Production studios still regularly release their latest, greatest movies and TV series on DVD and Blu-ray. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that physical media is no longer as much of a priority as it once was for the big Hollywood players.
But there are still a handful of small anime companies working to give fans the quality physical releases they crave. And when it became clear that viewers shouldn’t expect their favorite streaming movies to always be available, the work of these small companies to preserve their favorite works and literally get them into people’s hands is more important than ever, reports The Verge.
Brands such as Funimation, Viz Media, and Discotek are usually associated with newly restored anime classics. And it is thanks to partnerships with post-production companies like MediaOCD that they are able to bring such projects to market in the form of physical discs. According to Justin Sevakis, founder and CEO of MediaOCD, many niche publishers have found success by playing to small, passionate communities of fans who want to own a piece of the media they love. While major studios typically don’t consider physical releases for projects that aren’t expected to sell at least 50,000 units, according to Sevakis, a «good niche hit on Blu-ray will sell for around 5,000».
We’re not talking about huge numbers. But it’s 5,000 people who really fell in love with this anime or show or something like that. And since they are passionate about the idea of physically owning such media, I believe that we — the people who produce these products — should do something special and definitive.
In 2023, the best-selling DVD in the United States «Black Panther: Wakanda Forever» sold just over 300,000 units — a far cry from the millions that movies used to top the charts a decade ago.