discussion Disney to stop releasing DVDs and Blu-ray in Australia

[okgo]

The sales of physical media, including Blu-Ray and DVDs, have been in decline for years, following the increased popularity of streaming services and a shift to digital movie releases.

 

Recently, Disney announced it was closing down its Movie Club program in Canada following a shift in consumer patterns to watching films on digital and Disney+. And now, according to Digital Bits, multiple industry, distributor, and retailer sources, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment will be pulling out of distributing physical discs in Australia.

 

Many movie fans are unhappy with this news, especially with a growing trend of streaming services like Disney+ making changes or removing content without notice. Disney has been releasing fewer of its films and shows on physical media over the past few years. Australian film collectors will still be able to import films from global retailers, but this will result in much higher costs due to international shipping etc. This full pull out of physical media is not for U.S./Canada... yet. The concern is that doing this in other countries is basically the test ground for eventually doing it... everywhere else.

 

“Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 3” is set to be the last physical release in Australia, which arrives in stores in August. Previously released titles will continue to be on sale, but as stock is reduced, these may become unavailable over time.

The irony is that a few months back, Bob Iger talked about ramping up physical releases. This is the opposite.

This is basically the doomsday scenario becoming real. No more physical releases and having to rely on streamers and VOD which just pulls the content whenever they feel like it.

 

[TaylorNation]

as an avid physical movie collector this is so ******* sad... over the years I stopped buying mainstream/blockbuster movies and now I only mainly buy old Hollywood movies from boutique labels, so I think those are not in that much danger as they are niche restored classics.

 

but the reaction from other studios scares me.

 

 

 

 

[samsclubPRESENTSavam]

I have a lot of physical copies for the obvious reasons. Lots of people don't really seem to care that services constantly pull things offline, though. I think Disney understands that, as they've always had "the vault" concept with the limited number of physical copies for anniversary. Makes sense that they would extend the concept to modern times.

[poki]

This is really really really bad. We saw they can take down content from stream services and then what? It's lost forever. 

 

[poki]

This is really really really bad. We saw they can take down content from stream services and then what? It's lost forever. 

 

[Aristede]

I'm a big supporter of having physical copies of movies. They can just pull things off streaming platforms whenever they feel like it and bury them forever, never to see the light of day again. Or they can edit and censor them if they want to. Having your own copy is best because they can't take it away from you or change it. 

[laudibella]

5 hours ago, samsclubPRESENTSavam said:

Lots of people don't really seem to care that services constantly pull things offline, though.

10 years ago, a guy asked why I still bought DVDs. I said "in case the internet goes down". He said "why would the internet go down?"

 

[Johnny Jacobs]

I mean duh... Who even uses them anymore

[Katamari]

i think the sales of physical media might rise in the future 

[DamianSolo]

There's nothing more annoying, so to speak, than planning to and finally sitting down to watch something that you've known has been streaming on a particular service only to find that it's no longer available. That's the kind of stuff that just makes me want to fight. It's always better to own. That's why I always tend to buy my favorite shows and films on Blu-ray/4K, especially when it comes to things, sometimes, becoming edited.

[Shazbaz13]

End of an era

 

https://7news.com.au/business/retail/disney-to-stop-releasing-dvds-and-blu-ray-discs-in-major-change-for-australian-customers--c-11414857.amp

[elevate]

I remember being so upset as a ~10 yo when Myer removed the DVDs/Blurays from their store (in a fairly large centre as well), along with all their games. Even JB doesn't promote their stock the way they used to in the front nowadays.

 

I like the convenience of digital, but I don't trust companies not to gouge prices when the streaming wars settle, and it's embarrassing that they remove content from there for tax breaks.

[JustHoran]

In Australia.

 

This won't happen in the US anytime soon. DVDs/BluRays still sell a good amount here atleast. Digital is not great, because as we've seen it can be removed out of nowhere. I have had literal digital copies that I have bought on places like VUDU and my purchased copy disappears and same with iTunes. I'd rather own physical.

 

I still buy my faves physical albums and movies, but I do stream also.

Edited July 30, 2023 by JustHoran

[Valentine]

Maybe this means my Disney DVD collection will increase in value. At the moment they’re just collecting dust, not being watched, about to be thrown out. 
 

Edited July 30, 2023 by Valentine

[Mitsouko]

3 hours ago, JustHoran said:

In Australia.

 

This won't happen in the US anytime soon.

Sadly they already started in the US. After they bought Fox, they discontinued 99% of Fox’s Blu-rays and DVDs. They vaulted nearly a century of film history as an incentive to join their new streaming service where most of those movies would never appear anyway.

[Broken]

AP.

 

 

[Arcadius]

Disney is really dumb because you would at least think they'd try to milk the Marvel/Star Wars fans and release some of their D+ shows on physical. Wandavision in particular would've made a killing had it been given a proper physical release. 

[99sandthe2000s]

I started a physical collection as a way to honor my dad who was a huge movie buff, and I found steelbooks and premium DVDs to be a really cool format to collect. It would suck to see them no longer sold but I find it had to believe they could be done away with completely, there's still a strong market for physical films, collectibles, etc.

[Totami Legend]

I'm collecting my fave movies on blu ray. I won't support the streaming services any longer. 

 

Disney+ is going to collapse so good luck to the evil mouse  

[Totami Legend]

1 hour ago, Arcadius said:

Disney is really dumb because you would at least think they'd try to milk the Marvel/Star Wars fans and release some of their D+ shows on physical. Wandavision in particular would've made a killing had it been given a proper physical release. 

they're desperate to gain profit from disney+, that's the main reason why they created those shows in the first place 

[popmusicisdead]

they're doing this to push Disney +.

they killed Disney Channel Asia in 2021 for the same reason.

[Subzero]

Sad  I love collecting my favorite movies and shows on disc, you always have them available when you need them. I hope this doesnt start happening here in the US, but if it does I'll continue making my own custom physicals like I've done for years of all my favorite shows & films that never got physical releases. Either way I'm gonna have them in my collection idc!! 

[Young Volcanoes]

thank god  they should keep going and stop releasing media altogether everywhere

[magazine]

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