http://dvd.themanroom.com/news/Sweeney_Todd_Coming_to_HD_DVD_in_April/2112

Paramount Home Entertainment has alerted retailers to expect Sweeney Todd to be released April 1 on HD DVD, day-and-date with the standard DVD version. And no, the release date is not an April Fool's joke.

Sweeney Todd, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, is based on the Tony Award-winning musical. Depp received an Oscar nomination for best actor for his role in the film. The film also stars Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Laura Michelle Kelly, Jayne Wisener, Ed Sanders, and Timothy Spall.

Paramount has yet to issue an official announcement so we won't have any specific disc information until they do. Also, as with any early retailer dates, the release date could change at any time.

Sweeney Todd on HD DVD will carry an SRP of $39.99. Check back regularly for high resolution cover art, disc specs, special features, and pre-order information.

...there may be fewer announced titles for HD DVD than Blu-Ray, but they sure have been better films! American Gangster, Beowulf, Sweeney Todd, Into the Wild, Things We Lost In the Fire, and Bee Movie are all must-haves for me (and I even ordered Elizabeth: The Golden Age)!

Awesome!!!!

TrueHD please Paramount.

Great news for HD DVD!

fyi - this is only HD exclusive for US, it will be available on BD in May for UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweeney-Todd-Barber-Street-Blu-ray/dp/B0012YG7RS

I'll buy the HD version since I am purple as I see no reason to pay the import costs. I missed this in theaters but I heard it was good. I really would like to see more musicals in HDM... Moulin Rouge comes to mind as well:p

I cannot wait for April 1st to get here! Sweeney was my 2nd favorite movie this past Holiday season and there's no doubt it's going to sell it's fair share of HD-DVDS.This is one HD-DVD whose AQ i look forward to more than it's PQ.

If Warner is releasing in the UK, I bet they won't region lock it because they don't have rights to the film in US markets. They'd be expanding their market if they kept it unlocked.

this is great news! I personally can not wait

Blind buy on HD DVD, naturally.

Nice! Can't wait to see this on hd dvd. :D

Blind buy on HD DVD, naturally.

+1 :)

I'll be picking this up. Hopefully there'll be something like an 'any title' BOGO at Best Buy so I can pick it up the week of release (I did this with Pan's Labyrinth and the B2G1).

lol

saw april 1st and the first thing that popped to mind, april fool's joke. Hopefully it isn't as I never got to see this in the theaters.

lol

saw april 1st and the first thing that popped to mind, april fool's joke. Hopefully it isn't as I never got to see this in the theaters.


April 1st is on a Tuesday this year. Not a joke. ;)

I've deleted all the discussion on Blu Ray. If you'd like you can post your questions and comments in the existing BR thread on this title. let keep the discussion on topic and within the appropriate forum

thanks
Ron

Woot! I'll definitely pick this one up!

Exellent title for HD DVD. A day one purchase for me.

My buying has slowed down, but this is a no-brainer for me!

I will pick this one up as well. Until then I can "make do" with the wonderful Sweeney Todd in Concert with George Hearn and Patti Lupone. Not bad for an upconverted dvd.
I also missed Sweeney in the theatres and can't wait for it in HD goodness.

Gary

My buying has slowed down, but this is a no-brainer for me!

Same here. My purchases have slowed waaaaay down. I've stopped buying titles that are 'just ok' as I did previously, feeling I had to prop up our fledgling hobby in the best way I knew how. Enough of that craziness.

Until then I can "make do" with the wonderful Sweeney Todd in Concert with George Hearn and Patti Lupone.
"Make do" indeed.

We saw the Burton film in December at the theater and watched the entire concert version DVD afterwards. I'll rent the film in HD DVD, but mostly for the extras. I saw S.T. in the Harold Prince production on Broadway many years ago. The concert version DVD is one of the most often played discs in my collection.

Good news but No Lossless = No Buy.
If Warner releases the Blu-ray version with lossless audio it will be a shame on DW.
Hope that DW features lossless tracks.

I too saw the original on Broardway, along with the touring show, the recent revival, and both video versions, which I own.

You could say I'm a fan of the show. And I think the film is a worthy addition to the many interpretations of it that we've seen over the last quarter-century.

I loved the movie. Of course there's no way Depp or Carter could do these roles on stage. The film is a much more intimate, interior vision of the material. Always with filmed musicals, you have to let them be movies first. Effective as the original production was, it was played very broadly and performed large, with great bombast.

"ST in Concert" is a great DVD, but I'll take Helena Bonham Carter over the shrill and uninflected Patty Lupone any day. Carter's voice may be weak, but (a) Burton was going for a different dynamic between the two principals than we saw on stage, one where Lovett really only came to life as a reflection of Todd, and (b) the part called for some fairly subtle acting chops, and I think Carter delivered.

