Disney may be soon stop releasing its movies on Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray Discs have been one of the most popular kinds of media formats for multiple genres, and getting Blu-Rays for your favourite movies after a theatrical release has run its course is something many fans do. Despite being a physical medium of storage, Blu-Rays remain more than just relevant. They offer high-quality playback in addition to exclusive material. However, a new update suggests Disney may have kickstarted the end of Blu-Rays.

This is because Disney is reportedly planning to offer no more Blu-Ray discs after it has released one of its latest movies – Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3 on the platform. This means all future Disney movies, including all the upcoming Marvel movies, will not be released on Blu-Ray. This trend is set to kick start in Australia.

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While the move is currently just one studio acting in one region, it may just be the beginning of the end for Blu-Rays. Disney is one of the largest sellers of Blu-Rays in the world, and Australia may just be the first market in which the studio wants to end discs.

What ending Blu Rays could mean for Disney

Disney has been putting more effort on its own streaming service – Disney+ in recent years. Its decision to axe Blu-Ray discs may just be a tactic to push users towards Disney+.

That said, digital streaming alternatives still have one area where Blu-Rays remain unbeaten even today – and that is true, physical ownership. Blu-Rays are often associated with ownership pride, as they are usually the best format to own and reproduce a movie in, offering a much higher video bit-rate than streaming apps (17-25 Mbps vs 40-128 Mbps).

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While movies and shows on streaming destinations can be eventually taken down in favour of newer content, Blu-Ray ownership remains untouched. As long as you have a Blu-Ray player and a compatible television, you can always play your favourite movies again.

It remains to be seen if Disney’s decision to discontinue Blu-Rays will carry over to other markets, and more importantly, if other studios will also follow suit. However, with over 2,200 studios contributing to the Blu-Ray market, we reckon that could also take a long time.