Will we buy DVDs of our favorite movies and series again?

BarcelonaHacks, one of the most critically acclaimed comedies of recent years, recently aired its finale. In principle, from now on anyone who wants to rewatch the series will be able to do so through the HBO Max platform, which has broadcast it since its beginnings. A few weeks ago, however, the creators of the comedy, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, expressed their distrust regarding storage on streaming services and advocated for a return to physical media, specifically DVDs. They argue that in a time of high volatility in the audiovisual sector – with mergers like that of Warner Bros. and Paramount – it is more reliable to have a physical copy than one in the cloud, which is why they would like to bring out a complete edition of the series on DVD. The project of releasing a box set with the DVDs of all seasons, as was done years ago, is for now just an illusion in the hearts of the three creators.

"It's a very important time for people to invest in physical media because, you're right, things disappear constantly and it's like: 'Oh, I love this movie, I want to watch it.' You simply can't, honey, it doesn't exist,'" explained Aniello. "In terms of art distribution, we've given a lot of power to algorithms, and to the whims of people and certain executives who don't like someone's brother, so they pull their movie or show or whatever. The idea of censorship is very frightening, especially as more and more companies are bought by other companies," she added.

But is there really a market for it to be profitable to release series and movies on DVD? With the advent of piracy and, subsequently, streaming services, the sale of physical media plummeted to the point of being absolutely residual. In the last year, the hemorrhage of lost interest in DVDs has slowed down, at least in the United States, according to the latest report from Digital Entertainment Group. According to their data, in 2025, sales of physical media – DVDs and Blu-rays – have fallen by 9%, a figure much lower than 20% in 2024. Los Angeles Times highlights that in recent years, different projects have emerged in the city that reclaim the format, such as Vidiots, a video store with a very good reception among Generation Z and one of the best examples of the ups and downs of movies and series in physical format. Its journey began in 1985 as an alternative video store that remained in operation until 2017. In 2023, they reopened in a new location that has become a meeting point for many young people from Generation Z, a segment of the population that in recent years has also reclaimed arts that seemed obsolete, such as analog photography. At Vidiots, you can not only rent or buy but also attend screenings.

The Barcelona resistance

Although it is true that in large stores and shops the space dedicated to DVDs is minimal, in Barcelona there are still specialized stores for both the sale and rental of films and series in physical format. Among them are El Setanta-nou, in Raval; Video Instan, in Eixample, and CineAddicte, in Gràcia.

, a fan of physical media. One of the last series he bought on DVD was One of the people who are very aware of the difficulty of finding certain titles is journalist Frederic Vincent, fromEl matí de Catalunya Ràdio

, a fan of physical media. One of the last series he bought on DVD was Fleabag (Amazon Prime Video) because he doesn't trust "Jeff Bezos or Amazon." "Generally, I buy movies that I know I'll watch again or that I want to own and I don't want to depend on the whims of the moment," explains Vincent, who recalls that he recently bought the documentary Best of enemies, which disappeared from Netflix. The journalist admits that on occasion he has felt a little alone in his hobby, but that when he goes to the DVD sections of large stores, he always finds someone else "rummaging around." He also takes the opportunity to buy when he travels abroad. "A short while ago, in London, I went into a store that has a lot of offerings and there were young people. I was surprised because they were advertising recent titles," he says.