The Hobbit – BOTFA SEE: International Shopping Guide

Just in time for the release of the physical editions of the BOtFA extended edition DVDs, TORn contributor and friend, The Hutt, has provided us with another fabulous international shopping guide. Enjoy!

In mid-November, starting with the USA (Nov 17^th), the physical editions of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition will start hitting the shelves of online and retail stores. Once again, there are several different editions released in different countries, which can be interesting for collectors. It is quite a feat to bring some order in this amount of different versions – so we attempted it below. The list is not sorted by countries, but by different versions which may be released to one or several different countries, starting with the (subjectively speaking) most interesting editions.

A note on the content: basically, the sets worldwide consist of 5 BluRays (3D+2D version), 5 DVDs (DVD version) or 3 BluRays (2D-only version). Exception: the French BluRay sets also contain the DVD version of the film.

A note on compatibility: all the BluRay versions are released through Warner worldwide and are region-free (although DVDs are not). Also, all of them contain English audio in DTS-HDMA as well as English subtitles. However, versions released in different countries may have non-English cover and disc inscriptions.

A note on prices: they are not specified in the article, as they are subject to change. When importing discs from abroad, you also might have to consider shipping costs and/or customs fees. Also, a useful fact for Americans (and all the other non-Europeans) when importing from Europe: the European sales tax (VAT) will be deducted from the price when ordering from European Amazon stores to a non-European country.

Collector’s Edition with WETA statue

Since the old days of LOTR, there is a tradition of releasing a Collector’s Edition containing an exclusive WETA statuette. For The Hobbit, this edition has been released only in some countries, ignoring others altogether (UK, for instance). Still, there are some of the countries you can grab this box from. The US version is released in two versions: as a 3D+2D and as a 2D-only version. Other countries only have the 3D+2D version. The French version also includes a DVD version.

Minimalistic Cover Design: DVD

The DVD editions of The Hobbit have been released with two basic design choices: the Photoshop Collage one (released in the US, Germany, France and other countries) and the Minimalistic one. The latter contains just the film title and a symbol on the front cover and fits the old LOTR SEE DVD editions much better. This is also emphasized by using the traditional fold-out digipak like LOTR used to have. Most prominent country using this DVD design is UK; also, Japan, Australia and NZ are using this design. The Japanese version also has some art cards (as seen on the picture).

Minimalistic Cover Design: BluRay

The BluRay editions of The Hobbit have also been released with two basic design choices: the Photoshop Collage design (released in the US, Germany, France and other countries) and the Minimalistic design. The latter contains just the film title and a symbol on the front cover and fits the old LOTR SEE DVD editions much better, even though the BluRays are of a different height and are actually not digipaks but amarays in a slipcase. Examples for such countries are Spain, Japan, Australia and NZ. The Japanese version (see picture) also has some art cards.

Steelbook: 3D+2D BluRay

Additionally to regular cases, some countries also have released a steelbook version of The Hobbit SEE. A 3D+2D steelbook is available in the UK as well as in Germany through exclusive retailer deals:

Steelbook: 2D only BluRay

Additionally to the regular cases, some countries also have released a steelbook version of The Hobbit SEE. The 2D steelbook is so far available in Germany only, exclusively through certain retailers:

DE: BluRay Steelbook version (2D only, MediaMarkt exclusive)

Photoshop Collage Cover Design: BluRay 3D+2D

As opposed to the minimalistic design, most countries actually have got the regular Photoshop Collage cover art. For the BluRay, it is on the slipcase containing an amaray case with 5 discs. The 3D+2D version contains a lenticular picture in all countries except Germany. Also mind the case width: only US and Germany have a thin disc case; the version released in UK, France, Eastern Europe and other countries is considerably thicker.

US: BluRay version (3D+2D)
UK: BluRay version (3D+2D)
UK: BluRay version (3D+2D) with treasure coins
DE: BluRay version (3D+2D)
FR: BluRay version (3D+2D)

Photoshop Collage Cover Design: BluRay 2D

For the 2D-only version, most countries also have the regular Photoshop Collage cover art. For the BluRay, it is on the slipcase containing an amaray case with 3 discs. Some countries didn’t actually release a 2D-only version, for example, UK.

Photoshop Collage Cover Design: DVD

The DVD version has a superior case compared to the BluRay because of a foldout digipak used for storing the discs. The digipak is basically the same between all the DVD versions, but the outer slipcase has a Photoshop Collage (as opposed to the minimalistic design released in UK).

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