipments of ‘Harry Potter’ DVDs end today in the United States - Hypable
Jn

honestly i’ve been more interested in the various extended editions circling the internet though those have become hard to come by after the 5th film, which is sad given how much was “missing” from the 6th film, not sure how much was “missing” from the 7th since it was split in 2 to cover more ground any way. Wish people would seed the extended editions, only found 1 copy of 6 and 7.1 but its stuck. I’ve bought all the dvd’s yet am not adept enough to splice the deleted scenes together my self… >.<

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Why the ‘Disney Vault’ and now the ‘Potter Vault’ are cruel

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