Sony Announces First Blu-ray Movies

Sony Home Entertainment on Wednesday announced the first 20 movie titles that will launch on the high-definition Blu-ray disc format, preempting a scheduled press conference by HD DVD slated for Wednesday evening. The titles will be available with BD-compatible players starting this spring.

Released first will be The Fifth Element, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Desperado, For a Few Dollars More, The Guns of Navarone, Hitch, House of Flying Daggers, A Knight's Tale, Kung Fu Hustle, The Last Waltz, Legends of the Fall, Resident Evil Apocalypse, Robocop, Sense and Sensibility, Stealth, Species, SWAT and XXX. Four Blu-ray titles will be released each month starting this summer, ramping up to 10 per month by the end of 2006.