Disney Movie Club To Close
Over the past few years, Disney, like other Hollywood Studios, have slowly been retracting from selling physical media such as DVDs and Blu-Rays as audiences shift to streaming and digital purchases.
In the past year, we’ve seen Disney pull out of the physical media market in some countries such as Australia; it also closed down its Disney Insider scheme, which offered free perks for buying movies and recently, closed down their Disney Movie Club in Canada.
The Disney Movie Club offers members access to purchase a variety of films and shows on physical media, many of which are only available through the service or have exclusive cover art.
And today, Disney has announced through emails to members that after twenty-three years, it will close down the Disney Movie Club service in the United States. The last day members can place orders will be May 20th, 2024.
The official reason for the closure is due to “Consumer Behavior and viewing preferences continuing to evolve”.
Disney has also announced that as of today, February 20th, the minimum purchase commitment for all members is deemed satisfied, and all members are considered VIP Members and have access to purchase all available titles in their catalogue. Which basically means, they are clearing out the last of the stock.
If you have credits left within your Disney Movie Club account, make sure you spend them before May 20th 2024 or contact Disney’s customer support at 900-362-4587 to get a refund (though I’d suggest leaving it a few days as it’s likely the helpdesk will be busy).
This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise since the club hasn’t had any major new exclusive releases for a while, and many members have complained they’ve not been able to place orders on the website for a while.
Physical media sales have been in decline for years, and this will continue to push more people to use Disney+. Though many physical media collectors are no doubt going to be disappointed with this decision since many of the movies and shows available to purchase aren’t available on Disney+. And when major studios like Disney continue to remove selected content due to low viewership or for write-offs, the importance of having items available offline is even more vital.
What do you think of the Disney Movie Club closing? Let us know on social media!