4K Steelbook: My New Favorite Thing
An interview with SteelbookBluRay.com editor Mark McManus about the curious appeal of 4k Ultra HD Steelbook editions.
A new 4K Ultra HD edition of Pulp Fiction went on sale in early December, which was a good jumping-off point for a Quentin Tarantino rewatch. I had sworn off physical media when I purged a good number of Blu-rays during a move in 2021, but I was intrigued enough about the Steelbook edition of Pulp Fiction to go for it.
The front cover is bright red with a minimalist, mod-style illustration of Uma Thurman and John Travolta dancing. The Steelbook case is heavier than a typical Blu-ray case, and it looks and feels more premium than a typical Blu-Ray case.
I got the Reservoir Dogs Steelbook. I got the Inglorious Basterds Steelbook. I’m looking for more Tarantino Steelbooks. I got The Batman Steelbook. I’m re-engaging in physical media because I discovered it comes in something more elegant and bookshelf-worthy than a flimsy, cardboard case.
I spoke to SteelbookBluRay.com editor Mark McManus from the U.K. this past weekend to get some answers to my Steelbook questions. Here’s a Q&A from that conversation.
Start me out very basic: What are Steelbooks?
Steelbooks are, as the name suggests, metal packaging for physical media. Steelbook is a brand name owned by a European company called Scanavo, which makes packaging for all kinds of media. In the mid-2000s, Scanavo launched Steelbook, which is a case with metal on the outside and plastic on the inside that holds the discs.
Steelbooks give the film studios a product with a far more premium look and feel than the typical, plastic Blu-ray case. They can have finishes on them, they can be embossed, they can be de-embossed, etc. In an era when physical-media sales are declining, it a way for the studios to keep people interested.
How long have Steelbooks been around?
The first Steelbook was released in 2005 for a PlayStation 2 game called Killzone, and the format was a big success straightaway. Scanavo took the concept to film studios, who started releasing DVDs on Steelbook. There have been music CDs on Steelbook. Over the last 10 years, it has really taken off with Blu-ray and 4K.
When did Steelbook start to spike in terms of sales and availability of major titles?
I started SteelbookBluRay.com in 2012 — so just over 10 years ago — and I could certainly see interest in Steelbook and the collector’s-edition market increasing during that time as general Blu-ray sales has been declining.
In terms of availability, any blockbuster movie today will generally get a Steelbook release. The new Marvel movies and DC movies all get a Steelbook release. Everything Everywhere All at Once has a Steelbook release. Best Buy in America or Zavvi or HMV in the U.K. get certain editions as exclusives.
Is 4K Ultra HD region-free? Can I buy a U.K. Blu-Ray 4K and play it on my U.S. 4K player?
Yeah, you can. The 4K format works everywhere. Blu-ray still has region-coding, but the studios barely bother enforcing it. Disney’s Blu-rays now are largely region-free.
That came from a time when major markets all had different distributors?
Right. And that’s still the case for independent releases. Disney, Universal, Paramount, etc., are generally making their HD and 4K titles region-free. Where you still see regional releases is with indie distributors like Shout Factory and Scream Factory, Severin Films, Vinegar Syndrome, and Arrow Video.
Some Steelbooks sell out. I looked at one for Top Gun: Maverick that’s no longer available.
Some are very limited edition — like 1,000 units worldwide with special artwork — where others are more available but are so popular that they just sell out. When the Marvel movies started doing Steelbook editions, those would always sell out. If a particular Steelbook has very popular artwork, it will often sell out.
The studios don’t seem to have gone very far back into their catalogs. I could only find four Quentin Tarantino movies on Steelbook and couldn’t find the new Casablanca 4K release on Steelbook. Do you think more catalog releases are coming?
All of Tarantino’s films have had DVD or Blu-ray releases in Steelbooks, and they’re starting to come out on 4K. Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood have 4K Steelbook releases.
It’s a function of what the studios think will sell. Most of the Marvel films have had a Steelbook release; some have had three or four. The studio knows that a new series of Marvel Steelbooks will sell, but a studio doesn’t know whether a 50-year-old movie will sell.
Is that where you’re seeing the indies come into the market?
A studio may not see a market for a new 4K Steelbook for Tremors. However, Arrow Video did a new 4K restoration, loads of new interviews and documentaries, and a new Steelbook.
So Arrow licenses the movie from the studio and adds its own extras?
Right.
I couldn’t tell from Amazon or Best Buy that there were Blu-ray Steelbooks for Tarantino’s other movies. Are there better resources for finding those releases?
There are a few. Blu-ray.com is a fairly good resource. My website focuses more on U.K. releases, but I have some information on other markets. You mentioned Casablanca earlier; there was a 4K Steelbook release in the U.K. that came out in October. There have traditionally been more Steelbook releases in the U.K. than in the United States, though the U.S. is catching up a bit.
There’s definitely an aesthetic appeal of Steelbooks vs. the crappy cardboard and plastic cases. Do you see that becoming a bigger part of the appeal?
People are seeing higher costs in the economy and weighing where to spend their money. They can get most of what they want to watch on streaming services. If you’re going to spend $25 on a 4K disc, you might spend $5 or $10 more to get a premium product.
There have been more limited and deluxe editions the last several years. Maybe you’re not buying 10-15 movies a month, but if you’re going to buy one buy this one. Buy a really nice product with a great 4K transfer and lots of extras.