They all used to have lots of great releases. Seems like Manta Lab is the only premium retailer able to keep going. Anyone have any insight into these companies?
What is HDZeta, KimchiDVD, Filmarena, Cinemuseum, Plain Archive and Novamedia up to?
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Really good question! But I'll use this opportunity to answer how Manta is still going strong by pointing to my sig!!!
My understanding.
Hdzeta: spent all their remaining money on releasing LOTR and are unable to keep business going, website has been dead for years
KimchiDVD: is just selling normal steelbooks now, no exclusives
Filmarena: Just releasing WWA steelbooks with fullslips now, Predator was their final proper release (and what a shitshow that was, waited 2 god damn years)
Cinemuseum: lost most of its followers by pushing deadlines and not releasing what was promised, nobody cares anymore
Plain Archive: Seems to have stopped with exclusives,
Novamedia: Just does 700 limited fullslip version with regular blurays now
All in all seems like Manta Lab is the only company that are able to keep making a profit and keep customers happy
Hdzeta: spent all their remaining money on releasing LOTR and are unable to keep business going, website has been dead for years
KimchiDVD: is just selling normal steelbooks now, no exclusives
Filmarena: Just releasing WWA steelbooks with fullslips now, Predator was their final proper release (and what a shitshow that was, waited 2 god damn years)
Cinemuseum: lost most of its followers by pushing deadlines and not releasing what was promised, nobody cares anymore
Plain Archive: Seems to have stopped with exclusives,
Novamedia: Just does 700 limited fullslip version with regular blurays now
All in all seems like Manta Lab is the only company that are able to keep making a profit and keep customers happy
WeET still trickle out releases and Blufans have been coming out with stuff again lately. Plain Archive did announce The Florida Project, but unfortunately they've really moved away from steelbooks.
Honestly, Universal UK has been releasing some great stuff the past few years and their most recent King Kong, Atomic Blonde, The Northman, and LNIS sets look like they should be exceptional (albeit the preorder for King Kong was ridiculous and I'm just assuming with LNIS); and being able to release just the steelbook across Europe is also great. Somebody there recognized that they could start selling a product that was (and still is) otherwise dying for a hell of a lot more money than in the past.
Novamedia are still doing WEA art Steelbooks. Just slower than ever. Suzume just released.
It really sucks and it does not make any sense to me. The demand really seems to be here, if we see the activity on r/Steelbooks, ebay purchases, insane 2-4x prices on ebay etc. Demand seems to be here, so what changed? Do studios have a hard time getting the licenses from the movie industry?
FAC seems dead in every way. Some others as well. Manta is the only active one and then Novamedia.
I am bored of seeing just Batman/LOTR releases over and over again, while there are great movies that have hardly gotten any proper steelbook/premium ever.
Let's see if there will be any premium of No Country For Old Men now that it got 4k release.
I respect Novamedia a lot for releasing Dark Waters, Nightcrawler and Pig. Hopefully they will continue.
Also the steelbook prices have gotten so up that made me as well buying only what I consider necessary, movies I trully love and can watch again and again, and only if I like the art.
FAC seems dead in every way. Some others as well. Manta is the only active one and then Novamedia.
I am bored of seeing just Batman/LOTR releases over and over again, while there are great movies that have hardly gotten any proper steelbook/premium ever.
Let's see if there will be any premium of No Country For Old Men now that it got 4k release.
I respect Novamedia a lot for releasing Dark Waters, Nightcrawler and Pig. Hopefully they will continue.
Also the steelbook prices have gotten so up that made me as well buying only what I consider necessary, movies I trully love and can watch again and again, and only if I like the art.
I believe it's only blufans going forward with MCU releases as MantaLab no longer have a licence to do so.
Apparently HDZeta has made the decision to suspend all planned 2025 releases due to issues with physical media/disc distribution within China.
time for the discless bronze label
Probably cause blufans took over warner releases, also the hdzeta owner always had other businesses so might have another business doing better and then losing out to blufans maybe thats why. One can speculate.
I was a direct supplier from hdzeta and has anyone had this problem where ebay has removed there listing saying that the item is counterfeit . THis is crazy I have never had this happen to me but they did this to me yesterday for an old release that came out maybe 7 or more years ago? It doesn't make sense and i appealed the case and lost somehow? any insiight if something is happening with there relesaes being pulled. Because I have a feeling this is going to be a domino effect and they will removing all releases and no one will be able to buy any. It;s very odd.
Could it have anything to do with the new US tariffs and the fact it's a Chinese product maybe?
I have no idea but I heard other sellers are having there listings removed. There claiming that they are counterfeit which is ridiculous and I even filed an appeal and lost. I also know another seller where it happened to them on mantalab stuff and weet collecction and others. But this is so messed up that ebay is doing this when they have no idea when I talked to them what these steelbooks are and there the ones making a decision what they think is counterfeit. It's not right and maybe its the new AI software there using but I am going to have to find somewhere else to list alot of my inventory and they should have no business doing this when no one has ever complained or even left me neutral or bad feedback especially claiming it was a counterfeit item. SO I am obviously very pissed off with ebay
I don't know the listing has been up for 8 years now off and on because I Had a few copies and the first two that got removed were INFERNO LENTICULAR A and B HDZETA and someone else said they got mantalab ones removed and other companies. Mantalab is in south korea as far as I know. SO the whole thing is beyond absurd. SO I guess I'm going to have to sell my titles on amazon or another place it's a rotten shame that ebay can make a decision like this when they didn't know what a real one looks like. I mean I had to explain to the guy why I had two listings telling him well first off there different design covers and everyone is numbered editions And at the same time these are the idiots claiming they know whats counterfeit without a single complaint, This will majorly affect my business too so i'm not happy and if it's there AI software they better get it figured out. I mean i've never seen someone selling a fake hdzeta steelbook sealed. I don't know how or why it would be replicated so they have no basis.
