Paramount Launching Paramount Presents, A Banner For Speciality Blu-Ray Releases And Theatrical Re-Releases

While some studios have their fingers crossed that physical media will eventually die out, Paramount is going in the opposite direction with Paramount Presents. The new label plans to highlight films from Paramount's library with specialty Blu-ray releases of remastered films and limited runs of classic titles in select theaters. And we now know the first three titles in the lineup: Fatal Attraction, King Creole, and To Catch a Thief.

On April 21, the first three titles in Paramount's new Paramount Presents Blu-ray line will hit the shelves: Fatal Attraction, Adrian Lyne's 1987 thriller starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close; the 1958 Elvis Presley movie King Creole; and Alfred Hitchcock's 1955 To Catch a Thief, with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. 

This is exciting news if you happen to collect Blu-rays (like me). And it's doubly exciting because it means that Paramount could use this label to put out titles that currently have no Blu-ray release. For instance: I really hope they finally give us a Blu-ray for Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead, as the film has only ever been released on DVD. The label will also be used to bring classic films to select theaters for limited theatrical runs so audiences can experience them again on the big screen.

"Paramount's library represents over a century of filmmaking and includes some of the greatest films in cinematic history," said Bob Buchi, president, worldwide home media distribution, Paramount Pictures. "We look forward to opening the vault and sharing some of our most treasured films with fans under the new Paramount Presents banner, both in theaters and in our new Blu-ray collection, which has been crafted to offer something special to casual fans, dedicated film enthusiasts, and collectors."

The Paramount Presents Blu-rays will include "a diverse and eclectic array of films spanning all genres" and "will return each title to the spotlight with meticulously remastered releases that include brand new bonus content focused on the filmmakers." The releases are presented in collectible packaging that includes a foldout image of the original movie poster and interior artwork featuring key movie moments, each Blu-ray in the Paramount Presents line features new interviews with filmmakers and/or celebrated film historian Leonard Maltin.

"Movies have the power to hold a mirror up to the world. Sometimes they make us think about big issues and sometimes they simply reflect the times in which they were made," said Maltin. "The Paramount Presents banner encompasses a wide array of films that are worth revisiting because they captured something unique that resonated with audiences. Whether you're watching them for the first time or the hundredth, you will see why these films have stood the test of time."

Future titles for the banner include Flashdance, Airplane!, Ghost, and "several titles arriving on Blu-ray for the first time ever", including Pretty In Pink and The Golden Child.