MGM Home Entertainment Warning Screens

United States of America & Canada

October 1980–June 1982; May 22, 1984

Visuals: We see the warning screen scrolling up. The word "WARNING" appears in a cream color; the Warning text is in white. Everything's in capitals.

Technique: The text scrolling up.

Audio: None.

Availability: On all MGM/CBS releases of the era. This warning also appears on the 1984 CBS/Fox release of S.O.B., but at the end, following the movie. (The film was originally released in 1982 under the MGM/CBS label). It makes a surprise appearance on I Love Lucy: Collector's Edition videocassettes from the CBS Video Library.

March 1982–August 22, 1990; 1991-1993; 1999

Visuals: Same as before, except the word "WARNING" is in red with white outline between two white lines, the warning text is in white, and now appears in lowercase. The black bars are at the top and bottom of the screen, but faded.

Variants:

• On releases of black and white MGM movies, the warning is in black and white.
• On laserdiscs and CED Videodiscs, "cassette" is replaced by "videodisc."
• A prototype version exists where the text is in the same style as the previous warning.
• On releases from MGM/CBS Home Video's "First Run Home Video Theater", a different warning spiel was used, which includes contact information to report pirated cassettes.

Technique: Same as the previous warning.

Audio: None.

Availability: On all MGM/CBS and MGM/UA releases from the era. Also seen on Wood Knapp Video releases, as well as a couple of Nova Home Video and Junior Home Video releases at the time. The prototype version appears on the 1982 CED of The Time Machine and the 1982 VHS releases of The Greatest Fights of the 70's and Viva Las Vegas. For an odd reason, this appeared on the original VHS releases of Thelma & Louise and One! Two! Three! and the demo VHS of Crooked Hearts, all from 1991. Possibly an editing mistake on MGM's part. Finally, this warning can also be seen on the 1992 VHS of Timebomb, the 1992 reprint VHS of Fiddler on the Roof, originally issued in 1988, a 1993 reprint of the 1983 VHS of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and a 1999 Vintage Classics reprint/reissue of Ninotchka. Strangely, the color version is seen on the 1984-1990 VHS releases of Naughty Marietta, Grand Hotel, Ziegfeld Girl, and Captains Courageous, which are B&W films. It was last seen on the 1990 Laserdisc release of All Dogs Go to Heaven (the VHS uses the next warning) and at the end of the rental VHS/Beta release of Rain Man.

August 22, 1990–August 23, 2005; August 8, 2006

Visuals: Almost the same as the 1990 New Video warning, except "WARNING" is with drop shadows and the font is Helvetica.

Variants:

• Most MGM DVD releases from 2001-05 (exceptions include I Want to Live!, Vampire's Kiss, RoboCop 2, and Straw Dogs) have an updated version of this warning. A brighter shade of red for "WARNING" is used, and the white text is in the Futura Bold font (except for "WARNING," which is set in the Franklin Gothic Bold font). This was also seen at the beginning of the 2006 Magnolia Home Entertainment DVD of Voices of Iraq, on Parker Brothers DVDs, and on Sundance Channel Home Entertainment tapes.
  • New West Records uses a redesigned version of this, where the text font is slightly different.
• On some DVDs, the warning is videotaped. This can be seen on the DVDs of Dirty Work, Fargo, Spaceballs, Teen Wolf, The Producers, and A Chorus Line to name a few.
• On screeners (except for Crooked Hearts, which uses the previous warning, and The Man in the Moon, CrissCross, and Rich in Love, which don't use any warning), the bottom text is altered to read "LICENSED FOR PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES ONLY." This version makes strange appearances on the 2000 Warner Home Video demo VHS of Looney Tunes Presents: Taz's Jungle Jams, the retail VHS of Storefront Hitchcock, the 1993 Laserdisc of The Music Lovers, and in redesigned form on some retail DVDs, such as Thelma and Louise, Rollerball (1975), The Terminator, and Ghost World (conversely, the 1991 demo VHS of The Russia House strangely uses the retail version instead).
  • On the 1991 demo VHS of Double Impact, both the promotional and retail variants are used, bookending the tape's previews.
• On the 2002-03 DVDs of Vampire's Kiss (widescreen side only) and Much Ado About Nothing, the warning is stretched.
• On Spanish and French (non-Canadian) releases, the text is translated into those respective languages.
• On the 1998 Trimark Home Video DVD of Mean Guns, the text font is in Arial and there's a drop shadow behind "WARNING."
• On MTI Home Video releases, the 1990 warning screen's font is different.

