The Disney Movie Club Is Ending After Over 20 Years – But There's Something Bigger Going On
The physical media market continues to shift, and this time, it's Disney making some major changes. The Mouse House is shutting down the Disney Movie Club after 23 years. The service was first launched in the early 2000s when the home video market was booming. It was a way for Disney fans to not only buy Blu-rays and DVDs from the studio's catalog, but it provided exclusive releases and discounts for members as well. But in the era of streaming, it's coming to an end — and it's going to end quickly.
In an official update to subscribers, it was confirmed that the service is set to shutter this year. Disney Movie Club members have until May 20 to put in orders, and all accounts will be closed on July 20. Those who haven't met their commitment status have had their accounts marked as fulfilled, so there will be no additional charges to worry about or anything like that. The following message was posted to the club's official social media pages:
"After 23 magical years, it's time to say goodbye. After serving over 10 million valued Club Members, we have made the difficult decision to close the Disney Movie Club. We will miss the opportunity to be part of the lives of so many Disney fans, including you, but we will be forever grateful for the time you've chosen to spend with us. But we're not done yet! In the months to come, we'll be piling on the perks to celebrate you, our loyal Member. Look for amazing offers to help you finish building your collection with movies you love — for memories that are yours to cherish forever."
As of right now, club members can get 60% off of additional titles after purchasing one at the regular price. Further sales are expected to roll out as the service ramps down. So, for members who have had their eye on titles, like James Cameron's upcoming 4K restorations, now would be the time to pull the trigger.
The future of Disney and physical media
Physical media collectors might worry that this means Disney is going to start abandoning the Blu-ray and DVD formats in the future. After all, the industry is in decline and the profits are shrinking every year. There were even rumors that the company was going to ditch 4K Ultra HD releases altogether back in 2020. Fear not though: Disney is going to stay in the physical media business, they're just going to be handing off the responsibilities to someone else. Specifically, Sony.
As first reported by The Digital Bits, Sony Pictures Entertainment has inked a deal with Disney to take over the company's physical media business. Going forward, Sony will manufacture, distribute, and market Disney's DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as other physical media. That means future Disney releases will still be available through physical and digital retailers, it's just that the studio is letting another company handle that side of the business from now on. How are things going to change once this is put in place? That remains to be seen, but at the very least, it's better than Disney abandoning the business entirely.
We've seen in recent years that streaming is wildly unreliable. Not only are there more streaming services now than ever before, but many of them are regularly raising prices – Disney+ and Hulu included. Plus, titles move from service to service frequently, so it can be hard to track down certain movies or TV shows when you want to watch them (and that's if they're available at all, as these studios are also removing titles from libraries with more regularity). It's been messy, but the cold hard fact of the matter is that streaming is the future and there is no fighting that future. That's where Disney is choosing to invest its resources and put its focus. Sony, on the other hand, is happy to take the money Disney would otherwise be leaving on the table.
Is this change going to be for better or worse?
With the state of streaming being what it is, physical media remains important for enthusiasts as a means of preservation. With Best Buy getting out of the Blu-ray business entirely, things have seemed grim. In that way, it's welcome news that Sony is willing to not only stay in the business, but take over that business for another studio. Let us not forget that Disney purchased most of Fox's assets in 2019, including 20th Century Fox. So this is no longer just Disney we're talking about. We're looking at decades of cinema history, and a huge library of titles that could/should be readily available on Blu-ray and/or DVD.
Major questions linger with this new deal. Will Sony push to get more Fox library titles released on 4K? Let's not forget that the internet at large essentially had to (kindly) bully Disney into releasing "Prey" on disc. Fortunately, that worked — but it doesn't always. 2022's hit horror flick "Barbarian" remains without an official physical release. There are plenty of other movies like it just sitting there, waiting for a Blu-ray.
Sony clearly sees value in this new arrangement, and they will want to maximize that value. So we can optimistically hope that means they will push to release as many new movies as possible on disc, while also getting more library titles on shelves. Sony is one of the few Hollywood studios that doesn't have a streaming service. That means they have every motivation to make the most of Disney's library with Blu-ray releases going forward.
None of this can make up for Disney Movie Club shutting its doors. For members, it would be ideal if Sony would just keep the service going and try to improve it under their leadership. That's not happening, but maybe, just maybe, this will be a good thing for the industry in the long run.