Ahoy! Pirate films sail onto DVD

Disney is tying the theatrical opening of the third "Pirates" to the Blu-ray Disc release of the first two films, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which arrive in stores May 22.

The studio said the releases are a calculated move that it hopes will let the Blu-ray Disc format give a decided shot across the bow to its underdog rival, HD DVD, in the quest for a unified high-definition, next-generation disc standard.

On the piggybacking front, Universal Studios on May 8 is releasing the "Pirates of the Golden Age Movie Collection." The two-disc set contains four 1950s pirate movies: "Against All Flags," "Buccaneer's Girl," "Yankee Buccaneer" and "Double Crossbones," all available on DVD for the first time.

20th Century Fox also is hoping to ride awareness of "At World's End" with a new DVD collection of action-adventure films starring Tyrone Power. "The Tyrone Power Collection," arriving in stores May 1, includes "The Black Rose," "Captain From Castile," "Prince of Foxes," "Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake" and "Blood and Sand." The latter has been fully restored and comes with a commentary by cinematographer Richard Crudo as well as a restoration comparison.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Source