District 9 DVD and Blu-Ray Release Moved To Before Christmas!

Maybe it was common sense, or maybe it was just Internet fanboys (like us at MovieViral) hitting them over the head with it, but either way Sony Pictures Home Entertainment made the right move. Thanks to Robby in our forum and our friends at Film School Rejects, we know that the DVD and Blu-Ray release of this summer’s hit District 9 has been moved from December 29th to December 22nd.


Why Sony ever thought that releasing the movie right after Christmas was a good idea, we’ll never know. Maybe it was for those who got horrible Christmas gifts and want to exchange that box set of “According to Jim” for District 9. With the news of the updated release comes more details about the features of the DVD and Blu-ray. Details in the official press release below:

It is scheduled to hit on December 22nd with an epic set of special features. Find out more via the official press release below:

From executive producer Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings trilogy) comes the critically-acclaimed sci-fi thriller District 9, debuting on Blu-ray™ and 2-Disc DVD December 22 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Director Neill Blomkamp (Crossing the Line, Tempbot) enlists a cast of relative newcomers, including Sharlto Copley and Jason Cope (Doomsday), and groundbreaking special effects for the enthralling allegorical story of aliens stranded in South Africa.

Bonus materials on both the Blu-ray and DVD include commentary with Director/Co-Writer Neill Blomkamp, deleted scenes and the three-part documentary “The Alien Agenda: A Filmmaker’s Log.” The first part of the documentary explores the pre-production process and creation of the world of District 9, Peter Jackson’s role in producing the film, and the unorthodox approach to using South Africa as the setting for this film. The second part delves into the shooting style of the film utilizing small handheld cameras to tell the tale, the difficulties of shooting in Johannesburg, the challenges of shooting scenes that would include visual effects later in the process, and the overall challenges encountered during the production process. The third chapter of the documentary investigates the task of designing and editing the film’s sound effects, and the general challenges encountered during the editing process.

The 2-disc DVD and Blu-ray versions also exclusively feature four featurettes: “Metamorphosis: The Transformation of Wikus” looks at the practical effects employed by filmmaker Blomkamp and the artists at WETA to create Wikus’s metamorphosis into an alien; “Innovation: The Acting and Improvisation of District 9” shows Blomkamp’s direction of the actors, his encouragement of improvisation, and the actors’ process for working together under these guidelines; “Conception and Design: Creating the World of District 9” depicts the amazing design and theory behind the world of District 9, including Alien Design, Alien Technology, Space Travel, MNU and The First Reaction Force Battalion; and “Alien Generation: The Visual Effects of District 9” offers an in-depth look at the process of shooting visual effects scenes and incorporating CGI aliens realistically into the scenes in post-production.

Bonus features exclusive to the Blu-ray Disc include a playable game demo of the PlayStation®3 system (PS3™) exclusive, God of War® III – one of the most anticipated video games of 2010. After successfully completing the game demo, the consumer will be able to unlock an exclusive making-of featurette about the game. With more than 8.7 million units sold, the God of War franchise has set the bar for the action-adventure genre with numerous Editor’s Choice and Game of the Year awards given by some of the video game industry’s key media outlets, such as Game Informer, IGN, and GamePro, to name a few.

Other features exclusive to the Blu-ray include a Digital Copy of the film for PC, PSP®, Mac or iPod®, and the Interactive Map feature “Joburg from Above: Satellite and Schematics of the World of District 9,” that allows users to explore alien technology and weaponry, MNU mercenary armory, and more from the film through a series of satellite maps, schematics and photo-real files. The PSP Digital Copy file will be included on the Blu-ray Disc for transfer to the PSP via PlayStation®3. The Blu-ray Disc also features movieIQ—which allows viewers to immediately access continuously updated information on the cast & crew and explore relevant trivia such as production facts, music and soundtrack information all tied to scenes within the movie via BD-Live™—and cinechat, where viewers can send on-screen instant messages to their friends while watching the movie. District 9 will be available on Blu-ray for $39.95 SRP, 2-Disc DVD for $36.95, 1-Disc DVD for $28.96, and UMD for $24.94 SRP.

SYNOPSIS:

From producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and director Neill Blomkamp comes a startlingly original science fiction thriller that “soars on the imagination of its creators” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). With stunning special effects and gritty realism, the film plunges us into a world where the aliens have landed… only to be exiled to a slum on the fringes of Johannesburg. Now, one lone human discovers the mysterious secret of the extraterrestrial weapon technology. Hunted and hounded through the bizarre back alleys of an alien shantytown, he will discover what it means to be the ultimate outsider on your own planet.