Technique: A digital graphic with fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: On all MGM releases from the era starting with the VHS release of All Dogs Go to Heaven (with the exception of the 2002 ShopNBC.com exclusive VHS of It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, which had no warning screen at all; however, the 2003 wide release version had this warning screen). Also seen on New Line Home Video/Entertainment releases from 1991-2008, as well as some WarnerVision/KidVision releases from 1993-97 and HBO DVD releases from 1998-2005), the 1998 Trimark Home Video DVD of Mean Guns (the VHS instead uses Universal's warning screen), and the 2000 USA Home Entertainment DVD of Nurse Betty (the VHS instead uses PolyGram/USA's own warning screen). The final MGM releases to use this warning are The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Beauty Shop, Dust to Glory, and the DVDs of Without You I'm Nothing, I Love You, Don't Touch Me!, Kissed, The Killing of Sister George, Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf, A World Apart, Vincent and Theo, Inserts, and Four Friends. Surprisingly, the DVD variant was retained on Shout! Factory's 2015 DVD reissue of UHF, which was a modified version of the original 2002 release. It was also seen on some Morgan Creek/Warner Bros. DVDs, while others use the warning screens.

1990 (Alternate)

Visuals: Same as the 1979 Warner Home Video warning.

Trivia: On Spaceballs, in that scene, while trying to find the location of the movie's protagonists, one of Dark Helmet's (Rick Moranis) officers locates an "instant cassette" (a VHS released to stores while the movie is still in production) of Spaceballs. He pops it in, and when the tape begins, this warning is shown.

Technique: A digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Only seen on the 1990 MGM/UA Home Video Laserdisc Sampler.

1992 (Alternative)

Visuals: Same as the 1983 Embassy Home Entertainment/Nelson Entertainment/New Line Home Entertainment warning.

Technique: A digital graphic with fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on 1992 demo tapes of Timebomb, Shattered, and Harley Davidson and the Malboro Man.

September 13, 2005-May 21, 2013

Visuals: Same as the Sony Pictures Home Entertainment warning screens.

Variant:

• On a few releases that used this warning, like Road House: Deluxe Edition, the 2005 Walt Disney Home Entertainment version of the warning is shown instead of the SPHE version.
• On Fox releases of MGM films, the 2004 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment FBI Anti-Piracy Warning is used.

Technique: A digital graphic with fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: Uncommon. Seen on all MGM DVDs distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, such as the James Bond: Ultimate Edition series (produced under Sony, but released under Fox), Fame: The Complete 1st Season, The Amityville Horror (2005), Blizzard, The Producers: Deluxe Edition, the 2005 reissue of Rock-a-Doodle (originally released on DVD by HBO Video), Death to the Supermodels, My Summer Story, and Me and You and Everyone We Know. This was also seen on the 2008 DVD of Romance and Cigarettes, a film that was distributed by Sony after their merger with MGM left it in release limbo. The Fox variant is seen on all MGM releases distributed by Fox from 2006-13, such as Stargate SG-1: The Complete 9th Season, Copying Beethoven, Stone Cold, The Fabulous Baker Boys, True Confessions, Pulp, Feast of Love, Charlie Bartlett, Pathology, Igor, College, and both seasons of Stargate: Universe. Although a new warning was adopted in 2012, this continued to be used into 2013, on the DVDs of Skyfall and Teen Wolf: Season Two.

October 3, 2006-June 23, 2009

Visuals: Same as the second screen of the later variant of the 1978 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment warning.

Technique: A digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen at the start of MGM DVD and Blu-ray releases distributed by Fox from 2006 to 2009.

June 30, 2009-November 19, 2019

DVD (2009 - 2019)

Blu-ray (2009 - 2019)

Visuals: Same as the 2009 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment warning, except the text Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC is replaced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Variant: On Blu-rays, the text is rearranged.

Technique: A digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen at the end of all MGM releases distributed by Fox, ending with The Handmaid's Tale: Season Three.

Editor's Note: Like the HBO Video warnings, it says "editing."

December 15, 2009-November 22, 2016

Visuals: Almost the same as the 2004 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment warning, except the FBI seal is redesigned and the background is black.

Technique: A digital graphic with fading effects.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on MGM Limited Edition Collection DVD-Rs, such as The Group, Trapeze (the first two releases in the line), Hornets' Nest, and The Ceremony. Its last appearances were on the final releases in the line, which include Sour Grapes, Spellcaster, and The Sketch Artist.

October 9, 2012–November 19, 2019 (Fox); December 4, 2018-present (Universal)

Visuals: Same as the other companies' FBI Anti-Piracy Warnings from 2011.

