10 gift ideas for your favorite movie-lover

By Rafer Guzman

Newsday (TNS)

Cult movies, classics and popular favorites dominate this year’s home video offerings, which might sound like business as usual.

You’ll notice, however, that box sets are in somewhat short supply.

At a time when digital streaming revenue is rapidly increasing – this may finally be the year that digital movies out-earn physical ones, according to TheWrap.com – the studios seem to be focusing their home video efforts on deep dives into single movies rather than on large collections.

The good news is that you’ll still get plenty of featurettes, deleted scenes and other bonus material, and the price tag should be fairly modest.

Here are 10 ideas for your favorite movie-lover.

THE IRON GIANT: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: Brad Bird’s retro-style animated film – an ink-and-paint homage to the science fiction films of the 1950s – comes with a few kid-pleasing goodies. There’s a hardcover art book about the film, collectible art cards, a 4-inch plastic statue of the film’s robotic hero and a letter from Bird.

LIST PRICE: $74.99 for 2 Blu-ray Discs

‘TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY’ (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: Will Ferrell’s comedy about a dimwitted NASCAR driver gets the reverential treatment of a cinematic masterpiece in this 10th anniversary edition. It includes the digitally restored movie, plus 90 minutes of added features, including an audio commentary with director Adam McKay and 13 never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes.

LIST PRICE: $14.99 for 1 Blu-ray Disc

MAD MAX HIGH OCTANE COLLECTION (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: All four of George Miller’s apocalyptic classics come together in one set. The real jewel in this crown, though, is the unreleased version of “Mad Max: Fury Road” in black-and-white – which is how Miller originally intended it. There’s also a feature-length documentary on the making of the 1979 film that started it all. Available Tuesday.

LIST PRICE: $79.99 for 8 Blu-ray Discs or $54.97 for 8 DVD discs

THE MARX BROTHERS SILVER SCREEN COLLECTION (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: This five-film set features some of the brothers’ most iconic titles: “The Cocoanuts,” “Animal Crackers,” “Monkey Business,” “Horse Feathers” and their bona fide masterpiece, “Duck Soup.” What makes this particular set worth owning? Newly discovered scenes that were deleted from “Animal Crackers” to meet production codes in 1936.

LIST PRICE: $59.98 for 3 Blu-ray Discs

THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (Shout! Factory)

THE DEAL: A cult film even among cult films, this sci-fi spoof-romance stars Peter Weller (“RoboCop”) as a multitalented physicist, test pilot and rock star who must save the world from evil aliens. Also in the cast: John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Goldblum and Ellen Barkin. “Buckaroo Banzai” opened in 1984 to general bafflement but has since earned a die-hard following. It’s on Blu-ray for the first time with a host of interviews and other bonus features.

LIST PRICE: $34.93 for two Blu-ray/DVD discs

THE HUNGER GAMES 4-FILM COLLECTION (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: The franchise that launched a thousand (give or take) teen dystopian films, and turned Jennifer Lawrence into a global star, ended last year. If you know a fan who’s still hungry for more, however, this set brings together the whole series and 14 hours of bonus content. Among the all-new goodies are 12 deleted scenes from the original movie and two making-of features, “Picturing Panem” and “Capitol Cuisine.”

LIST PRICE: $64.97 for 6 Blu-ray Discs or $54.98 for 8 DVD discs

‘LABYRINTH’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTOR’S EDITION (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

THE DEAL: David Bowie, the ever-changing rock star who passed away in January, also acted in a wide variety of movies. One was this elaborate Jim Henson fantasy from 1986, in which Bowie memorably played the shock-haired Goblin King. A new gift-worthy home video edition comes with many featurettes, a 24-page digibook and a replica of the film’s twisty-turny castle interior.

LIST PRICE: The 30th anniversary gift set is $75.99; single disc 30th anniversary Blu-ray is $19.99. DVD is $11.99

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE’ (Paramount Home Media Distribution)

THE DEAL: Tired of this holiday classic yet? Didn’t think so. The 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition includes the original film, of course, along with the controversial colorized edition and a documentary featurette hosted by the late Tom Bosley. Both the Blu-ray and DVD versions of this set come with limited edition art cards featuring images of original ads and lobby cards.

LIST PRICE: $21.99 for 2 Blu-ray Discs or $16.99 for 2 DVD discs

‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’ 20TH ANNIVERSARY ATTACKER EDITION (Fox Home Video)

THE DEAL: The alien invasion blockbuster from 1996 – starring an oh-so-young Will Smith – comes with an assortment of bonuses, notably a newly restored extended cut, an all-new 30-minute documentary (“A Legacy Surging Forward”) and a limited-edition replica of the famous alien ship.

LIST PRICE: $44.99 for 2 Blu-ray Discs

GREGORY PECK CENTENNIAL COLLECTION (Universal)

THE DEAL: The Oscar-winning actor would have been 100 this year, an occasion marked by this two-film set from Universal. Included are his most famous film, the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1962) and, from the very same year, the envelope-pushing thriller “Cape Fear.” Among the bonus content are making-of featurettes on both films and poster reproductions.

LIST PRICE: $14.96 for 2 Blu-ray Discs