Now that Star Wars has begun a new trilogy of films starting with "The Force Awakens", they have also started making standalone films taking place in the Star Wars universe. Originally considered an experiment of sorts, these films would tell stories separate from the trilogies and the saga of the Skywalker family. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" features all new characters, and a couple of returning characters in cameos and supporting roles. It hit theaters on Dec. 18th, 2016 to strong reviews. The story is a simple one: how did the Rebel Alliance acquire the Death Star plans, as seen in Episode IV: A New Hope.
Featuring a female protagonist, Jyn Erso, whose father worked on the Death Star, she finds herself caught up in the Rebel Alliance and begins a quest to find her father and finds so much more. Along the way, she meets up with Cassian Andor, a Rebel operative, and his reprogrammed Imperial droid K-2SO, a scene stealer with the funniest lines. They also pick up some strays along the way with Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus, both proficient with armed combat but using very different styles of doing so. Opposing them is Orson Krennic, the Imperial engineer who built the Death Star and supervised Jyn’s father Galen in developing its fearsome superlaser.
Directed by Gareth Edwards, Rogue One is essentially a war movie set in the Star Wars universe, with gritty action and a high casualty count. And the forty minute final battle in space and on the surface has been widely heralded as one of the best Star Wars action scenes ever seen on the big screen. Seeing Darth Vader in action at the height of his powers is always cool to see too.
Disney’s gamble with standalone stories clearly paid off, as Rogue One grossed over $531 million dollars domestically and over $523 million internationally, leading to a cumulative total of over one billion during its theatrical run. It is the highest grossing film of 2017 and the seventh highest grossing film domestically of all time. Critics agree with audiences on this one, as it got an 85% fresh rating from RottenTomatoes.com. And with the success of Rogue One, Disney is now planning the next fifteen years worth of Star Wars movies, including a movie focused on Han Solo’s younger years coming out in 2018 and more movies after Episode 9 comes out.
This movie drops on DVD and Blu-Ray Tuesday, April 4th. There are three exclusive editions for this movie as well, so let’s find out the details.
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DVD/Blu-Ray Editions:
There are four editions:
1.) The DVD edition (1 Disc)
2.) The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (3 Discs)
3.) The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (4 Discs)
4.) The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (5 Discs) – with Target exclusive bonus disc
A note about the digital copy, it will be a code you can redeem on the Disney Movies Anywhere website, which then connects to many different accounts with digital movie sites like Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Microsoft Video and Vudu. No matter which digital movie platform you use, you should be able to view the movie on the device of your choice.
DVD & Blu-Ray Special Features:
1.) The DVD edition (1 Disc):
The movie on DVD. No known additional features.
2.) The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (3 Discs):
• A Rogue Idea – Hear how ILM’s John Knoll came up with the movie’s concept – and why it’s the right film to launch the Star Wars stand-alone films.
• Jyn: The Rebel – Get to know Rogue One’s defiant, resourceful survivor, and hear what it was like for Felicity Jones to bring her to life onscreen.
• Cassian: The Spy – Diego Luna shares insights into his complex, driven character, who becomes a hero through selflessness, perseverance and passion.
• K-2SO: The Droid – Explore the development of this reprogrammed Imperial droid, from initial pitch and character design through Alan Tudyk’s performance.
• Baze & Chirrut: Guardians of the Whills – Go deeper into the relationship between these two very different characters, with Chinese superstars Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen.
• Bodhi & Saw: The Pilot & The Revolutionary – Forest Whitaker and Riz Ahmed reflect on Saw Gerrera, the broken Rebel leader, and Bodhi Rook, the Imperial pilot who defects.
• The Empire – Meet a dangerous new Imperial adversary…and cross paths once more with the most iconic villain of all time.
• Visions of Hope: The Look of "Rogue One" – The filmmakers describe the challenges and thrills of developing a bold new look for the movie that can fit within the world of the original trilogy.
• The Princess & The Governor – See what it took to bring the vibrant young princess of "Star Wars: A New Hope" – as well as one of her most memorable foes– – back to the screen.
• Epilogue: The Story Continues – Filmmakers and cast celebrate Rogue One’s premiere and look forward into the future, to the Star Wars stories yet to be told.
