Physical media collectors can attest that for all the convenience that streaming affords us, there’s a certain appeal to having a movie you can hold and claim for your very own. We live in a predominantly digital media world. We’re surrounded by streaming services with extensive libraries, each coming with its own monthly cost. But with shifting license agreements and the volatile nature of streaming libraries, owning a physical disc has grown more appealing to some. Knowing that you have your favorite movies available to you at any point, sitting on your shelf and entirely immune to streaming library fluctuations, internet outages, and other interference is a special kind of safety movie fans can get behind. But even certain Blu-ray releases can be a passing moment, making some discs far more valuable than you might have thought.
In 2011, I was thrilled to see one of my favorite cult classic horror-comedies from director Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) coming to Blu-ray. Dead Alive, otherwise known as Braindead in New Zealand, is an absurdly comical gorefest following an unassuming momma’s boy, Lionel Cosgrove. His mother suffers a bite from a Sumatran rat-monkey at a local zoo, which spreads a horrific zombie-like plague. Lionel has to get his wits about him and combat the undead. I snagged this movie upon its Blu-ray release, eager to relive this ridiculous affair. Some years later, I happened to see that the exact Blu-ray that I had in my possession was worth $100 or more on the open market. After a short print run, production of the Blu-ray had ceased due to an expired license agreement. While you can find imports of the film later in Blu-ray and 4K formats for cheaper, this specific printing from 2011 is considered a collector’s item.
The Blu-ray itself might be more important than the movie
Out-of-print releases are where the value is at
It’s the law of supply and demand. Where supply is lacking and demand exists, the value of an item rises. With movie collectors and film buffs, there always seems to be a market for the obscure and collectible nature of physical movie media. If you look at famous or popular classic novels of a substantial age, the first printings are always highly valued. Even though I can go purchase a copy of Bram Stoker’s Dracula today on Amazon for just under $10, a genuine first edition of the novel is worth several thousand dollars. While movie media isn’t quite that old yet, there’s still a real collector’s trade afoot should you have out-of-print Blu-ray copies of films, even if modern versions exist. My Dead Alive example proves my point.
Sometimes, rare out-of-print DVDs or Blu-rays contain features on the disc that no longer exist in modern formats. These featurettes or behind-the-scenes elements can motivate collectors to pony up the cash. And now that physical media isn’t the leader in entertainment, boutique labels are producing limited runs of films. Just a few years ago, Scream Factory released a limited box set of the entire Friday the 13th movie series on Blu-ray. I believe I paid around $160 for the set at the time. It’s no longer available at retail and can only be found on the secondary market for no less than $200+. As we’re only a short time removed from the release of that set, I suspect that the price will rise with time. The box set came with excellent packaging featuring unique artwork that combined elements of the entire series.
Packaging can be everything
Unique artwork sometimes goes a long way with collectors
This brings me to my next point. Sometimes, the packaging is the key selling point. Currently, you can purchase the entire Friday the 13th movie collection in a simpler package for $40. If collectors were only after the movie, then the Scream Factory set with striking artwork on the box wouldn’t be valued so highly. Throughout your years of collecting physical media, perhaps you’ve stumbled across a printing with unique artwork or packaging that became extremely limited. Maybe you nabbed a rare Target book edition exclusive that is no longer easy to find. Or maybe you have an older steelbook that has long been sold out from retail.
So, before you sell your old DVDs or Blu-rays at a garage sale, drop them off at the thrift store, or give them to your movie-loving nephew, give them a quick once-over to make sure you’re not sitting on a diamond in the rough. There is plenty of potential for rarities in physical media that can bring in significant chunks of change. With each passing day, physical media is becoming a more collectible commodity as digital media becomes more prevalent. So, you never know what could also become highly sought after in the years to come.
