MrLupeJCrawford

I would like to buy a few movies, but I have to suck it up and get (or rotate) a monthly streaming service, since the movie will likely never be released on home media. I'm one of those people who likes purchasing outright and I can't do that when the movie have been given a indefinite streaming-only release. (It especially doesn't help if it was a movie that was initially released for theaters, but the pandemic caused it to be shelved.) Though I don't really have a problem if the movie was released on rent-and-buy services, since that will likely indicate that a movie will be released on DVD/Blu-ray later on. Thoughts?

story

Welcome! Any examples in particular?

MrLupeJCrawford

A few includes:
The Witches (2020)
Happiest Season (2020)
Artemis Fowl (2020)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Wish Dragon (2021)
All of these movies were originally planned for a theatrical release. I wouldn't really care if they didn't released it theatrically, since it's justified, considering the pandemic, but there should be an option to buy a DVD of it.

orangerunner

Unfortunately this is the direction the major studios want to go in as they are gradually transitioning away from physical media to the streaming model. With physical media the studios made a lot of money but lost a great deal of control of their intellectual property in the process. With streaming they gain back control of their content and yet it still allows them to sell it to the public.

Prior to the home video era (pre-1980ish), the studios made their money strictly from theatres and network TV rights which gave them very strict control. As soon as the majority of the population had a VCR with a "record" button and later the ability to purchase and/or copy physical media, they lost that control. Streaming gives the studios a win/win in their eyes so we'll probably see this transition pick-up speed in the coming years.

kd5

I'm a physical media person, I don't stream, I probably never will. I guess that means there are movies forthcoming that I will never see. The studios can bite me.

Alan Smithee

Regular DVD still looks worse than HD streaming though- it just needs to die already. What "grinds my gears" is when something is available in HD on streaming but then only on regular DVD for disc. For political reasons I'll choose the DVD in that situation, but most of the time I actually just choose neither. Artemis Fowl was produced in 3D but there hasn't been any 3D release on disc or streaming, so I'll just never see that (I have Disney Plus but won't even watch it there in 2D.)

davidh777

Back in the early days, Netflix would release popular exclusives like Orange Is the New Black on DVD/BD. But clearly the market isn’t there for it now, even if you just focused on the top content.

I understand the frustration but that’s just the way it is now.

JOE29

I've been waiting for months to get Greyhound on Blu-ray. I still haven't seen the movie. Because I can't buy it on bluray.

I haven't done the streaming thing either. If it's not out on disc, I'll just have to miss it. That's all. I can't say that that's how it's going to be with me for now on. I don't know. But for now, If I can't buy the disc- well then I'll just watch what I have.

Alan Smithee

Reminds me I need to watch that before my free year of Apple TV+ ends. I've gone to the dark side and gotten a few subscription services, but Apple isn't one I'll pay for. It just doesn't have enough compelling material.