• Rogue Connections – Uncover Easter eggs and film facts hidden throughout the movie that connects "Rogue One" to the Star Wars universe.
3.) The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (4 Discs):
All of the bonus features from the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition, with a 3D version of the movie included. A Best Buy exclusive.
4.) The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition – with Target exclusive bonus disc (5 Discs):
All of the bonus features from the The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition, with a 3D version of the movie included. Target’s edition also has an exclusive bonus disc on DVD with 20 minutes worth of special features. See more about this exclusive in the "Deals & Exclusives" section below.
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Best Prices:
I did a price comparison on both the internet and this week’s circulars with Amazon.com, Best Buy, Bestbuy.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Costco.com (no listings for some reason), DeepDiscount.com, Frys.com, FYE, FYE.com, Kmart.com/Sears.com, Overstock.com, Rakuten.com, Target, Target.com, Toys R Us, ToysRUs.com, and Walmart.com. Unless otherwise noted or known by me, the prices are the same in store and online at their respective websites. I noted shipping in the price rankings because of the competition between stores, but I will only be comparing base prices of the movie. Shipping costs will not factor into the price rankings as a result.
Please note that with these price rankings, these prices are as current as I am aware of. Walmart’s in-store prices don’t always match its website prices, for example. As a result, these prices are as accurate as I can verify from the internet and flyers from the newspaper, I don’t put prices in the rankings that I cannot verify.
On a side note, this is why Amazon doesn’t do pre-orders for a Disney owned movie: https://consumerist.com/2014/08/1…-blu-rays/ (I saw this posted in another thread on Rogue One but cannot find the person who posted it so I cannot give them credit. Let me know who you are and I’ll credit you accordingly.)
For example, in the past, Kmart.com/Sears.com will presumably sell all versions of a movie, but there are no listings for it online but only in Kmart’s circular. So I can only rank the price at the store and not the price on the website. I also know from experience that FYE’s B&M store prices are the same as those on their website, so I made one listing for both. In other words, these stores reserve the right to change their prices and I might not know about it. That’s where the SD community can help each other out and if new or different prices are verified, I will edit my post accordingly.
A note about Walmart’s prices, they have proven to be notoriously regional in the past and they rarely have a weekly circular available online. When it is available online, the circular prices in it are national or mostly national. Hopefully, the prices online will be national, with little price variation.
I will only include the top five prices in this thread. Basically, if a retailer’s price stinks, it doesn’t get to be a part of this compilation list. I will still do a full price comparison to all the stores I listed above, but only the best prices will be included here. So if you don’t see a particular store on the list, it means their price wasn’t good enough to be included. It also means that if their price isn’t included here, you should go to a retailer whose price WAS included on this list and try to get the other retailer to price match it, if possible.
Here are the conclusions:
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1.) The DVD edition (1 Disc)
Here are the complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Kmart in-store – $19.88 + $10 back in Shop Your Way rewards = $9.88 final price
2nd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com – $17.99 (free shipping for orders on website or free in-store pickup)
2nd: FYE/FYE.com (Backstage Pass Member) – $17.99 (free shipping on orders over $40 on website)
2nd: Target/Target.com – $17.99 (free shipping for orders over $25 on website or free in-store pickup)
3rd: Walmart.com – $19.96 (free shipping on website or free in-store pickup)
4th: DeepDiscount.com – $19.99 (free shipping on orders over $25)
4th: FYE/FYE.com – $19.99 (free shipping on orders over $40 on website)
4th: ToysRUs/ToysRUs.com – $19.99 (free shipping on orders over $29 on website or free in-store pickup)
5th: BarnesandNoble.com – $20.99 (free shipping on orders over $25)
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2.) The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition (3 Discs)
Complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Kmart in-store – $25.99 + $10 back in Shop Your Way rewards = $15.99 final price
2nd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com – $19.99 (free shipping for orders on website or free in-store pickup)
3rd: Target/Target.com – $22.99 (free shipping for orders over $25 on website or free in-store pickup)
4th: FYE/FYE.com (Backstage Pass Member) – $23.39 (free shipping on orders over $40 on website)
5th: Walmart.com – $24.96 (free shipping on website or free in-store pickup)
6th: DeepDiscount.com – $24.99 (free shipping on orders over $25)
6th: ToysRUs/ToysRUs.com – $24.99 (free shipping on orders over $19 on website or free in-store pickup)
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3.) The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition
Complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Best Buy/BestBuy.com – $24.99 (free shipping for orders on website or free in-store pickup)(SteelBook exclusive with 4 discs included)
2nd: Target/Target.com – $27.99 (free shipping for orders over $25 on website or free in-store pickup) (Target exclusive with 5 discs included)
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Don’t forget that you can price match any edition of this DVD or Blu-Ray to the store of your choice, if they have a price matching policy. There might also be some store-specific coupons or online coupon codes floating around that could help bring some of these prices down further. Given the price competition for this movie, there are some great price-matching opportunities, especially due to the aggressive price matching policies stores like Best Buy and Target continue to utilize.
