According to Home Theater Forum, The Criterion Collection has plans to give David Fincher’s The Game their signature treatment on DVD.
It
was a box-office hit, so it can’t be considered a cult classic;
however, it has developed a strong following of devoted fans over the
years, many of whom have been clamoring for a special edition DVD
release. (UPDATE: While it made $100 million worldwide, it didn’t even break even at the U.S. box office — not exactly a hit, after all. It gained much of its following on DVD. – RM) For them, this announcement of Criterion doing what
it does better than anyone else on DVD — and now Blu-ray — should come
as stellar news.
This
won’t be the first time that Criterion has tackled this material,
either. A special edition laserdisc hit stores in August 1998
and came loaded with extras, including: select scene commentary from
Fincher, star Michael Douglas, and others; behind-the-scenes footage;
storyboards; production design artwork; alternate ending; original
trailer and teaser; and a psychological test film (curious about that
one). All of which came with Fincher’s official approval, so
one hopes that the new release will get all this and more.
According
to DVD producer David Prior, Universal (the studio who owns the rights
to the film) signed a licensing deal with Criterion for The Game while Prior was working on the special features for Criterion’s edition of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Prior has worked on the DVD extras for a number of other Fincher films, including Zodiac and the upcoming The Social Network, so he has some clout when it comes to delivering this news even though nothing has been announced officially by Criterion.
If
there’s one movie out there in desperate need of a special edition,
it’s this one. While others have received countless versions
(I’m looking at you, Evil Dead), the fact that The Game
still has the same, single-disc, no-frills DVD out there is long
overdue for a change. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait too
much longer.





13 comments
I slapped myself once i read this. That is all i have to say.
Damn, this is great news. This is the one Fincher movie that hasn't gotten a decent DVD release, and back when the Benjamin Button Criterion was announced I knew it was only a matter of time before Criterion righted that wrong, and I was right!
about psychological test film – didn`t douglas` character attend to one in the film … so it`s probably that one, maybe
Once again, I rue not being within the Criterion catchment area.
Here in Spain we've had the Special Edition dvd for a while now. Extras are:
Making off
Exteriors
Blue screen
Scripts
Trailer
Alternate endings
Interiors
…and audio commentary from the man itself!!
Not bad for a R2 release!
48 million is a box office hit?
I have noticed a lot mistakes like this lately. Typos I am cool with — those things happen, but poor research makes me think twice about reading some of these articles. Please don't state opinions as facts. A little IMDB can go a long way.
Holy shit, this just made my Monday. Still my favorite Fincher movie.
there is an HD DVD version available right now that has this in 1080p if you're desperate, don't think there's any extras though. i'll wait for the Criterion Blu-Ray which hopefully comes out around the time of social network
@6 & 7 — Good catch. I looked it up but quoted the Worldwide Gross, thinking it was here in the States only. My bad. It broke even so I suppose only those Universal accountants could consider it a hit.
This movie definitely has a WTF moment, but not in a "WTF?!!? this just blew my mind kind of way", more of a "WTF did I just sit through this shit for?". I wanted to love this movie, but when it took it's makeup off in the morning… I was out the door.
Like the majority of Fincher's films, post Seven, this was a modest performer and *not* a box offcie hit. It sure is a beloved film in my book. I always come back to it. Cheers Ryan for the article. Rob
#6,7, & 10 – $49 million for an R-rated release in Setember '97 would have been considered a "success." also keep in mind that the definition of that word does not entail avatar-like record-breaking grosses
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