The Disney Movie Club is reportedly slated to shut down as Sony takes over Disney’s physical media business. The Disney Movie Club is a subscription-based Disney service that offers members easy access to the films in the Disney library. Subscribers can sign up for this access for just $1, contingent upon the purchase of five DVD titles starting at $19.95.
As per The Digital Bits, the years of the Disney Movie Club are reportedly coming to an end. In its stead, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is said to be slated to take over all of Disney’s physical media production. Sony’s responsibilities will include authoring and compression of discs, and working with distributors and retailers to ensure their dispersal.
Why The Closure of The Disney Movie Club Makes Sense
The supposed closure of the Disney Movie Club makes sense for a number of reasons. For one, Disney has struggled with internal organization and issues over the past few years. Disney movie club was slimmed down in 2019 and again in 2020 due to financial concerns and losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going with Sony for physical media should be a far cheaper option for Disney, justifying their decision.
Secondly, Disney will not be the only major media company changing their physical media strategy of late. Netflix, which began as a DVD subscription service, sent out their last DVDs on September 29, 2023. Despite the streaming option being far more popular, Netflix had kept their physical media subscription open for years longer than they needed to. While Disney is not phasing out production of physical media with this decision, they are clearly looking at changes to its physical media strategy as a way of reducing work.
Disney’s Sequels & Remakes Will Be Its Legacy (Whether You Like It Or Not)
For better or worse, Disney is leaning into its remakes and sequels instead of new ideas. Considering its legacy is the characters, it’s no surprise.
The recent Disney and Netflix changes both highlight the plummet in importance of physical media. While, as the maintenance of Disney’s physical media access with Sony would indicate, DVDs are not yet completely obsolete, their relevance has been on the decline for years. Nostalgia and extra features may keep the medium alive for a while longer, but in the meantime, DVDs will continue to get rarer and rarer.
