Of course I was joking about the darkside but it may be that Reala would be easier to find since my nearest camera store has now become more interested in selling "stuff" than in photographic equipment. They no longer carry any kind of pro film.
I did notice in Freestyle's catalog that Reala is only 90 cents cheaper than Ultra but 2 bucks less than Portra.
However, like I said, mule headed. LOL
As far as how Kodak could make something as great as Tri-X and something as bad as TMAX. It's probably cheap to make and for sale to people who wouldn't know silver halides from silver mines. When I shot BW 30 years ago, I used Tri-X only and that's all I would use now.