Per their message on Twitter today, “The pandemic deprived us of subject matter, retail outlets, and, most critically, advertisers, many of whom, like us, struggled to remain afloat in a climate of intense turmoil and uncertainty.”

Like some of you, I personally grew up reading its in-depth stories on the making of the Star Trek and Star Wars films, Alien, Blade Runner, etc. So we really need to take a moment here at The Bits today to say THANK YOU to everyone at Cinefex for 40 years of terrific work that’s meant an enormous amount to a great many of us. We will miss you guys dearly.

And circling back to what I was saying a moment ago, we also want to thank all of you, our loyal readers of The Digital Bits, for your patience and support while we make the adjustments we need here to keep the site going.

In other news today, we have a look at the cover artwork for Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s newly-remastered Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 4K Ultra HD. You can see that above left and also on the right. The disc is set to street on 3/23, with a new color grade supervised by director Zack Snyder along with a variable aspect ratio presentation that switches between 2.35:1 and 1.43:1 for the IMAX sequences. The title is starting to appear for pre-order on a number of retail sites (including Walmart and Target) and we expect an official announcement from Warner very soon. Rest assured, we’ll post all the details as soon as they come in.

Also on the 4K front today, Tim Burton’s Big Fish in Ultra HD is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com here.

And in news from around the planet, Disney+ has just launched its Star add-on in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, which includes content from Disney, 20th Century Fox, ABC and Hulu. Among the surprises are a number of Fox catalog films in 4K Ultra HD, including Patton, The Day After Tomorrow, and the rest of the Die Hard films. We expect more to become available in the months ahead, and we imagine that Disney will be looking for ways to make those titles available here in the States too, either digitally or on disc (sometimes both). You can read more about Disney+ Star here at Engadget.

One other interesting film-related item today: Abrams and Marvel are going to be releasing a massive, two-volume book, The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tara Bennett later this year (on 10/19/21). From the press materials:

“The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first book to give fans an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from the release of Iron Man (2008) through Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). A lavish two-volume set, the book reveals the production history of Marvel’s first 23 theatrical films (Phases I, II, III, and IV) through exclusive interviews and never-before-seen on-set photography. Along the way, it tells the story of how a comic book company’s film production arm came to create an interconnected universe of storytelling—and how it became one of the most beloved and successful movie studios in Hollywood in the process.

“Featuring archival materials, concept art, film stills, memorabilia from cast and crew, and rare promotional art, these volumes will take fans on a journey through Marvel Studios’ creative challenges, breakthroughs, and successes of the past decade. These visuals are joined by exclusive interviews with key producers, studio heads, and core cast members such as Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Evans, and more. The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is will be an essential collectible and keepsake for fans—a tribute to and chronicle of how the Marvel Cinematic Universe was brought to life.”

Here’s a look at the cover artwork and you can pre-order it here on Amazon.com if you’re interested...

Finally today, there are a lot of people in Texas right now struggling with homes damaged by burst water pipes not to mention a lack of food and supplies. So if you’re interested in helping them, here are links to the American Red Cross, Feeding America, the World Central Kitchen, the Houston Food Bank, and the San Antonio Food Bank.

All right, that’s all for the moment. Back tomorrow with more. Stay tuned...

(You can follow Bill on social media at these links: Twitter and Facebook)