I'll be grabbing up this HD-DVD without hesitation.

I will pick this one up as well. Until then I can "make do" with the wonderful Sweeney Todd in Concert with George Hearn and Patti Lupone. Not bad for an upconverted dvd.
I also missed Sweeney in the theatres and can't wait for it in HD goodness.

Gary
I continue to "make do" as well with the peerless stage presentation starring Hearn and Lansbury-- simply one of the greatest "live" theatrical presentations ever!! But the film is, in my estimation, a superb translation of stage-to-film. I simply can't wait to have these two definitive performances of a true masterpiece next to each other in my collection.

Now--- does anyone know if we will be subjected to a US-release HD-DVD Combo "Sweeney," or will we be truly lucky and get the HD-only version??!!
Whichever.... I can't wait!

Finally, some good news for a change.

I've been waiting for an announcement for this title. Cant wait to pick it up!

I too saw the original on Broardway, along with the touring show, the recent revival, and both video versions, which I own.

You could say I'm a fan of the show. And I think the film is a worthy addition to the many interpretations of it that we've seen over the last quarter-century.

I loved the movie. Of course there's no way Depp or Carter could do these roles on stage. The film is a much more intimate, interior vision of the material. Always with filmed musicals, you have to let them be movies first. Effective as the original production was, it was played very broadly and performed large, with great bombast.

"ST in Concert" is a great DVD, but I'll take Helena Bonham Carter over the shrill and uninflected Patty Lupone any day. Carter's voice may be weak, but (a) Burton was going for a different dynamic between the two principals than we saw on stage, one where Lovett really only came to life as a reflection of Todd, and (b) the part called for some fairly subtle acting chops, and I think Carter delivered.

I'll be grabbing up this HD-DVD without hesitation.
An excellent summation of the contrast of stage and film "Sweeney"s. I must agree about Lupone (not her best) but the Lansbury/Hearn stage production is not to be missed! I too admire the subtlety (if not the sometimes-garbled diction) of Bonham Carter's "Mrs. Lovett," but the Todd of Johnny Depp is simply one of the great screen incarnations of all time!
And this is the Tim Burton film I've always waited for.

Now to wait for the HD-DVD!! (Non-Combo, please!)

I loved this film in the theater but $40 kiss my ass Paramount... MSRP has GOT to come down on these disks. It's bad enoug combos cost that much

Loved this movie, Should look GREAT in HD. Hopefully it will have TrueHD.

I would warn anyone looking to do a blind buy.

I knew that the film was a musical, but still found the singing disgusting.

These discs never sell for msrp unless you buy from Suncoast. :)...it should be about $27 or so on amazon, just like the other new Paramount/DWorks releases.

I loved this film in the theater but $40 kiss my ass Paramount... MSRP has GOT to come down on these disks. It's bad enoug combos cost that much

They never sell for that much. Where do you shop? Bestbut or Walmart will have it for 25 bucks or 30!

If Toshiba pulls the plug on HD DVD, does any think this has any chance of being released on the format? Would studios continue to support existing HD DVD owners for a few months at least, or would they likely cancel everything? I especially want to get this title as well as the German T2 on HD DVD. I don't think there's been a NA release of T2 with the G'n'R video since the original LD boxed set.

If Toshiba pulls the plug on HD DVD, does any think this has any chance of being released on the format? Would studios continue to support existing HD DVD owners for a few months at least, or would they likely cancel everything? I especially want to get this title as well as the German T2 on HD DVD. I don't think there's been a NA release of T2 with the G'n'R video since the original LD boxed set.
We had better get our "Sweeney" on HD-DVD as promised or we'll sic Sweeney on 'em!!

Strangely, there is no Amazon preorder up for this, yet.

http://www.hdaddicts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=71&sort=2a&page=3

$33.95 pre order price at hdaddicts.com

I'll be surprised if we see this on HD DVD. Remember when Paramount went HD DVD exclusive, they pulled the new Blu-ray releases a few days before street date. My bet is they do the same again when they go Blu.

Pre-order is up at HDMovieSource.com as well

http://www.hdmoviesource.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1451

I'd be very surprised if this is ever released. HD-DVD is done, I'd expect this to be pulled within a few weeks.

And I own an HD-DVD player, so can the "FANBOY LOLZ" comments.

i hope paramount has secretly been pressing BD versions of this, in light of today's Rueters story. I never saw this in the theaters, but with Netflix not sending new movies, and now the big Toshiba story, i am certainly not buying this on HD, even though it would have been a blind buy for me.

I'd be very surprised if this is ever released. HD-DVD is done, I'd expect this to be pulled within a few weeks.
Why? It's not going to cost them an extraordinary amount of money and there's still a sizable HD DVD userbase to sell to.

