Prices for DVDs of the original Tron have tripled on eBay, as movigoers hunt for the out-of-print item to re-watch it before seeing Tron Legacy. But is Disney keeping Tron unavailable on purpose, to help promote Tron Legacy?


According to the L.A. Times' Rebecca Keegan, original director Steve Lisberger has finished remastering Tron for a Blu-Ray release, "color-correcting it and reframing certain shots." But Disney has no plans to release it until 2011 — long after Tron Legacy comes out. Compare that with usual studio behavior, such as reissuing a deluxe edition of Terminator 2: Judgment Day right before Terminator Salvation, or putting out a new Star Wars box set before Revenge of the Sith.

Keegan speculates:

It's possible the company is deliberately holding back on printing new copies of a movie that could alienate the broad, non-geek audiences they'll need to make "Tron: Legacy" a success.


Which I think means that if people see how dated the original Tron looks now, they'll be less interested in seeing an updated version. But it's still a bit odd to be paying homage to a 30-year-old film that you're hoping people won't have seen recently. I guess Disney really believes our rosy memories of Tron are better than the real thing. [L.A. Times via Cinemablend]