This is very concerning given that horror movie fans are major advocates for physical media. They are collectors. They go out of their way to own their most treasured movies. That’s why there’s a slew of horror underground labels that exist.
Disney has been steadily pushing physical media out of the way for a few years now, but this is certainly the biggest step they’ve made so far. It’s quite clear that Disney is pushing for a) audiences to go digital and/or b) subscription boosts to Disney Plus.
Its been nine months since the theatrical release of “Barbarian” and still not a word about a blu-ray disc release. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m in no rush to get my physical copy of “Barbarian,” but have we finally reached the point where we need to accept the fact that we might not be getting all the movies we want on physical media?
It’d have to be, as I haven’t given much thought to it beyond “ooo that’s a thing I’d like to do.” As 4k80 isn’t out yet, there’s no great rush.
That said, my vague plan is: grab the latest versions of 4k77, 4k80 and 4k83, I already have the custom inlays/slipcovers downloaded from here (scroll down to my comments) and then have a word with my friend and (Odeon Limitless buddy) who is a VFX freelancer who largely works from home and has some very fancy kit. I imagine sending large files in physical formats is inconvenient/impractical these days (I know he is paying for industrial-strength bandwidth) but his set-up is top notch and it may contain everything I need or he’ll have some ideas.
That’s probably the lowest bar for testing this kind of thing out and I’ll see how it all works out. If it’s an expensive pain I might just take a punt on Chinese bootlegs. However, I reckon, if Prey sells well, we’ll get Barbarian or a boutique publisher may winkle the rights for a limited edition out from Disney - it will sell well.