It’s 2024 and physical media is struggling. Best Buy has completely eliminated their supply of DVDs and Blu-rays so you can’t even buy them online. Target has followed suit with a much-reduced section. Thankfully, Walmart has filled the gap and even bought up Best Buy’s supply so those great steelbooks they used to offer are now available to buy at Walmart. But anyone who’s been to Walmart knows they take security very seriously, sometimes to the detriment of collectors. So now one of the last places you can buy physical media often has shelves full of dented and bent boxes. If you want to go that route, Amazon isn’t much better either. It doesn’t even address the price issue.
I’ll be honest here, I love boutique labels like Scream Factory, Arrow Video, Vestron Video, etc. They offer amazing releases that we never dreamed we’d actually receive. Guyver It’s coming out in 4K in just a few weeks. I never thought that would happen. It makes sense to pay a premium for a movie that I never thought would actually be released on the platform. But not all movies fit these criteria.
The cost of streaming is often a topic of discussion as these streaming sites tend to increase their prices multiple times a year at this point. Also, the crackdown on password sharing has made streaming less attractive than ever. But for some, the switch to physical media is nearly impossible. Take a look at 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray players, the cheapest of which cost $200. Thankfully, the latest gaming consoles have 4K players, but they still cost at least $400. Still, there are a lot of gamers out there, so let’s assume that players aren’t the best entry point. So what about the price of individual movies?
I fondly remember when movies were released with a base price of $19.99. They were often discounted by a few dollars during the first week of release, so it was common to be able to buy a new movie for around $15. Now, it’s impossible to buy a brand new Blu-Ray for under $25 during its first week of release. Make it 4K and you’re looking at $30. And if you miss the first week price? Add another $5 or $10 to your total. And then that awesome Scream Factory release? At least $35. Of course, there are exceptions, and it’s a little understandable that independent companies like them would release a more expensive disc. But on average, we’re paying nearly $10 more for a disc than we did 10 years ago.
Even the bargains are becoming niche products: Walmart’s bargains are mostly simple 480p DVDs, as opposed to the days of countless $5 Blu-rays, which people wouldn’t have easy access to otherwise. Captain Ron and The Addams FamilyAs collecting physical media becomes more and more niche and collectible, companies start getting greedy for money. The general public isn’t buying it anymore, so they’re releasing it for collectors instead, so now a small market is expected to support the entire industry. We’re getting the same re-releases we were getting a few years ago, but now at a premium price. Recently announced drive The 4K steelbook costs a whopping $35.
So what can we do about this? Really, we need to consult with our wallets. We can’t allow collecting physical media to become a collector’s nightmare like it has for so many others. Crow The steelbook, released a month ago, quickly went out of stock as soon as pre-orders began and ended up on eBay for exorbitant prices. Since they released far fewer copies than they should have, they decided to increase the value through resellers instead of reprinting. (Note: CrowThe disc will be released by Paramount Pictures. drive(These are from Sony Pictures. Neither of them have a ton of perks like Arrow Video or Scream Factory. What on earth is going on?) Any shoe collector will tell you how awful this practice is, and that physical media has no place for it. So, please identify companies that engage in these practices and avoid them in the future. Teach them a lesson and vote with your wallet.
So I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you still collect physical media? What’s the most outrageous price you’ve paid for a movie you wanted? What’s your favorite boutique media retailer? Do you think physical media is too expensive? Let me know in the comments!
