With the excitement now quiet, and the focus very much shifted to the upcoming sequel, fans are still very pleased withThe Hunger Games. The previous box office giant before The Avengers flexed its superhero muscle proved how big of a contender it could be as the novel lit up screens worldwide, and left quite an interesting story in its wake when it came time to the beginning of development for Catching Fire. Now, fans have one final hurrah to look forward to for the first film as the Blu-Ray and DVD releases have finally been unveiled.
Rumored last night and revealed this morning, Entertainment Weekly showcased the upcoming home video with an exclusive trailer that they happen to be holding a tight grip on. With it comes the news that The Hunger Games will be hitting store shelves on August 18th, with pre-orders being available this Friday. The two editions available will be a 2 Disc Blu-Ray and 2 Disc DVD set, with both gaining a free digital copy as well. Also rumored are that special editions of the release will be available at Wal-Mart, Target, and more, along with midnight release parties on the night of August 17th to the 18th. It’s said that the film will be available to own on Blu-Ray, DVD, and even Digital Download at 12:01 AM that morning.
Special features are scarce, but the magazine says that the sets “will include over three hours of unreleased material, with features that provide insight into how the film was made, interviews with the cast and crew, and details about some of the story lines that differed from the book — like President Snow’s character (Donald Sutherland) and the role of the game maker (Wes Bentley). An eight-part documentary entitled The World is Watching: Making of The Hunger Games delves into the behind-the-scenes aspect of creating the film. The extras also include the full-length “Propaganda Film” shown during the Reaping.”
There’s no news yet whether or not the Blu-Ray will come with exclusive special features, but it’s very much expected. These are preliminary details right now, with a better showcase likely to come from Lionsgate in the coming months.
Along with the details came the cover art reveal which doesn’t look like the final art just yet, but certainly could end up becoming the definitive look. Personally, I would rather see the final poster or even the IMAX re-release one sheet for the Blu-Ray art work (seen above) while the DVD could easily stay the same. Click on each cover below for a slightly larger look:
“The Hunger Games” chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event. Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.
The Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, and many more.
