Marvel's The Avengers DVD & Blu-Ray [UPDATED] – best prices, special features and compilation list of retailer exclusives & deals!

Marvel’s The Avengers, was released in theaters on May 4th, 2012 in 2D & 3D. It earned over $622 million dollars domestically and over $1.5 billion worldwide, making it the third highest grossing movie ever domestically and internationally. In addition to all of that, it’s also the highest grossing movie of 2012 and the highest grossing movie to date as part of Marvel’s Phase One initiative. After the success of the Iron Man movie in 2008, Marvel unveiled its Phase One plan, a series of movies highlighting individual characters in Marvel’s pantheon, sharing the same cinematic universe, with the finale of Phase One to feature all of those characters together in a massive movie team-up with all of the Avengers assembled.

With an ambitious plan that had never been implemented before with comic book characters on film, the fan buzz grew with each new individual movie, reaching a crescendo in The Avengers. Written and directed by a fan-favorite with plenty of geek cred, Joss Whedon, the movie features a well-written script where every character gets screen time, a top-notch cast, non-stop action, a ton of humor, fan service moments, surprises and over 2200 special effects shots. This movie cost an estimated $220 million to make and it shows all over the screen. Disney bought Marvel back in late 2009 and many speculated that they did so because of the strength of Marvel Studios. Given how much money The Avengers has made, they must be extremely happy with their purchase.

Marvel’s Phase Two is already in the works, with Iron Man 3 being shot currently, and Guardians of the Galaxy on tap, with Thor 2 and Captain America 2 to come out in the next two years, Marvel’s plans continue apace. Avengers 2 already has Joss Whedon signed on to write and direct, as well as having oversight on both the proposed SHIELD television series set in the Avengers universe and the Phase Two movies coming up. http://www.slashfilm.com/joss-whe...vengers-2/

By the way, you don’t have to have seen all of the previous movies to appreciate this one, but having done so adds extra depth to a movie featuring multiple characters with detailed backstories. (If you’re looking for a compilation list for the 1998 movie The Avengers starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman, you’re in the wrong thread.)

This highly-anticipated movie drops on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday, Sept. 25th, 2012. This New Release Thread will be a big one, with a lot of retailer exclusives! Here are all the details:
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DVD Editions:

There are six editions:

1.) A Single-Disc Edition DVD, available in Widescreen only
2.) A Two Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack (in DVD packaging)
3.) A Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (in Blu-Ray packaging)
4.) A Four-Disc, 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (incl. digital copy) plus digital download of the movie soundtrack
5.) A Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (in Blu-Ray packaging) + a bonus disc with a 90 minute documentary – a Target exclusive
6.) A Four-Disc, 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (incl. digital copy) + a bonus disc with a 90 minute documentary – a Target exclusive

Details of the documentary and other exclusives are listed in the “Exclusives & Deals” section further down in this thread. A JPEG of each cover is also below.
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DVD & Blu-Ray Special Features:

1.) The Single-Disc DVD Edition:
• Audio Commentary by Director Joss Whedon
• Featurette: Assembling the Ultimate Team

2.) A Two Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack (in DVD packaging)
• Audio Commentary by Director Joss Whedon
• Featurette: Assembling the Ultimate Team

Plus:
• Featurette: A Visual Journey
• Eight Deleted scenes
• Featurette: Assembling the Ultimate Team
• Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 (short film)
• Second screen
• Gag reel
• Soundgarden music video - “Live to Rise”

3.) A Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (in Blu-Ray packaging)

The same as the DVD/Blu-Ray combo – all special features are listed above

4.) A Four-Disc, 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (incl. digital copy)and movie soundtrack

The same as the DVD/Blu-Ray combo – all special features listed above. This is the only edition that includes a digital copy of the movie and a digital download code for the movie soundtrack.

Soundtrack music is as follows:
1. "Live to Rise" - Soundgarden
2. "I'm Alive" - Shinedown
3. "Dirt and Roses" - Rise Against
4. "Even If I Could" - Papa Roach
5. "Unbroken" - Black Veil Brides
6. "Breath" – Scott Weiland
7. "Comeback" - Redlight King
8. "Into the Blue" - Bush
9. "New Way to Bleed" - Evanescence
10. "Count Me Out" - PusherJones
11. "Wherever I Go" - Buckcherry
12. "From Out of Nowhere" - Five Finger Death Punch
13. "Shake the Ground" - Cherri Bomb

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A special note on these editions: If you’ve read the above carefully, you might be wondering why there is a DVD/BR combo and a BR/DVD Combo and whether there is a difference. The only difference I can discern is the packaging. If packaging matters to you, then you’ll need to make a choice as to which one you want.

