Earlier this week, we reported the rumor that The Walt Disney Company had decided to cease the release of physical 4k Blu-Ray copies of its movie catalog. Including Disney movies, Pixar movies, as well as Fox and Marvel movies. Now the company has formally denied those claims.
A Disney Spokesperson told Forbes on August 12:
“There are no plans to discontinue releases in a particular format. We evaluate each release on a case by case basis and pursue the best strategy to bring our content into consumer homes across platforms that meet a variety of demands.”
Backed by, among other things, a third-quarter loss in Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment revenue, the continued push to streaming and premium-access VOD options like Disney plus, and the apparent lack of a physical release schedule, the only thing missing from the rumor was a confirmation from Disney itself. Now, we have the complete denial of such a rumor.
We at Inside the Magic know that many of our readers remain committed to their physical movie libraries and many spoke out in the comments of our original coverage of the rumor. We know they will breathe a sigh of relief at this news and will once again begin looking for shelf space for the next 4k Blu-Ray releases beginning with Hocus Pocus and Home Alone.
But at the same time, this denial might not leave one completely reassured.
The spokesperson said:
“We evaluate each release on a case by case basis and pursue the best strategy to bring our content into consumer homes across platforms that meet a variety of demands.”
This suggests that projects will always find themselves subject to the judgment of Disney with some finding their way to Blu-Ray physical release while others might be sent straight to Disney+ or another one of Disney’s streaming platforms.
As for other confirmed upcoming releases, Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in early September, costing subscribers $29,99 for premium early access to the film.
In the meantime, we will keep our ear to the ground for more physical Blu-Ray releases in the future. We’ll continue to report more official news from Disney as it is revealed.
What do you think about Disney’s response? Do you think we will still see more restraint on physical releases? Let us know in the comments!