Easy

I doubt it. When VHS cost $50 or more (and they did once) rentals were $3. But just to be perfectly clear... if rentals really were $10 I wouldn't be doing that either.

Squirrel God

The exchange rate is so good right now for us that $50 is only about £26, which is not a world away from the recommended retail price for DVDs anyway.

MEJHarrison

I wouldn't buy more than a few essentials at that price.

Duality

Easy answer: No sale!

bboisvert

Where are you people getting these frigging numbers from?!?

Back in the laserdisc days, many stores around me (indies, without even close to the volume of Blockbuster) would rent films for $3 a pop. That includes Criterion discs, which usually retailed $50-100.

Blockbuster has been renting VHS for decades in this price range. Have you seen the retail prices of most VHS tapes from the 1980s-90s? Except for the major hits that you would find at K-Mart, etc. that were priced for sellthrough, just about everything was $100. That's twice the cost of what you're saying. Was Blockbuster renting those titles for $20 each? $10?

Rentals would NOT be $10 if DVD prices were higher. Rentals would still be $3-4 (give or take), just like they are now. Stores would make up the costs through increased rental volume (because fewer people would buy).

sparks

Have you been to Best Buy lately?

Theirs are going for $23.99...they're gradually inching up to LD's!!!

The net is the only way to buy.

mookyman

In the early days of DVD, when most titles cost about $25, I only bought about 40 a year. So if they cost fifty dollars, I'd probably buy about twenty a year.

Spiky

First of all, there would be about 1/4 as many DVDs as there are now. Maybe fewer. Next, rental prices would not have gone up, they would still be $2-3 USD as they were for LDs. 3rd, burners and machines would still start at $500 instead of $30.

I would get some must-haves, like the Star Wars LD box set I have. But I wouldn't have nearly as many as I do now. I'm in the 150 range at the moment.

Cameron

MSRP 49.99 on these criterions

spartacus
the leopard
battle of algiers
scenes from a marriage

I don't mind...packaging is great...content on multiple disc....good stuff

Max Bottomtime

When DVDs first arrived on the market there were so many great deals around that my average cost for my first 100 DVDs was under $2. I was collecting DVDs for over a year before I paid $19.95 for a DVD. I even cringe now when I buy a TV season box set for $40. I would never pay more than $25 for a single DVD.

jetflair

I would not buy DVDs any more. I might pick up one or two a year, only of movies I was fanatic about.....maybe Spiderman 2 and Serenity, but it would signal the end of dvd collecting for me.

Maxflier

I would find something else to waste spend my money on.

Brian Shannon

Yes if it is a movie I like and would watch repeatedly. Same answer if they cost $10.00.

The Bus

I'd own ten movies, maybe.

ArchibaldTuttle

for every 5 I buy now I would probably get 2 or 3, I don't buy many, most of the stuff I get is the movies I really really like, or ones not available on netflix

Fincher Fan

I'd have to switch occupations to 'Bank Robber'.

mrhan

---but if I went there (which I did) the exchange rate is terrible. I went to Virgin on Piccadilly Circus and the average price was 19.99 quids. If it was 50 quids I don't think I would buy anything and stick to online stores as you suggested.

Just Lurking

It would drastically cut the number I purchase.

OTOH maybe they would come with an insert.

speedyray

I would become a renter. I might own a few, but instead of 1000+ It would be more like 50 or so.

kitkat

I would hardly buy at all except for a few deals I found used. I never collected VHS or LD back in the day. Of course, back in the day we had all these great rep houses, most of which have since closed down.

I'd sign up for cable again, go to theaters more, and continue to rent.

Shagrath

I had a LD player back in the days before DVDs, and had about purchased about 150 LDs over the course of 2 or 3 years. This was when I was 17-20 or so, so I wasn't making as much money as I am now, and this was basically all I could afford.

I definately don't think my collection would be in the numbers that I'm at now with DVDs, but I would probably buy a good amount of movies that I enjoyed. I would definately cut out my blind buys, and probably go to renting movies that I didn't enjoy immensely.

atari2600

im no economist but im sure a lot of people would stop buying (me as well) which would bring the price back down.

Jake77444

Dazed and confused Criterion Collection that is going to be released who knows when

EdTheRipper

I wouldn't buy any at that price. I'd be back to renting like in the VHS days.

visitor Q

So far, I've purchased 9 titles over $50:

Ghost in the Shell R2 (limited)
I, Robot R2 (limited w/ Sonny head)
Kill Bill Vol I R2 (limited)
Kill Bill Vol II R2 (limited)
Shawshank Redemption R2 (limited)
The Incredibles R3 (limited)
The Incredibles R2 (limited)
Finding Nemo R2 (limited)
Monsters Inc. R2 (limited)

... and a handful of others right under.

I would have no problem continuing purchases if it were a film or particular edition of a film that I desire. Big deal. People spend thousands on a collection of hundreds or thousands of DVDs .. and their response is - no, (I will buy no more)!!!? I find this funny. Then again, who knows - maybe there's some other intangibles that go along with the fanaticism of DVD collecting that I'm missing.

That begs another question for those with very large collections .. when you say that you won't purchase another DVD again .. is that because your collection is all you'll ever need?

On my end, two things would change. 1) Blind buying would go the way of the Dodo. 2) I would limit my choices to high wants only.