The special features are the exact same thing on either combo. To further confuse you, some stores priced both combo packs differently. That’s right, for the exact same content, you can pay a lower price for the DVD/BR Combo and pay a higher price for the BR/DVD Combo (or vice versa), even though the discs are the same inside!

If you don’t care about packaging, then go for whichever is the lower priced combo, as it will save you some bucks. I’ll illustrate the pricing differences below.

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If you're wondering, or if you haven't heard, the Marvel Phase One box set of all the movies to date has been postponed until Spring 2013. Details here: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/0...-breaking/
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Best Prices:
I did a price comparison on both the internet and this week’s circulars with Amazon.com, Best Buy, Bestbuy.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Buy.com, Costco.com (no listings for some reason), DeepDiscountDVD.com, Frys.com, FYE, FYE.com, Kmart.com/Sears.com, Overstock.com, Target, Target.com, Toys R Us, ToysRUs.com (no listings found) and Wal-mart.com. Unless otherwise noted or known by me, the prices are the same in store and online at their respective websites. I noted shipping in the price rankings because of the competition between stores, but I will only be comparing base prices of the movie. Shipping costs will not factor into the price rankings as a result.

Please note that with these price rankings, these prices are as current as I am aware of. Wal-mart's in-store prices don't always match its website prices, for example. As a result, these prices are as accurate as I can verify from the internet and flyers from the newspaper, I don't put prices in the rankings that I cannot verify.

Competition is fierce between stores on this movie, so prices have changed, some of them drastically so, since I compiled the pricing data on Saturday. I incorporated all of these pricing changes into this post before putting it online today, so it has all the latest, most current price info available. I fully expect there to be further changes on Tuesday when the movie is released to stores. I’ll be updating this thread again on Tuesday and double-checking all the prices.

For example, Frys.com will presumably sell the 3D BR/BR/DVD version of this movie, but there are no listings for it online nor in any circular, so there is no price to rank. I also know from experience that FYE's B&M store prices are the same as those on their website, so I made one listing for both. In other words, these stores reserve the right to change their prices and I might not know about it. That's where the SD community can help each other out and if new or different prices are verified, I will edit my post accordingly.

Here are the conclusions:

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The Single-Disc DVD Edition:

Here are the complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: ToysRUs/ToysRUs.com: $14.99 (on website, free shipping on orders $49 or more, or free in-store pick-up)
2nd: Walmart.com - $16.96 (free shipping)
3rd: Amazon.com - $16.99 (free shipping over $25 or free with Prime)
3rd: Frys.com - $16.99 (plus $2.99 shipping costs)
3rd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $16.99 (free shipping on website)
4th: Overstock.com - $17.36 (plus $2.95 shipping on every order or free with your first order)
5th: FYE/FYE.com - $17.99 (with Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
6th: Kmart.com/Sears.com: $18.99 (free shipping on orders over $59 or free shipping w/ Shop Your Way Max free trial)
7th: Buy.com - $19.99 (free shipping)
7th: FYE/FYE.com - $19.99 (without Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
7th: Target/Target.com - $19.99 (plus free shipping on orders over $50 on website)
8th: BarnesandNoble.com - $20.44 (free shipping over $25)
9th: DeepDiscountDVD.com: $21.40 (free shipping)

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2.) Two Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo Pack (in DVD packaging)

Complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Walmart.com - $19.96 (free shipping)
2nd: Amazon.com - $19.99 (free shipping over $25 or free with Prime)
3rd: Overstock.com - $24.71 (plus $2.95 shipping on every order or free with your first order)
4th: Kmart.com/Sears.com: $24.99 (free shipping on orders over $59 or free shipping w/ Shop Your Way Max free trial)
4th: Target/Target.com - $24.99 (plus free shipping on orders over $50 on website)
5th: FYE/FYE.com - $26.09 (with Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
6th: BarnesandNoble.com - $27.84 (free shipping over $25)
7th: Frys.com - $27.99 (plus $3.99 shipping costs)
8th: Buy.com - $28.99 (free shipping)
8th: FYE/FYE.com - $28.99 (without Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
9th: DeepDiscountDVD.com: $29.27 (free shipping)
10th: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $29.99 (free shipping on website)


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3.) Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (in Blu-Ray packaging)

Complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Walmart.com - $19.96 (free shipping)
2nd: Amazon.com - $19.99 (free shipping over $25 or free with Prime)
2nd: Best Buy/BestBuy.com - $19.99 (free shipping on website)
2nd: Frys.com - $19.99 (plus $2.99 shipping costs)
2nd: Target.com with Exclusive Bonus Disc - $19.99 (plus free shipping on orders over $50on website)
3rd: ToysRUs/ToysRUs.com: $22.99 (on website, free shipping on orders $49 or more, or free in-store pick-up)
4th: Overstock.com - $24.66 (plus $2.95 shipping on every order or free with your first order)
5th: DeepDiscountDVD.com: $24.96 (free shipping)
6th: Kmart.com/Sears.com: $24.99 (free shipping on orders over $59 or free shipping w/ Shop Your Way Max free trial)
7th: FYE/FYE.com - $26.09 (with Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
8th: Buy.com - $28.99 (free shipping)
8th: FYE/FYE.com - $28.99 (without Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
9th: BarnesandNoble.com - $31.99 (free shipping)

