A DVD player with the disc of 'Despicable Me' entering the machine. On top of the machine is the DVD case holder. The player is on a white background. (Image credit: Future)

DVD and Blu-ray disc sales have fallen yet again, and there’s bad news for the cinema, too

When will good ol’ physical media catch a break?

by · whathifi

It’s not great news for the future of discs in the US – DVD and Blu-ray sales have dropped 26 per cent.

According to the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) and Omdia, box-office, disc and Blu-ray sales have all seen a decline in the third quarter of this year.

It can’t have helped that US mega-retailer Target broke the news earlier this year that it would stop selling DVD and Blu-ray discs in-store by 2025. This seems to follow a larger trend both in the US and worldwide where we are seeing consumers opting for streaming over DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Even the number of film fans visiting the cinema to see the latest releases has dropped: box office sales have fallen 22 per cent year-over-year.

While sales of physical media and movie tickets have gone down, US home entertainment spending reached $38.63 billion, compared to $31.49 billion in the previous year. This is despite the fact that the price of subscription streaming services has gone up in the last year, and many have introduced all sorts of tiered options.

It’s not all doom and gloom for physical media, though. The DEG also said that 4K UHD catalogue releases grew 10 per cent year on year, and titles in Steelbook packaging grew 25 per cent, suggesting that while the number of buyers of physical media is shrinking, there’s a real appetite for picture quality and collectability.

Also, back home in the UK, HMV reported in July that DVD and Blu-ray sales were on the rise.

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As for the cinema, the figures can’t have been helped by what feels like a relative lack of major blockbusters. We can only hope that big upcoming releases such as Wicked, Gladiator II and The Lion King prequel Mufasa boost the box-office and, further down the line, disc sales.

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