LUKE, I'VE GOT YOU ON HAN HELD!
‘ Star Wars’ digital downloads at last
Bingewatch, you will. All six “Star Wars” films are finally coming to a tablet not so far, far away this Friday, when the collection becomes available in digital HD for the first time.
Fans of the Force will be able to download or stream the entire saga on their digital devices via a variety of retailers, including iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, MGO and Google Play.
Most platforms will be selling a bundle pack of all six films for around $ 90 and charging around $ 20 for each film individually.
“Viewers will have the Rebel forces at their beck and call across their favorite devices anywhere — sunbathing at the beach, relaxing in their living room with friends, or waiting to board a flight to Endor ( or elsewhere),” Disney and 20th Century Fox said in a statement.
The digital release is giving fans a treat ahead of the latest “Star Wars” installment, “The Force Awakens,” which opens Dec. 18.
“# StarWars is finally coming to # iTunes this Friday! So excited. This is overdue,” fan Ryan Chapman tweeted.
The digital films will be loaded with previously released extras, including deleted scenes, and new interviews with “key contributors” from across the franchise.
Preorder sales at video streaming service MGO have been “really encouraging” so far, with bundle packs outselling the singles three to one, said exec Cameron Douglas.
But not all “Stars Wars” obsessives are psyched to watch droids on their Androids. Many fans are still begging for a rerelease of the original, unadulterated trilogy that hit theaters starting in 1977.
The digital versions of the films are being taken from existing Bluray masters, which include the many specialeffects changes creator George Lucas made over the years — much to the chagrin of Jedi enthusiasts.
“Most fans already have all six on BluRay,” said Sean Kintz, a graphic designer based in Atlanta. “I would have been happier if they included the original trilogy in unedited versions. Before George Lucas decided to throw useless, extra CGI scenes into them.”
The theatrical versions were made available on limited edition DVDs in 2006 — but fans complained that the quality was poor.
Those versions won’t be rereleased anytime soon, according to a Walt Disney Studios spokesperson.