By Margaret A. McGurk
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The DVD release today of Eminem's hit movie 8 Mile has been touted with the kind of high-priced hype usually reserved for major movie premieres, including a live launch party in Detroit featuring the star himself and winners of a cross-country rap battle.

Battles are the movie's showpieces, and the DVD promises even more among its extras and bonus features. The most eagerly anticipated are what the DVD ads tout as "all-new, never-before-seen Eminem rap battles," drawn from outtakes and auditions by Detroit-area DJs aiming to go head-to-head with Eminem on screen.

Snippets of the bonus battles that have been playing on TV and the Internet for weeks reveal, for example, a showdown interrupted when Eminem discovers his microphone is turned off.

The disc also contains an uncensored version of the music video "Superman," as well as behind-the-scenes footage and a feature on the movie's music, including the Oscar-nominated soundtrack hit "Lose Yourself."

The movie, directed by Curtis Hanson and written by Scott Silver, co-stars Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer and Brittany Murphy. Its box office take totaled more than $200 million worldwide.