Like music, cinema produces intergenerational cultural works of art. Physical media (cassette, LaserDisc, DVD and Blu-ray) have long been the only means of transmitting the seventh art through time. They allow unrestricted enjoyment of a feature film or series. However, the advent of streaming platforms seems to be a threat for physical media and, in fact, recent works…
Films and series that are destined to disappear
The rise of video-on-demand (VOD) platforms has turned the film industry upside down. Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ soon began producing their own films and series to offer their subscribers original content. Although the volume is very substantial, only a few works are released on physical media, such as Roma, the film produced by Netflix and winner of a Golden Lion and three Oscars.
Since VOD services produce their own content, they are the only ones to decide on the future, and therefore the durability, of a film or series. If certain productions are not an immediate success, they are quickly replaced or even removed from the distribution platform. Therefore, video-on-demand services decide the lifespan of a film or series.
In April 2023, Mike Flanaganthe director behind several films and series produced by Netflix, expressed alarm on his social networks: “I tried very hard to get them to release my work on Blu-Ray and DVD. Netflix refused at every turn. It became clear very fast that their only priority was subs, and that they were actively hostile to the idea of physical media. In fact, they are very actively trying to eliminate this kind of version from their business model. So much that they can find themselves, intentionally or not, doing enormous harm to the very concept of film preservation.” Netflix, the leading VOD platform, illustrates this 100% streaming strategy. So much so, in fact, that in September 2023 the company even abandoned its original business of DVD rental!
The film world defends physical media
This is the paradox of an industry in the throes of change. Cinema needs platforms to survive, in order to produce and distribute new feature films. However, the lack of a physical edition threatens the future of these same works. Legendary director Christopher Nolan explained in an interview with the Washington Post, “There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down. But the home video version is the thing that can always be there, so people can always access it.” That’s why the man behind Inception, Dunkirk and Oppenheimer is such a staunch defender of physical media.
Far from being the only person worried about the future of cinematic creations, Christopher Nolan saw Guillermo del Toro follow suit on X (ex-Twitter): “If you own a great 4K HD, Blu-ray, DVD etc of a film or films you love… you are the custodian of those films for generations to come.”
Faced with the various alarms sounded by directors, audiences have been receptive. The Blu-ray box set of Oppenheimer sold out in record time on its release in the USA, taking Universal Studios by surprise. Proof that movie buffs are aware of the danger and want to preserve one of the pleasures of cinema: sharing.
