In a move that would make Walt Disney cheer from his cryochamber, Warner Bros has announced they will halt all shipments of the Harry Potter films starting December 29th. Existing copies will be allowed to sell out, but once they’re gone the eight films will no longer be available for sale. Per Deadline Azkaban, WB is taking a page from the Disney playbook and pulling all eight films from circulation on that date. It doesn’t appear that they’ll actually remove unsold product from store shelves but instead will just stop shipping new orders. What’s interesting is that the final film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, doesn’t hit shelves until November 11th, meaning it will only be available for six weeks before the moratorium starts. Obviously WB will flood stores with copies of the title, so no one should worry about not finding it for sale, but this window of availability is incredibly small for such a major title. Like Disney has done repeatedly with their animated titles, WB is hoping to increase demand for the franchise by decreasing the supply. My guess is next November will see a marketing blitz announcing special editions, box sets, and more available for a limited time only. There’s little chance this will backfire for the studio, but will it actually increase sales? Is the draw of the series the same as it is for classic Disney films like Dumbo and The Lion King? We’ll all find out next [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

What is Movie News After Dark? It is a nightly film industry news column dedicated to hacking away with the precision of a drunkenly wielded axe at the world of entertainment news. It has lopped off a few heads in its day, so keep your eye on it. We begin tonight with an image from the special Fright Night event held at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin last night. In attendance were McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), Anton Yelchin and Dave Franco, who looks just a little bit less stoned than his brother James. They made people drink other people’s blood and whatnot. Photo by Jack Plunkett

After the nadir that was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, it was clear that the most lucrative movie franchise of the new millennium needed some freshening up. So, out (reportedly by their own choosing) went director Gore Verbinski and co-stars Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. In their stead, new helmer Rob Marshall is relied upon for his eye for grandiose theatrical imagery and staging, while Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane are meant to add spice and character to the proceedings. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is, well, Captain Jack. Yet On Stranger Tides, the fourth Pirates flick, proves an age-old maxim: the more things change, the more they stay the same. However much the franchise has cosmetically shifted, the new picture is rooted in the familiar: Supernatural-tinged storytelling, murkily-shot battles fought against pristine backdrops, colonial-era costumes and the admittedly unforgettable protagonist, who has become an icon thanks to Depp’s epicene, offbeat take. It is by now a tired formula, rendered in such a way that emotional investment is muted and the more adventuresome aspects are diluted by their adherence to this static aesthetic. Character and atmosphere are sacrificed to spectacle, and the spectacle — sprightly chases, dull sword fights and sweeping, zooming shots of the lush Caribbean sea/countryside — has worn down.

With the exit of Disney studio chief Dick Cook, a few projects that were once on the fast track would ultimately be left behind in the wake of change. Enter the first victim, the McG directed Captain Nemo: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

In the mid-1930s, Walt Disney put down his pens and pencils to head to South America to battle Nazis. While completely misleading, that sentence is factually accurate, and there’s a documentary coming out Friday to fill in the details. Check out the trailer inside.

We kick our Monday news cycle off this week with some potentially magical, marvelous news that already has the internet calling for a Mickey Mouse version of Spider-Man.

Today, the guys over at Ain’t It Cool got a tip from a reader that George Clooney has been sniffing around the now ramping up production of The Lone Ranger.

A guaranteed classic, no. However, I did leave the theatre wishing I had paid more attention in history class.

The second installment of what will probably be a twenty-three-movie cash cow picks up after the charm of finding the last treasure has worn off.

They say that time heals all wounds. Well, apparently it heals mediocre movies as well.

New on DVD for all you Benjamin Franklin Gates wanna-be’s is the 2-Disc Collectors edition of the surprisingly successful and just sequeled National Treasure.

With high-quality pictures already released this year such as “Bridge to Terabithia,” and “Ratatouille,” along with the mildly recommendable “Meet the Robinsons” and “The Game Plan,” and now “Enchanted,” it has been a good year for Disney indeed.