in-depth alert 
I was doing a Google search for classic A Fistful Of Dollars (the first entry in the iconic 60s Sergio Leonie ‘Man With No Name’ spaghetti western trilogy which made Clint Eastwood a star), still often aired on TV. I looked at one of my many old DVD collection cabinets the other day, noticed the other two there and after some searching realised I must’ve actually never owned this one, missed it.
But the online trawling made me realise something else… How unnecessarily convoluted Australia’s physical home entertainment industry is/was! My God, there must’ve been about 10 different versions of the same title. So I did some digging and found:
It was first on TV here in the 70s or 80s. Then on Betamax. It came to Laserdisc in 1985 from MGM/UA HE via Warners, then VHS in 1991 from MGM/UA via Warners and re-released under MGM HE via Warners in 1999. DVD in 2000 from MGM HE via 20th Century Fox and re-released by MGM HE in 2004 and re-released at various points for stock from the late 2000s by 20th Century Fox. Came to Blu-Ray from MGM HE via 20th Century Fox in 2010. And in the last couple of years in a collector’s double (with For A Few Dollars More) under licence by MGM HE via Via Vision and an even more recent limited edition double of the same titles from MGM HE via Roadshow. And awaiting the 4K transfer release here (note this and FAFDM are mastered 1.85:1 but 4:3 and not 16:9 enhanced encoding unlike The Good The Bad And The Ugly which is mastered anamorphic 2.35:1 and 16:9 widescreen).
Also, the title went through the OFLC/ACB for classification about 6 different times over its history for the exact same version!? First for it’s theatrical run in the late 70s, rated R, then for Laserdisc in 1985 retained R (same for the various VHS and initial DVD releases), then in 2004 retained the new standard R18+ but added consumer advice for that DVD release and a modified MA15+ 35mm print for theatrical re-release that same year and then lowered to MA15+ uncut in 2010 for the Blu-Ray and subsequently changed on DVD releases/re-releases.
How many different packaging, studio division changes and local distributors was that? Ridiculous! The entire TV/movie sector operations is volatile, I think Australia being so remote and small unlike domestically in North America has had a lot to do with it.
And this is all just one title at one studio.
edit - added images of above
How many DVDs/Blu-rays (i.e. physical media) do you own?
I did a stocktake a number of years ago, typed every title up for some fun one rainy day and saved/backup emailed it. Will try and do a quick rough count. I would’ve added a handful since then, but nowhere near the old pace given the vod services boom pre and especially during and after COVID
updated
Found it 
From the end of 2017, I reckon add no more than about 25 DVDs in those 6 years or so. These are films only, obviously there’s more DVDs by way of TV shows:
DVD stack 5 cont (2)
DVD stack 5 cont (3)
Some list that. Very impressive. I used to have a healthy physical media collection but parted ways when I moved about 4 years ago sadly (apart from a handful of select stuff)
I haven’t done that in a while (a written list of every title I own). Started owning dvds in the late 90’s (just the occasional title), started buying them in 2002 while continuing to get a few as birthday/Christmas presents year on year. I recall they were $35-$55 depending on the movie (I know the 2 disc editions of movies like Die Hard/Die Hard 2 were $50 at places like Target. Pounced on them when they were moved down to $25).
Started getting serious about ‘collecting’ in 2003, and in the mid 2000’s I got really serious (it was quite common for me to walk out of my weekly JB Hifi visit with 5+ titles… sometimes 10 lol). That kind of routine did slow down from 2010-onward, as I had pretty much collected most tv series and movies I was interested in at the time (granted in the last 14* years there have been a few more titles I had yet to own, also get released that I acquired).
I started collecting blurays in 2008 - even though I had a PS3… I rarely watched them (would watch a bluray once in a blue moon. I had a PS3… but didn’t really like the bluray playback functionality). I might have purchased as little as 5… as many as 10 per year. I didn’t start taking bluray collecting seriously until 2019/20 when I finally updated to a decent tv and playback setup. It ‘paid off’ in a way as I was able to get many favourite titles for $6-$20.
And 4K collecting started also in 2020/21 - have close to 200 4K titles now. What’s funny (and a little sad at the same time) is the amount of versions of titles I’ve collected along the way (eg: multiple versions of Supeman: the Movie, Back to the Future, Terminator 2 etc etc etc - a few versions on dvd, bluray and 4K respectively!).
Funny thing is it’s a limited media in a way - I discovered disc rot a few years ago (many of my earliest titles fail to play :(). Luckily I also discovered a taboo topic - backing up my purchased titles (a process I’ve been doing on dvd/bluray and 4K… starting in 2005).
I salute you, sir 
May I ask, how many DVD stacks do you reckon and could you guestimate a total number of titles?
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While we’re on all this, anybody still have a working VCR connected to a TV? And when everything was pretty much butchered to a pan-and-scan 4:3 presentation, the 2:35.1 aspect ratios became a visual issue and now if you played them on a widescreen 16:9 TV presentation (not enhanced of course) you’d have to stretch/zoom and not even sure those functions were that accessible on VCR remotes back then 
A lot of films that were printed full-frame have since been matted from the 35mm negatives and re-mastered widescreen (depending on the film stock/lens/scope/negative quality/format).
The Willy Wonka outcry around 2000 anyone?
Haven’t heard of disc rot before. How can it happen?
It’s just natural, the discs degrade over time. In some instances you’ll notice it (the underside becomes blotchy) in others it just happens.