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So, if you look at all of these prices on the two DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Packs, and if you don’t care about packaging, then the $19.99 price at Amazon.com, Best Buy/BestBuy.com, Frys.com and Target is the best price on the Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack edition, especially if you get the Target Exclusive edition. In some stores, one is priced higher than the other. In other stores, they are priced the same.

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4.) A Four-Disc, 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (incl. digital copy)and movie soundtrack)

Complete price rankings:
First, BEST Price: Amazon.com - $19.99 (free shipping over $25 or free with Prime)
First, BEST Price: Target/Target.com, with Exclusive Bonus Disc (plus free shipping on orders over $50 on website)- $19.99 - A special thanks to commuterrail for pointing out this important price change. Please give him reps and see his thread for more details. I verified his info as well, it is legitimate and an awesome price as well: http://slickdeals.net/f/5233750-Target-Avengers-3D-Blu-ray-Blu-ray-DVD-Digital-Music-Bonus-Content-19-99-previously-24-99 .
2nd: Walmart.com - $24.96 (free shipping)
3rd: ToysRUs/ToysRUs.com: $27.99 (on website, free shipping on orders $49 or more, or free in-store pick-up)
4th: BarnesandNoble.com - $29.99 (free shipping)
4th: Buy/BestBuy.com - $29.99 (free shipping on website)
5th: Overstock.com - $33.70 (plus $2.95 shipping on every order or free with your first order)
6th: FYE/FYE.com - $34.19 (with Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
7th: Buy.com - $34.99 (free shipping)
7th: Kmart.com/Sears.com: $34.99 (free shipping on orders over $59 or free shipping w/ Shop Your Way Max free trial)
8th: FYE/FYE.com - $37.99 (without Backstage Pass discount) (free shipping over $30)
9th: DeepDiscountDVD.com: $39.77 (free shipping)
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Don't forget that you can price match any edition of this DVD or Blu-Ray to the store of your choice, if they have a price matching policy. There might also be some store-specific coupons or online coupon codes floating around that could help bring some of these prices down further. Given the price competition for this movie, there are some great price-matching opportunities.
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Exclusives & Deals:
There are multiple exclusives available for this movie, check them out:

BarnesAndNoble.com:
If you pre-order the movie from their website, you receive a $5 eGift Card, which will be sent to you no later than October 2, 2012. Details here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/dvd-bluray-special-offer/379003668 .

Best Buy:
When you pre-order Marvel's The Avengers on Blu-ray at a Best Buy store, you'll receive the collectible metal case and a $10 Sideshow Collectibles gift card. Stop by a store for details. Limited quantities. First come, first served. Some Best Buy stores will be opening at 12:01 am on Tues, Sept. 25th to sell the movie as well. All details here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-433333759101002939&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&st=avengers .

They are also offering an exclusive gift set, available only in their B&M stores. It features the Four-Disc, 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (incl. digital copy)and movie soundtrack), a $30 Sideshow Collectibles gift card eligible on select products, a 208-page full-color Avengers ultimate character guide with exclusive cover, illuminated 3D lenticular case and 7" x 9" litho card. It is priced at $69.99.

A JPEG of the metal cover and the gift set is below.

DisneyStore.com:
When you pre-order the DVD/Blu-Ray Combo Pack, you receive a set of four exclusive lithographs of stills from the movie plus up to $20 off of your next purchase. Get $20 off a future online purchase of $40.00 or more; or $10 off a future online purchase of up to $39.99. When you order online, an e-mail will be sent at the conclusion of the pre-sale with a unique promotion code valid for a future online purchase made between 9/25/2012 - 10/7/2012.

Details here: http://www.disneystore.com/movies-dvd/blu-ray-dvds-music-books-pre-order-2-disc-marvels-the-avengers-dvd/blu-ray-combo-pack-with-free-lithograph-offer/mp/1314538/1000319/.

FYE:
When you reserve any version of The Avengers in their B&M store, you get a free tote bag. A JPEG of this exclusive is below.

Target:
Target is selling an exclusive edition of this movie with its BR/DVD Combo pack and its 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack. It has an exclusive 90-minute documentary called “Building a Cinematic Universe.” Its description reads “over 90 minutes of exclusive footage that takes you on a journey from the beginning of Marvel Studios to the evolution of its cinematic universe!

