Alan Smithee

Was doing some re-organizing and the case for a cheap public-domain DVD I got at one of the discount supermarkets, a double feature of Wackiest Wagon Train in the West and Terror of Tiny Town (I bought it for that one), literally crumbled in my hands. Never seen that happen before. It was too far gone to salvage, the more I handled the case the more it just disintegrated. Had to toss it, file away the cover sheet and keep the disc in a paper sleeve which will at least save a bit of space.

Josh-da-man

Yeah, I've had one do that, too.

It was a porno, so, like your budget title, they probably used a substandard case to cut corners and save a few pennies.

I was reorganizing my DVDs and accidentally dropped this one on the floor and the case broke, which I thought was kind of weird since they generally don't crack from a just a drop on the floor. Then I picked it up, and the case and it disintegrated in my hands; the tiniest amount of pressure made it crumble.

It was a Belladonna title from Evil Angel, and they're one of the higher quality studios. It was a two-disc set, and the flap that contained the second disc was, apparently, made out of higher quality materials because it didn't fall apart like the rest of the case.

flansered

This happened to my copy of the Disney film the Emperor's New Groove. It was a purchased at Best Buy so it wasn't a bootleg or something. But it was thinner like an eco case but it didn't have the holes where the disc sits. I just transferred it to another case.

orangerunner

Speaking of cheap plastics disintegrating, I had a pair of Bauer brand in-line skates with the plastic boots from the late 1990s which I put on about a year ago and they literally shattered when I put my weight on them. Surprisingly a lot of plastics are not holding-up to the test of time.