Unfortunately, as we warned a few weeks ago, the regular set of the Harry Potter DVD Collection is out of stock, at least for those who wanted to receive it in time for Christmas. Luckily, the Blu-Ray Box Set of Harry Potter Movies is still in stock and ready to ship immediately. The last day that this set can be ordered and received in time for Christmas is Dec. 21st for those who have Amazon Prime (or Dec. 22nd or 23rd if you are willing to pay extra for shipping and Saturday delivery). If you want to give this as a gift at Christmas, we recommend that you order now, because the regular set has been sold out since just after Thanksgiving, and the Blu-Ray set is likely to sell out at any time!
Also, keep in mind that this set is only available until the end of December, after which time Warner Brothers, the company that produced the movies, will pull these DVDs from the market. And not only the box set—ALL the Harry Potter movies on DVD will be taken off the market. They will, of course, be introduced into the market again. Probably just in time for Christmas 2012, with an “ultimate deluxe edition” such as the set that was released in England and France in a deluxe display case with a copy of the Elder Wand on top. Warner Bros. has not commented on why such a set was not released this year, but the move is widely interpreted as—what else?—a way to increase profits. Similarly to the way the Star Wars movies have been released several times in several different versions, Warner Brothers wants to make money off people who are collectors, and who will buy any new set of Harry Potter DVDs that is released. Some people will buy the set this year, and then buy the same set next year when it is released in the deluxe edition, and Warner Brothers will (more than) double its money. Of course, this is all speculation, because They have not confirmed that they plan to re-release the movies in time for next year’s holiday season, but fans and market watchers have openly speculated that this will be the case.