Technique: A digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on all MGM releases distributed by Fox from late 2012 until 2019, such as both versions of Red Dawn, Spectre, If I Stay, The Prodigy, and the remakes of Child's Play, Carrie (which was the first DVD title to use this warning) and RoboCop. These warnings are also used on MGM (United Artists Releasing) films distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

October 5, 2020-present

FBI Interpol (OIPC) Warning Screen (Warner Home Video version) -English & Français-

Visuals: Same as the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment warning screens.

Technique: Same as the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment warning screens.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on current MGM releases distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment since 2020, such as Valley Girl (2020), both volumes of the final season of Vikings, and Wrath of Man. Also appeared with the 9th warning on Studio Distribution Services releases.

International

United Kingdom and Ireland

1st Warning (Early 1980s–1986)

Warning: On a black background is white text fading in:

This video cassette
is a genuine first
generation copy
produced on behalf
of and with the
approval of

MGM/UA HOME VIDEO

Then it fades out and goes to a warning scroll. On the same black background, we start with the word "WARNING" appearing in yellow, followed up by white generic text using the same font. Finally, at the end, a yellow message appears on the bottom, saying:

This prohibition may
be enforced by legal
action.

Variants:

• There is an early version of the warning where the "Genuine first generation copy" notice is omitted, "WARNING" isn't underlined, "Any other unauthorised" is aligned slightly to the right, and the yellow message is in white. The warning text scrolls up slightly slower as well. This can be seen on the MGM/CBS pre-certs of Clash of the Titans, The Big Red One, Fame, and Tom & Jerry Cartoon Festival Vol. 1.
• Very early MGM/UA Home Video tapes from 1982 lack the first generation copy notice, however the rest of the warning is the same as normal.

FX/SFX: The scroll up of the Warning on the second screen.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Very rare. The easiest-to-find release with this is a mid-1980s UK issue of The Wizard of Oz. Also seen on Poltergeist, Silk Stockings, Reckless, The Ice Pirates, and Why Would I Lie?. To locate this warning, look for covers where most of it is pale grey, with yellow and red lines in the middle of the entire cover, and the MGM or MGM/UA Home Video print logo on either the top right or top centre of the cover.

Editor's Note: Like the HBO Video warnings, it says "editing."

2nd Warning (1986–2001)

Nickname: "The World's Longest Known Warning Screen" (1986-1988)

Warning: We fade in on a blue background, with the following yellow text:

This video cassette
is a genuine first
generation copy
produced on behalf
of and with the
approval of

MGM/UA HOME VIDEO

WARNING

The copyright proprietor
has licensed the film
(including its soundtrack)
comprised in this video
cassette for home use
only. All other rights are
reserved.

The definition of home use
excludes the use of this
video cassette at locations
such as clubs, coaches,
hospitals, hotel, oil rigs,
prisons and schools.

Any unauthorised copying
reselling, editing, exhibiton,
renting, exchanging, hiring
lending, public performance
diffusion and/or broadcast
of this video cassette or
any part thereof is strictly
prohibited.

Any such unauthorised
action could give rise to
civil or criminal
proceeding.

Variant:

• From 1986-1988, the warning types in and scrolls up very slowly. The same is repeated four times, however, when the last block finishes typing in, it does not scrolls up very slowly and the warning fades out.
• On retail tapes from 1986-1988, the whole text simply just scrolls up, without the typing.
• From 1988-2001, the warning is still. It flips four times, however, when it flips to the last block, the warning fades out.
• From 1995-2001, the warning was in an Arial font and it looks enhanced.

