Things that last

After a long day of work followed by sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Gabriel Thompson just wanted to relax with his wife and watch a few episodes of The Office. But the ads on his $10.99-per-month Peacock Premium subscription had become just as tedious as his commute. The solution? Use an old gaming system to play Blu-ray Discs instead. Not only did Thompson get to view his favorite show ad-free, he also experienced better sound, better image quality, and the thrill of owning something tangible.

Thompson began collecting vintage video games in middle school, but about six months ago the 23-year-old A/V service engineer added Blu-rays to his physical media library. Like most other Americans, Thompson had come to rely on streaming services for most of his small-screen content. But over time, he got fed up when shows and movies changed from one streaming service to another. He found himself oscillating between providers and racking up mounting monthly fees, even as the value of those services declined.

Thompson decided to go old school.

“My thought process was for the stuff that I really enjoy, like movies and TV shows, I wanted to get it on Blu-ray, which is a fantastic quality of media,” Thompson said. “I really wanted to have it and own it and not be worried it would disappear at some point.”

Invented in 2005, the name Blu-ray comes from the blue laser that is used to read the polycarbonate disc. These lasers have shorter wavelengths than the red lasers used to read DVDs. This allows for more density, which translates into a high-definition (HD) viewing experience. Streaming services may offer HD, but things like speed of internet service can impact the actual experience. That, and the rising cost of streaming services, is driving an increasing number of viewers to embrace technology that was state of the art 20 years ago. Technology companies and retailers are taking note.

In June, Sony released a new Blu-ray player, the first new offering on the market in five years. The 4K HDR, which costs about $300, has little competition since many other companies stopped producing Blu-ray players years ago. Many stores have also stopped selling the discs. In 2024, Best Buy announced it would discontinue sales of Blu-rays and DVDs. But due to increased interest in the format, the company launched an online marketplace in August 2025 to sell physical media again. These trends point to retailers seeing potential growth and income in the physical media market.

2nd & Charles, a subsidiary of Books-A-Million that sells used books, vinyl, and physical copies of movies, has seen sales growth in stores that maintain enough inventory. But finding used copies in good condition is a difficult task.

Sarah Hope, co-manager of the 2nd & Charles in Kennesaw, Ga., said that 20% of the store’s $3.2 million in sales in 2024 came from movies in the form of Blu-rays, DVDs, and 4K. That’s up 2% from 2023, and she expects it to grow even more by the end of 2025.

“In summer, everyone’s cleaning out Grandma’s garage. Whereas fall, I see more collecting because they are getting DVDs for the seasonal time, and they’re getting movies that fit their mood and what they’re feeling,” Hope said. “People who do collect and want to have the physical media, it’s almost like a scary thing to them, like if I don’t have this I’m never going to have it again.”

According to the Digital Entertain­ment Group, sales of new discs also grew by 9% in the first half of 2025. Collectible titles such as Wicked and Dune: Part Two have bolstered sales in the premium 4K UHD Blu-ray format.

Deleted scenes, director commentaries, extended editions, blooper reels, and even specialty steel cases are many of the other reasons collectors flock to buy physical copies of their favorite movies. These bonus features, often unavailable on streaming, add to the fandom experience. Thompson owns The Lord of the Rings trilogy remastered extended cut that was released in 2021. It features 18 total discs—six for each movie, including four discs of bonus features. The extra features allow him to understand more about the art of moviemaking and supply hours of additional entertainment.

But streaming remains the top way Americans view movies and TV shows. A Pew Research study in April 2025 found that 83% of U.S. adults still subscribe to at least one streaming platform for content, with Netflix and Amazon Prime being the most popular. But a third of respondents said that streaming is not worth the cost. And the growing presence of ads isn’t the only source of dissatisfaction.

Movie aficionados note that streaming services can change or edit a film to match new or progressive ideology. For example, when Disney acquired the rights to the 1971 Academy Award–­winning film The French Connection, the company deleted six seconds to remove a racial slur. Film critic Keith Phipps noted that removing the slur created ambiguity in the characters’ actions and eliminated one of the film’s most important features—its awareness of racism.

Questions about the permanence of purchased content have also raised concerns. In August, Amazon Prime subscriber Lisa Reingold filed a lawsuit in Washington state claiming Amazon uses “bait and switch” tactics to get consumers to “buy” media, when in reality they are paying for a licensing agreement that can end at any time. Reingold claims she bought Bella and the Bulldogs: Season 4 in May 2025. Shortly after, she says, the title disappeared from her library. Amazon has not responded to the lawsuit, and the series remains available to purchase on the platform. But the uncertainty surrounding long-term availability of purchased content only adds to the interest in buying physical copies.

In a world where everything is literally at our fingertips, people don’t often think of an item’s intrinsic value. But once they have a physical item to hold and protect, Thompson said, it places more emphasis on its worth: “Having a physical collection has definitely taught me how to take care of different stuff. I understand the value of certain things instead of just having instant gratification or instant access through a streaming service. It’s really refreshing to have a patience mindset when it comes to collecting.”