It’s the end of an era in the land down under, as Disney will reportedly stop selling Blu-rays and DVDs in Australia.
Per 7NEWS in Australia, the Walt Disney Company has reportedly backed out of the physical media market in Australia, bringing an end to the distribution of Blu-rays and DVDs in Australia and New Zealand. The change is said to be immediate with the recent release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 serving as the final physical copy of a Disney-owned film to be made available in the region. This is said to be because of dwindling sales of physical media coupled with the increasing popularity of streaming.
These days, major movie releases are often released to streaming services fairly quickly, and many consumers no longer buy physical copies of films like they used to. Many fans are already subscribed to streaming services like Disney+ because of the exclusive content that is offered, and the subscription comes with the added benefit of enjoying new films just weeks after they’ve debuted in theaters. Some are wondering if other markets will be soon to follow, a valid concern given the recent news that WandaVision was getting a special steelbook release that wouldn’t include an actual DVD or Blu-ray disc.
“I’m a collector myself and I buy all my films in physical form. I think it’s shameful to stop producing them, I don’t want to go 100% digital,” one collector said on X of the situation. “My guess is that this is to force us to subscribe to streaming services because we will no longer have any films in physical form, which would then be the only legal way to watch them.”
Another post on X theorizes that it’s a sign of the rest of the world following suit, noting, “Disney is pulling out of the physical media market in Australia. That means no more DVD’s or Bluray’s. This covers Marvel, 20th century Fox, all of it. A domino effect with other companies will begin, then likely to happen all over the world. It is the end of an era.”
Will Other Continents Soon Start Phasing Out Disney Blu-rays and DVDs?
As of right now, it’s only been confirmed that Disney’s discontinuation of Blu-rays and DVDs will only apply to Australia. There are no plans known for other regions to similarly phase out physical discs. That means that Australian collectors will have to buy their copies from international retailers. One also has to wonder if Australia is just the first market to go, and if it’s just a matter of time before other regions on the planet follow suit.
It’s also worth noting that this is not the first time Disney’s physical media has ceased production in a particular territory. In 2020, it was reported that Disney would stop distributing physical media to Latin American retailers. At the time, the change was abrupt, similar to how many Australians are feeling with the recent news about their own region.
For now, Australians can pick up the final physical media release from Disney for their region, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which went on sale on Aug. 1 on Blu-ray and DVD.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