FX/SFX: From 1986-1988, the typing in and scrolling up of each block of text. From 1988-2001, the flipping of each screen.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on British MGM/UA tapes of the era. The normal variant is seen on the UK rental releases of Cry for the Strangers and Dirty Dozen: The Deadly Mission. The variant is also rare, and can be found on a reissue of The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Show: Volume 2, as well as a late mid-80's reissue of The Wizard of Oz. Examples include A Chorus of Disapproval, A Dry White Season, A Fish Called Wanda, After Midnight, All Dogs Go to Heaven 2, American Kickboxer 1, American Ninja 4: The Annihilation, Back to Back, Benny & Joon, Blood Ransom, Bloodfist, Blown Away, The Borrower, Brain Dead, Casablanca, Clean Slate, Company Business, Crime Lords, CrissCross, Crooked Hearts, The Cutting Edge, The Dawning, Dealers, Death Warrant, Delirious, Delta Force 2, Delta Force 3: The Killing Time, The Dressmaker, The Drifter, Eternity, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Family Business, Fatal Beauty, Fatal Instinct, Fires Within, The First Power, The Forgotten One, Gate II, Gleaming the Cube, GoldenEye, Gone with the Wind, Halloween 4, Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Heroes Stand Alone, The Hitman, The Human Shield, In the Arms of a Killer, The January Man, Joey, Judgement in Berlin, Jungle Assault, Kelly's Heroes, Last Rites, Liebestraum, Living Doll, The Man in the Moon, Masque of the Red Death, Matewan, Memories of Me, Midnight Sting, The Mighty Quinn, Mindfield, Miss Firecracker, Munchies, The Nest, Night Visions, Nightbreed, Not Without My Daughter, Nowhere to Run, Of Mice and Men, Queen of Hearts, Quigley Down Under, Return of the Family Man, Rich in Love, Rob Roy, Rocky V, Roots of Evil, Rude Awakening, Rush (1991), The Russia House, Scanners II: The New Order, Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, Seven Minutes, Sisters (aka Some Girls), Son of the Pink Panther, Spaceballs, Speechless, Spellbinder, Spontaneous Combustion, Stanley & Iris, Tank Girl, The Tenth Man, The Terror Within, Thelma and Louise, Tomorrow Never Dies, Transylvania Twist, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Untamed Heart, Weekend at Bernie's, Wicked Stepmother and The Women Of Brewster Place among others. The "enhanced" variant is seen on Bio-Dome, Dirty Work, Evidence of Blood, Fled, Fluke, Get Shorty, Hackers, The Kentuckian, Lord of Illusions, Species, Species II, The Wizard of Oz (1997 re-release), a 2000 reissue of Of Mice and Men (1992), and The Great Escape, among other later tapes. While it usually appeared at the start of the tape, the 1990 UK rental release of Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills places it after the opening previews. In this fun fact, due to the constant amount of cross-trailering since the start of the 1990s, many videos not released by MGM/UA Home Video include trailers for their content, such as Amityville IV: The Evil Escapes, Catch Me If You Can, Dead Men Don't Die, Fools of Fortune, Glory, Jakarta, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Look Who's Talking, Megaville, Open Fire, The Return of Swamp Thing, Rush Week, Shattered (aka Voices Within), She-Devil, A Shock to the System, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Two Evil Eyes and Wilt as well as Betrayal, Driving Miss Daisy, Montana and Welcome Home before their distributing rights to Warner Home Video.

Editor's Note: Same as the last warning.

3rd Warning (1999–2005)

See 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.

4th Warning (2001-2006)

Warning: On a blue and black background, we see the following text:

UK & EIRE

WARNING:
The copyright proprietor has licensed this DVD (including its soundtrack) for private home use only. All other rights are reserved.

The definition of home use excludes the use of this DVD at locations such as clubs, coaches. hospitals, hotels, oil rigs, prisons and schools. Any unauthorised copying, editing, exhibition, renting, exchanging, hiring, lending, public performance, diffusion and/or broadcast of this DVD, or any part thereof, is strictly prohibited and any such action establishes liability for a civil action and may give rise to a criminal prosecution. This DVD is not to be exported, distributed and/or sold by way of trade outside the EU without proper licence from MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) Ltd. Sales and/or rental rights for this DVD are specified on the original packaging of the DVD.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Can be found on MGM releases of the time, such as the Pink Panther Collection DVDs.

Editor's Note: Same as the 1st warning.

Australia and New Zealand

1st Warning (Early 1980s–1990)

See PBV/CEL (Australia) Warning Screens for details.

2nd Warning (1990–2000)

See Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.

3rd Warning (1999–2005)

See 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.

France

1st Warning (1980s–1991)

Same as the Film Office Warning Screens at the time.

2nd Warning (1991–2000)

See Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Warning Screens for details.

Italy

(1985–1990s)

Same as the Panarecord warning screens at the time.

Mexico

2001-03

Opening de Agente Cody Banks en VHS (2003)

Warning: We see various shots of a projector cut to one another, with a faint version of the MGM logo appearing behind them. "ADVERTENCIA" can briefly be seen, and then fades in fully a while later, in-between two lowercase versions of the same word. This text fades out, and more warning text scrolls up, as the first seven words of the text fade in and out as they are read. Just as the text finishes scrolling up, "no a la pirateria" fades in, then cuts out, with the same phrase (except with the first letter of "no" capitalized) appearing in its place. The MGM logo fades into closer view, and "Asociación Mexicana de Video" fades in. The warning slowly fades out.

FX/SFX: The live-action shots of the projector, and the text.

Music/Sounds: Projector noises, with a voiceover recycled from 20th Century Fox's Mexican warning.

Availability: Seen on Mexican MGM videos, such as City Slickers and Agent Cody Banks.