In this 90-minute feature, we will explore the visual development, production and casting, giving audiences a firsthand look at the creation of a complete cinematic universe. We will show how the films IRON MAN, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, IRON MAN 2, THOR, and CAPTIAN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER were conceived and led to the greatest super hero team ever assembled on screen; THE AVENGERS.

Join stars Robert Downey Jr., Sam Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Cobie Smulders, and Tom Hiddleston as they rehearse for the drama and train for all the action! Go back in time and watch the stars become these iconic heroes.

Including exclusive interviews with Cast, Directors, Producers, Visual Developers, and Comic Book creators, audiences will witness how Marvel’s rich heritage in the comics was brought to life in the movies. We will also see the growth of Marvel’s massive fan base, from local comic shops, through their first appearances at Comic Con, to the phenomenon of THE AVENGERS today."

According to Target, and commuterrail's thread, listed above, "Marvel's The Avengers movie that is featured in the week's ad is not available in a Blu-ray+DVD+Digital combo pack. To compensate the 3D with Digital combo pack has been reduced to $19.99. We apologize for any inconvenience. Rain checks are not available. Prices Valid: 9/23-9/29"

The BR/DVD Combo pack with exclusive bonus disc is priced at $19.99 online and is also not available in the B&M store. Go to the website here if you want this edition. http://www.target.com/p/marvel-s-the-avengers-target-exclusive-2-disc-blu-ray-combo-pack-includes-90-minute-bonus-disc/-/A-14095158

However, you're better off getting the 3-D Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack with Exclusive disc priced at $19.99 in the B&M store. It includes the digital copy and the soundtrack download code as well. If you need/want to get it through the website, it's the same as the in-store price, $19.99: http://www.target.com/p/marvel-s-the-avengers-target-exclusive-4-disc-3d-blu-ray-combo-pack-includes-90-minute-bonus-disc/-/A-14178658

A JPEG of each exclusive edition is below.

Walmart/Walmart.com:
Walmart has one exclusive, the Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack (in Blu-Ray packaging) with the exclusive Avengers: Season One graphic novel. This graphic novel is written by comic scribe extraordinaire and NY Times Best-selling novelist Peter David with multiple artists. It states it is over 100 pages. Priced at $24.96, priced as the same as the regular, non-exclusive and with free shipping if you order it online: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Marvel-...gMethod=rr.

This exclusive will also be available at Sam’s Club, but I don’t know if the price will be the same or not. A JPEG of this exclusive is below.

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I included as much pertinent information on this new release that I could find so everyone can make a more educated decision on whether to purchase this movie or not, as well as which edition.

And that is the end of this compilation, my second New Release Thread for the year 2012. This one took a looong time to write up, had a lot of pricing complications to compensate for and a lot of retailer exclusives as well.

Remember, if you’re going to fight off an alien invasion in downtown Manhattan, make sure to bring a living legend, an iron man with multiple metal suits, a demigod, two highly skilled SHIELD special agents and a Hulk with you. The legend will lead, the iron man will snark, the demigod will bring the lightning, the SHIELD agents will bring their specialized fighting skills and the Hulk will smash.

For more information on my New Release Threads for blockbuster DVD and Blu-Ray releases, please click here: hhttp://slickdeals.net/forums/sdsearch.php?mode=forum&searchuserid=410841&showposts=0&starteronly=1.

Look for my next New Release Thread in late November/early December for The Dark Knight Rises, which officially comes out on DVD/Blu-Ray on December 4, 2012. A preview of one of the exclusives is here: http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/0...exclusive/

UPDATE 1 on 9/23/12 @ 3:09 pm: Amazon.com decreased the price for the 3D/BR/DVD Combo Pack to $24.99, moving it to second best price. I adjusted the price rankings accordingly. Thanks to maliboo74 for pointing this out!

UPDATE 2 on 9/25/12 @ 8:40 am: All right, I updated the rankings to reflect today's most current prices. Notable changes include:

1.) Amazon.com dropping the price of DVD/BR combo.
2.) BarnesAndNoble.com raising its price of the BR/DVD Combo.
3.) BarnesAndNoble.com lowering its price of the 3D/BR/DVD/Digital Copy/Soundtrack Combo.
4.) Frys.com adding some listings for two other editions.
5.) Overstock.com raising its prices.
6.) Target.com reflecting its in store B&M prices now (as people in this thread have noticed)
7.) Walmart.com dropping its prices on each and every one of the editions available, upsetting the top rankings by only three cents in some cases. Its exclusive, of course, stayed the same price.

UPDATE 3 on 9/25/12 @ 6:41 pm: Amazon.com just lowered the price of the 3D/BR/DVD/Digital Copy/Soundtrack Combo to $19.99! This bumps it to the best price, alongside Target, for this edition. I've updated the price ranking accordingly.