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Deals & Exclusives:
There are three retailer exclusives this time as well as some good deals. Which, if any, will you get?
Best Buy/BestBuy.com:
Best Buy and its website have a SteelBook exclusive of the 4-Disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition. The SteelBook has the black Death Troopers featured on its cover. The special features are on a separate Blu-Ray disc. Priced at $24.99 each, with free shipping on its website or free in-store pickup: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/rogue…Id=5734
DisneyStore.com
If you pre-order the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack by April 3rd, you get an exclusive set of four lithographs. Each 10” x 14” lithograph features a special Disney seal stamped in gold foil. You also get a $10 off coupon for a future online purchase of $40.00 or more. An e-mail will be sent at the conclusion of the pre-sale with a unique promotion code valid for a future online purchase made between 4/4/2017 – 4/16/2017.
Priced at $24.95, with free shipping on orders of $50 or more on their website: https://www.disneystore
FYE:
FYE has an offer when you pre-order this movie in DVD or Blu-Ray, you get a free poster with your reservation. This appears to be an in-store offer only, as I don’t see the poster offer if I pre-order it on their website @ FYE.com.
Kmart:
An in-store offer only, buy the DVD or the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack and get $10 back in Shop Your Way points to use on a future purchase. This makes this the best price for this movie. This offer is valid from April 4 through April 15. The points are valid for 90 days. It’s free to join Shop Your Way here: http://www.shopyourway
Target/Target.com:
The Target exclusive of the 5-Disc 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition includes collectible packaging with interchangeable character covers and a DVD of exclusive bonus content with two additional bonus features that run approximately 20 minutes:
• Inside the Creature Shop – Discover what it takes to bring Rogue One’s innovative aliens to life, with Neal Scanlan, Creative Supervisor of Creature & Droid FX.
• Digital Storytelling – Get an up-close look at how cutting-edge technology from ILM helped Director Gareth Edwards realize his creative vision in Rogue One.
The 3D/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Copy Combo Pack edition is in store (on Tuesday) and online with free shipping on its website or free in-store pickup. Priced at $27.99: http://www.target.com/p/rogue-one…A-52235269
Target is also offering a deal where you get $10 off of $50 worth of Star Wars merchandise, or $25 off $100 worth of Star Wars merchandise. The coupon is only available in the Target Cartwheel app or you can have the coupon texted to your cell phone. A picture of the coupon is also below.
http://www.target.com/c/star-wars…rWarsdea
Walmart/Walmart.com:
The Walmart 3-disc set comes with exclusive K-2SO packaging and two Galactic Connexions trading discs. The special features are on a separate Blu-Ray disc. Priced at $24.96 with free shipping or free in-store pickup: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rogue-…e/55550540
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I included as much pertinent information on this new release that I could find so everyone can make a more educated decision on whether to purchase this movie or not, as well as which edition they prefer.
For those of you who read these threads start to finish, there is plenty of detail for everyone. I’ve noticed that a lot of the questions people put in these threads could be answered if they read the OP carefully. I would heartily encourage you to do so, as it might answer the question(s) you have before you even have to ask.
And that is the end of this compilation, my first New Release Thread for the year 2017. Only three retailer exclusives this time around, thankfully. It should make it easier to decide what edition and which exclusive you might want.
On a side note, if you watch Rogue One and then watch A New Hope, the experience is remarkably smooth, the transition from one to the other is seamless and they complement each other extremely well.
For more information on previous New Release Threads for blockbuster DVD and Blu-Ray releases, please click here: .