Why Some People Are Still Buying Movies on Disc
Once upon a time, if you wanted to own a movie, you had to go out and buy it — maybe on tape, or on DVD, Blu-ray, or even higher quality 4K discs. But with the rise of streaming services, movies can now be bought and watched instantly without ever leaving your living room.
So is anyone still buying physical copies of movies?
Yes, according to a UK music store boss.
Phil Halliday, managing director of music and entertainment retailer HMV, told the BBC that more shoppers have been buying physical copies of films.
"4K and Blu-ray have been doing particularly well," he said. And although most market indicators show that sales of these have been falling since the late 2000s, there may be a place for physical media once again.
"When streaming first came out I think a lot of people saw it as cheap and with a huge breadth of choice, but I'm not sure people see it like that now," Halliday said.
While streaming platforms like Netflix have been offering movies and TV shows online since the late 2000s, it's not certain that the movie you want to see will always be available, since content on streaming platforms can change.
Netflix says shows and movies are removed due to changes in licensing agreements, with popularity and the cost of licensing having an impact on availability.
Meanwhile, in November 2023, the 4K version of the movie Oppenheimer sold out in its first week of release, with the film's director Christopher Nolan encouraging people to buy a physical copy.
As Nolan told The Washington Post at the time: "The home video version is the thing that can always be there, so people can always access it."
In recent years, vinyl records have been enjoying a revival as specialty items for music fans — and people are now wondering if the same could happen for movies and 4K discs.
