Oppenheimer
Putting the Video Disc on the Shelf — Like a Buggy Whip
December 27, 2023
In recent years, the video disc has been treated like the proverbial buggy whip, swiftly being supplanted by streaming.
Indeed, retailers have been increasingly putting disc on the shelf metaphorically, instead of physically. Best Buy reportedly is getting out of the market next year. Distributor Ingram in September announced it would ditch disc. Target has been drastically scaling back. In a recent trip there, I ironically saw more vinyl records than video discs.
But there are a few signs of support. Christopher Nolan Nov. 13 touted the disc version of his Oppenheimer, saying he and his team put lots of work into “a version that you can buy and own at home and put it on a shelf so no evil streaming service can come and take it from you.”
Soon after, as Oppenheimer 4K discs were in short supply and Steelbook versions were going for eye-popping prices on eBay, I recalled some prescient comments by another auteur director.
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Way back in 2011, Oliver Stone exhorted an audience to “collect!” during a directors panel at CES in support of Blu-ray, as he saw the coming dearth of support for physical media. Discs would be “a very valuable collection in 2050,” he predicted.
It’s a little early, but in 2023 disc value could indeed be making a comeback.