Harry Potter, the book and multimedia series that has come to define nerddom for this generation, is over. The books are finished, the movies have run through the reels, and now all that’s left to do is find new and interesting ways to sell it to you. To that end, Warner Brothers is preparing to unleash a $500 box set of the movies. Called the “Harry Potter Wizards Collection,” it includes 31 discs, 13 discs of special features, and a host of other stuff. There’s no firm release date, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pre-order it on Amazon right now for the low, low price of $350.
Here’s what’s inside, according to Amazon:
- Contains 31 discs, inclusive of all content ever previously released, in addition to over 5 hours of never before seen special features, in a limited and numbered edition.
- 18 movie discs
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Theatrical Version and Extended Cut
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Theatrical Version and Extended Cut
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 2D and 3D Versions
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 2D and 3D Versions
- 13 Special feature discs
- Includes multiple specially-produced, collectable memorabilia items, including concept art, a Map of Hogwarts and much more!
The set is reported to be available in “2012.” There’s a remarkably complete breakdown of what other goodies you might expect to find in the box in this comment thread.
Just judging from the images, this appears to be an absolute A+ for presentation. The box looks amazing — if you’re going to spend $500 on a bunch of DVDs, it had better come in a sweet box. However, I have a few quibbles with the box set. First, I really hope that the Harry Potter box set designers put more than just a bunch of drawers on this thing. The Lost box set had an entire TV series on Blu-Ray and a secret puzzle built into the box itself, which sets the bar pretty high as box sets go.
Second, the Harry Potter box set uses the dubdious Ultraviolet system. While this gives users access to an online, streaming version of the movie it’s a far cry from a digital copy that users actually own. If you’ve got problems with huge media companies micromanaging you, this might be a deal breaker.
Oh, and did I mention that it costs $500 ($350 for preorder)? It costs $500 ($350 for preorder).
If you’re the kind of Harry Potter fan that lights his or her cigars with hundred dollar bills, this might be the set for you. Unfortunately, it might be the only option for a while as /Film points out that Warner Bros has been working to limit the availability of the DVDs for some time now. Hopefully, someone will take a cue from this handsome Criterion mockup and put out a cheaper, high-quality set for those Potter-ites in need.
(/Film via Topless Robot)
