Haven’t spent enough money on Marvel’s The Avengers yet? Not to worry, because there’s a big Marvel movie box set coming your way, and it ain’t cheap.
Titled Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One – Avengers Assembled, this ten-disc, six-movie Blu-Ray box set will include all the Marvel Studios films released up to now, including The Avengers. The list price is set at $219, but Amazon has it for thirty percent off at $153.30, and if you pre-order now, that price is guaranteed. No release date for the set has been announced, but one assumes it will land on or around September 25th, the date The Avengers assembles on home video.
In addition to all six movies, the limited edition set will also include “collectible packaging with exclusive memorabilia from the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” as well a bonus disc with all new supplementary material. Here’s a breakdown of how the discs are laid out:
- Marvel’s The Avengers (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
- Thor (Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray)
- Iron Man 2 (Blu-ray)
- The Incredible Hulk (Blu-ray)
- Iron Man (Blu-ray)
- Bonus Disc – “The Phase One Archives” (Blu-ray)
That does indeed come out to ten discs, but what’s disappointing – and what fans need to remember – is that Iron Man and Iron Man 2 each originally received stellar 2-Disc Blu-Ray releases from Paramount with feature-length making-of documentaries and more. It seems the second discs from both those sets is absent in this box, making it a big step down for those movies in particular. It remains to be seen whether other films will retain any of their bonus material either.
It’s nice that Marvel is putting all their movies out there in one box set, and I certainly like that it’s called Phase One – indicating future cycles of Marvel movies – but personally, it’s not for me. I already own all the movies on Blu-Ray with better bonus features, and even if the packaging is really cool, I don’t feel it will be worth the expense.
Your mileage, of course, may vary. What do other Marvel fans think of this announcement? Is it something you plan on picking up?