I was shocked and a little saddened when I discovered I had a few that no longer played - but as I’ve said I started backing up my purchases in the mid 2000’s so if/when the rest of the collection fails to read… it won’t really matter too much as I’ll have backups of everything. When my hard drives fail, that’s when I’ll cry rivers of tears!!
** In terms of dvd stacks, my collection is all over the place. My main “favourite” movies (dvd and some bluray) are stored on the top shelf of a book case (the rest of the shelves are a combination of cds and…(shock horror) books).
I have a lot of my collection in the top 2 shelves of my bedroom cupboard (sharing space with some board games, and my Xbox 360 game collection). On the ground inside the bedroom cupboard I have two storage containers (52 litre or so) full of dvds (mostly single disc movies, a few tv series sets… and the early beginnings of my blu ray collection). On top of the two containers are a few box sets that couldn’t quite fit anywhere else (a 25 years of AFL grand finals dvd set, a WWF/WWE Summer Slam box set collection etc).
I have 4 storage container tubs (a mix of skinny and gigantic tubs) full of dvds and more blurays. On top of those containers is more dvds, blurays and some 4K’s. The brunt of my 4K collection is stored in drawers also in the same room.
My entire S5 of NCIS suffered this a handful of years ago, when I wanted a re-watch (bought around 2011). The data side of the disc gets blotchy, discolouration and causes errors in the player reading the disc, from glitchy scenes to freezing to completely being unable to play or even potentially damaging the player.
Some people also breathe onto the disc to being up finger prints or other marks and then wipe with a soft cloth, I believe this can also contribute.
I really don’t see him in that role. Hope he’s a good actor to pull it off because he normally has a really weird high pitched voice and accent.
I have recently been on a Karate Kid re-watch, in preparation for seeing Kobra Kai on Netflix (yes I’m a bit late), as well as the 6th film set for release at the end of this year. With same studio, production crew and cast that are still around working on that series and the upcoming theatrical release.
I streamed them on Netflix, rights are also on Foxtel Go/Binge and 7Plus (been on 7flix on Friday nights).
Oddly, I noticed the 4th entry The Next Karate Kid (1994) starring Hilary Swank is in NTSC rather than PAL and the print also appears ever so slightly zoomed (aspect is 1.85:1 so in 16:9 widescreen should have a slight letterbox or black bar on top and bottom of TV screen). It just looked a bit off, from the colour palate (especially the sky), the brightness (more dull) and the borders just made it seem like something has been altered in terms of its aspect ratio. I wonder if the other instalments are similar, at least the ones distributed to broadcasters and streaming services. I could be wrong here though.
Random trivia on TNKK: Swank’s breakout performance, would become a two-time Oscar winner like Jodie Foster and now Emma Stone. Also one of the first films to use Columbia’s current style opening logo, since tweaked a number of times. A lot of 1993-1995 Sony titles were later re-mastered with a late 90s or 2000s opening logo, but this movie was not, in fact seems a direct transfer from the original negative, you can see the poor visual quality including grainy/specky when the logo plays, as well as the original audio which was since updated a few times in the mid-90s on this first of the modern era logo. So yeah not sure why they’re continuing to provide this print. It has since been restored only for a Blu-Ray collection.
Coincidentally I do have a mid-2000s DVD collection of the first 3 somewhere collecting dust and I recall they were all PAL and I probably watched them last on a 4:3 full TV screen in 2008 or 2009 and feel like they were encoded pan and scan in that case on the Pioneer player. Also could be a bit wrong there. But would be 16:9 enhanced for flatscreens.
Just seems weird to me Sony would have a completely different master of one title vs the others.
Haven’t checked the latest one yet nor do I own tha (2010’s reboot The Karate Kid starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith).
Damn the originals from the 80s with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita are still great!
Toowoomba’s Wellcamp quarantine facility, airport to be used as sets in new Australian blockbuster by Village Roadshow starring David Wenham
One of Queensland’s most controversial projects will be showcased on big screens across the world, as a key filming location for the sequel to a legendary Australian movie.
Shooting will start from Tuesday at Wagner Corporation’s Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre and Wellcamp Airport on Spit, the sequel to 2003 Australian film Gettin’ Square.
updated
Just by coincidence… This cap (courtesy @TV.Cynic in the Watermarks thread) of “The Next Karate Kid” appears to be the same print as I watched last week on Netflix (you can’t screenshot svod services due to copyright), which makes sense as would be distributed by the same division (Sony TV Int’l).
But yeah, there’s just something not right about the picture, it’s not original negative source (like a poor transfer from a positive looking at some of the quality not just colour but even the audio) and in terms of the aspect which I touched on in the above post, it’s not original theatrical exhibition, at least 100% given no letterboxing at all, been modified, probably for 2000s TV during analogue/4:3 transition to digital/HD/widescreens, playing it safe.
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might be better for Classification thread
Side note: This is also a cut version from Seven (PG), edited for content (M) due to the timeslot (before 7:30pm). Even though hilariously I’m pretty sure the only edits are in the very last scene the docks fight nearing 8:30pm. A previously common complaint from viewers when the threshold was 8:30pm M, 9pm MA and 9:30pm AV. Yet it might only be one edit technically falling into an appropriate zone, but because the program started in an earlier zone, it effects the whole broadcast and with ACMA doing many investigations over the years the networks became sensitised.
Oh, no. Don’t ruin it by making an average sequel.