M:I III powers to HD DVD, Blu-ray
Paramount will unleash actioner on standard DVD simultaneously Oct. 30
By Susanne Ault -- Video Business, 8/11/2006
AUG. 11 | In one of the first simultaneous three format launches, Paramount Home Entertainment will bow Mission: Impossible III on HD DVD, Blu-ray Disc and standard-definition DVD on Oct. 30.
M:I III grossed $133 million at the box office.
This also marks Paramount’s first confirmed release on Blu-ray.
Both two-disc HD DVD and Blu-ray editions are $29.99 MAP, $39.99 SRP apiece. A two-disc standard DVD collector’s edition (priced at $24.99 MAP, $34.99 SRP) will complement a single-disc version at $19.99 MAP, $29.99 SRP. Prebook on all sets is Sept. 19.
Exclusive high-definition special features on both HD DVD and Blu-ray versions include featurettes “The Making of the Mission,” “Mission Action: Inside the Action Unit,” “Visualizing the Mission” and “Scoring the Mission.”
On its HD DVD version only, there will be picture-in-picture commentary, in which star Tom Cruise and director J.J. Abrams will be shown talking about the film as it plays.
The standard-definition collector’s edition extras include tribute montages, fan Q&A with Cruise and Abrams and a photo gallery, while the single-disc version will offer commentary, a making-of and deleted scenes.
During the Aug. 7-9 Entertainment Media Expo, Paramount unveiled that M:I III was headed to HD DVD during the fourth quarter. Many of the other studios have not yet publicly stated high-def release specifics for their A-list titles.
