Will DVDs become rare?
As streaming services boom, many wonder if mass market DVDs and BluRays face imminent extinction like past media formats such as VHS tapes, laserdiscs, or cassette tapes. However, while declining in popularity, robust collector communities still cherish physical media, especially for beloved films or nostalgic TV series. For them, rarity drives value.
Yet overall, industry trends suggest most typical DVDs and BluRays will remain commonplace and affordable for years to come rather than appreciating into precious rarities like vintage comic books or baseball cards. Media giants produce hundreds of millions of identical standard edition discs annually even today, far outpacing actual consumer demand. When these backlist catalog titles are sold and resold in bulk lots on the secondary market, they struggle to both retain value and distinguish themselves.
Still, patient collectors should remain alert for exceptions to this rule…
Out-of-Print Gems
When studios lose licensing rights, beloved film and TV titles deemed no longer sufficiently profitable for ongoing large scale replication become "out of print" on DVD and BluRay. Consumers accustomed to on demand access via streaming must then seek out increasingly scarce physical discs.
For example, Tarantino‘s 1994 landmark Pulp Fiction, featuring one of John Travolta‘s most iconic roles, has no BluRay release currently available. Fans eager for highest quality versions can only scour eBay and Amazon for increasingly exorbitant listings hovering around the $100 range for this now "out of print" title.
Limited Treasures
Alternately, studios may deliberately limit production runs to increase collectibility for major franchises and cater to their most devoted fans.
Consider Disney‘s initially numbered "Diamond Edition" BluRay box sets showcasing timeless animated films like Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King. Each newly remastered classic debuts in a collectible multi-disc package complete with lithographs and documentary extras touting extensive 4K restorations. Early listings routinely commanded $500-1000 resale prices and sold out instantly, much like the latest sneaker drops or concert tickets these days. However, the flipper market cooled once unlimited mass market versions were subsequently issued.
Complete Series Appeal
Additionally, consumers increasingly prefer comprehensive long-form storytelling as evidenced by the streaming popularity of Netflix, Prime, and HBO mega-hits like Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards. Nostalgic fans seek to own full retrospective box sets for both convenience and permanence.
Once again Disney leads the field, with hot sellers like the 63 disc Complete Legacy Collections for The Simpsons spanning over two decades of episodes. Limited runs for these elaborate packaging collector sets routinely run over $200 initially.
Will DVDs and BluRays vanish like VHS tapes relegated to dusty basements? Perhaps someday, but collectors seem poised to keep this beloved physical media format alive for the foreseeable future.
