Sony today announced a new batch of Blu-ray movie titles for release in the spring. Studios are adding a broad selection of new BD movies and catalogue titles, a line-up which includes many high capacity 50GB dual-layer discs.
The new Blu-ray movies available will include two Daniel Craig movies - Casino Royale and Layer Cake - and also catalogue titles such as Hellboy, Stranger Than Fiction and Ewan McGregor's Big Fish. The BDs will be conveniently available one week before the Playstation 3 launches in Europe on 23 March.
Sony also said yesterday that the first 500,000 PS3 owners across Europe to register on the Playstation Network will receive a copy of James Bond blockbuster Casino Royale on a 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray Disc.
"We are delighted that early purchasers of PS3s in Europe will have the opportunity to experience Blu-ray movies for themselves," said Matt Brown at Sony Picture, Europe. "Based on the enormous box-office success of Casino Royale worldwide, we're confident that when consumers experience Bond on the PS3 they will be hooked."
President of Sony Pictures Europe , David Bishop, added: "The launch of Playstation 3 in the US has already had an enormous impact on the marketplace. Blu-ray is outselling HD DVD two fold in the US, resulting in a 700 per cent increase in software sales since the mid-November launch."
There can be no denying the fact that including Blu-ray compatibility in the PS3 has helped the Blu-ray Disc Association steal a march on its HD DVD rival. And this new batch of BD movies will go some way towards making up for the disappointing line-up of PS3 launch games.