Well I pre-ordered it today. The "big Toshiba" story, I mean as yet unsubstantiated rumors did not enter and would not enter into my thinking.

That’s an April fools right.

Doesn’t look thou HD-DVD is going to be around much longer R.I.B. Rest In Bits.:D LOL

Sweeney Todd - 04/01/08

2-Disc Special Edition HD-DVD:
Languages: English, French Dubbed & Subtitled, Spanish Dubbed & Subtitled
Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
DVD Features:
• Featurette: Burton + Depp + Carter = Todd
• Interview: Sweeney Todd Press Conference, November 2007
• Featurette: Sweeney Todd is Alive: The Real History of the Demon Barber
• Featurette: Musical Mayhem: Sondheim's Sweeney Todd
• Featurette: Sweeney's London
• Featurette: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Featurette: Grand Guignol: A Theatrical Tradition
• Featurette: Designs for a Demon Barber
• Featurette: A Bloody Business
• Interview: Moviefone Unscripted with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp
• Featurette: The Razor's Refrain
• Photo Gallery: Photo Gallery
• Trailers: Theatrical Trailer

Looks cool I placed my pre order on this the other night. Thanks.

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc27/GeonosisMX/todd_final_hd.jpg

:D

Awesome, glad to see Paramount still releasing their HD DVD titles. This is a definite blind buy for me.

I have a month to wait to see what Formats this will be released on. It's weird that Paramount is the only company that hasn't switched yet. I guess the BDA is still sore about them going cold turkey.

This has TrueHD?! Oh no. Too late Paramount. Depps voice is a little harsh during the singing bits for this to make a positive difference. Ha, the first disk that gets the audio right the format war ends.

Why didnt Uni and Paramount listen to consumers about audio?

If you're only means of getting Sweeney is HD-DVD, pick it up. It's really entertaining and there is plenty of blood. The opening credits should look crazy with HD colors. And you cant really go wrong with Depp and Burton. Sacha Baron Cohen steals the show though, best shave-off ever.

Why didnt Uni and Paramount listen to consumers about audio?



I suspect for the same reasons that Uni didn't listen to us about the horrible Traffic transfer or all the EE they used; they don't care. Still I admire Universal for sticking it out like they did. Last summer they were releasing catalogs at a ridiculous pace to keep HD DVD in the race.

FOr those that don't know Paramount did have a Press Release today, not one confirming their move to BD, but one confirming Sweeney Todd and There Will Be Blood:

Linkasourus Rex (http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Paramount/Last_Man_Standing:_All_Eyes_on_Paramount/1489)

Amazon is listing two separate items for this title:
a 2 disk special edition HD DVD for $24:
http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Todd-Two-Disc-Special-Collectors/dp/B0013D8LOU

and what seems to be a regular (one disk?) HD DVD for $28:
http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Todd-Demon-Barber-Street/dp/B001209SMS

Anyone know what gives?

shinksma

Amazon is listing two separate items for this title:
a 2 disk special edition HD DVD for $24:
http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Todd-Two-Disc-Special-Collectors/dp/B0013D8LOU

and what seems to be a regular (one disk?) HD DVD for $28:
http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Todd-Demon-Barber-Street/dp/B001209SMS

Anyone know what gives?

shinksma

I imagine that the first one is a mistake (probably the DVD version listed as HD-DVD) while the second one is the real HD-DVD pre-order.

I still pre-ordered the first one hoping that Amazon will honor the mistake but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets fixed some time in the coming weeks.

I have a month to wait to see what Formats this will be released on. It's weird that Paramount is the only company that hasn't switched yet. I guess the BDA is still sore about them going cold turkey.

This has TrueHD?! Oh no. Too late Paramount. Depps voice is a little harsh during the singing bits for this to make a positive difference. Ha, the first disk that gets the audio right the format war ends.

Why didnt Uni and Paramount listen to consumers about audio?

If you're only means of getting Sweeney is HD-DVD, pick it up. It's really entertaining and there is plenty of blood. The opening credits should look crazy with HD colors. And you cant really go wrong with Depp and Burton. Sacha Baron Cohen steals the show though, best shave-off ever.

uni did. truehd has been the default audio track on many of their recent catalog titles.

Awesome, glad to see Paramount still releasing their HD DVD titles. This is a definite blind buy for me.

why would it be a blind buy?

anyway, paramount is releasing it in Blu-ray as well ya know

I imagine that the first one is a mistake (probably the DVD version listed as HD-DVD) while the second one is the real HD-DVD pre-order.

I still pre-ordered the first one hoping that Amazon will honor the mistake but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets fixed some time in the coming weeks.

I was right and Amazon gave me a $5 voucher for my trouble :)

Blind buy for me and my girl, She is big fan of Tim and Johnny.

Djoel