Worrying news comes from Australia for the film-on-disc industry. Disney, one of the main majors of the seventh art, stops selling Blu-Ray and DVD, pushing us even more to subscribe to Disney +.
The distance from the oceanic country, however, does not mean that we are less concerned about what might happen in the future here and cases are accumulating that exemplify that Blu-Ray or DVD are no longer the priority.
Disney stops selling DVD and Blu-ray
When you see your neighbor’s beard cut… That’s what we can think with the controversial decision made by Mickey Mouse’s house in Australia. Disney has officially decided to stop selling DVD and Blu-ray discs in the country.
The decision affects many Disney movie studios, including Marvel and 20th Century Fox. This means that in future Australian fans and collectors will have to turn to international retailers if they want to buy DVDs and Blu-Rays. The upcoming release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, whose albums are scheduled to go on sale in a few days, will be the last to be produced in the country.
Obviously, much of the blame lies with Disney+ and the streaming platforms. Business is key and it is what the company has been committed to in recent years, ensuring that for a monthly or annual amount anyone is a couple of steps away from watching their favorite movie with a huge on-demand catalog and qualities up to 4K , equaling what the maximum resolution of a UHD Blu-Ray could reach.
Disney has decided to lead the revolution that will end sooner or later with the physical format. For the moment, it has decided to start with Australia, but we will see if it quickly spreads to other territories or not. In Spain, no similar decision has been reported, but there are reasons for concern in this engulfment of the physical format in favor of streaming. Let’s review some recent examples.
In Spain there are worrying signs
As we said, the radical decision of Disney Australia for the moment should only worry us in Spain from a distance, but there are a series of signs that begin to indicate that sooner or later it should happen.
A clear example are the series that premiere on Disney+ and are exclusive to the streaming platform. Other competitors such as Netflix and especially HBO have decided to put the most successful series on sale once their seasons have been broadcast. In this way, in addition to conservation, someone can see it again in the future, whether or not they are subscribed by then.
At Disney that doesn’t happen. Disney+ series are not released on disc. Not even when they’re part of big franchises like Marvel or Star Wars. Forget about having The Mandalorian Blu-Ray at home to collect among the Star Wars movie discs. Is the Obi-Wan series the link between Episode III and IV? Not on your shelf, of course.
This decision is especially bloody when the platform decides not only to cancel series, which is its right if it believes that they will not be profitable, but also to eliminate all traces months after its premiere. As an example, Disney+ debuted the Willow series in November of last year and completely phased it out in May 2023. It’s so sad that, as of today, the only way to watch it is literally to resort to piracy.
Physical format sales in Spain are also showing warning signs lately. Although, for example, special steelbook editions continue to sell out in a matter of hours, sales of other formats seem not to be as profitable. The next premiere of the live action film of The Little Mermaid will take place on September 19. For the occasion, Disney is only going to publish it in our country on DVD and Blu-Ray HD. Do you want to see it in 4K? Subscribe to Disney+.
Disney leads, but it is not the only one that seems to leave the disc format in the background and force you to jump through the hoops of streaming. Amazon Prime Video allows us to see John Wick 4 exclusively, but this decision has also caused the decision to sell it on Blu-Ray or DVD in Spain to be hijacked. We’ll see how long the agony of movies on disc lasts and if Australia is the chronicle of a death announced here too.
