Physical media has always been important to collectors, but its popularity died down quite a bit in the age of streaming services. There was a delighful in-between era when you could buy a bunch of Blu-rays and DVDs from a bargain bin at Walmart for only $5 each, but that time has since passed. These days, there is still a steady stream of movies and TV shows released on physical discs, but it's not nearly at the same level of abundance as it was even 10 years ago.
The good news is that 4K UHD and Blu-ray movies have been making a comeback. With major streaming services like HBO Max dropping even originals from its platform, there are many folks looking for a way to truly own their favorite media. Unfortunately, the cost of these discs is a lot higher than it used to be. There are no longer bins you can sort through to find a great movie for cheap and most of your shopping will be online. If you want to continue to build (or start building) a physical media collection, it can get expensive fast.
If you're looking for advice for saving money, IGN pretty regularly covers discounts on 4K and Blu-ray releases. There's no "best" time to buy for every movie or TV show, but there are a few times a year where you can definitely expect savings. We'll break down the best times to buy below.
Online retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble will usually offer some sort of discount around major sales events. This could either be in the form of direct discounts or some sort of "buy one, get one" sale. Here are the key times throughout the year to look for these savings.
Prime Big Deal Days (October)
Amazon is one of the best places to buy 4k and Blu-ray discs online, so it stands to reason that its exclusive sales events are generally a good time to find discounts. Prime Big Deal Days (also known as October Prime Day) is a fairly new event that takes place every October. This year Amazon has announced that the sale will run from October 7 through October 8. Early deals for the event have already started, and there are some major discounts on 4K Blu-rays well ahead of the start date.
If you're building a collection, you are likely going to want to add at least a few steelbooks to your collection. These are movies or TV series collections that are wrapped up in a special steelbook case with some sort of limited-edition artwork on the front and bonus features inside. Because of these extras, they tend to be the most expensive version of any release. That being said, they do go on sale and when those discounts actually happen varies.
Near the End of the Preorder Window
The ongoing list of upcoming 4K and Blu-ray releases includes a mix of steelbooks of the most new movies of the year as well as re-releases of popular older movies. When preorders for these steelbooks first go live, they tend to be at their most expensive. Depending on how popular the movie is, limited-edition steelbooks have the potential to sell out pretty quickly. However, if it isn't a really sought after title then you can usually find some sort of discount closer to its actual release date. So if it's a collector's edition of something you really want, you can potentially wait for a discount and hope it doesn't sell out. Amazon also offers a preorder price guarantee that will automatically get that discount if the price does drop, so you can always take the route of preordering early if your don't want to miss out on your chance to get it.
A Month or More After Release
Assuming a steelbook doesn't sell out before it actually releases, retailers will likely have an abundance of stock they will need to offload at some point. Sometimes this comes in the form of a discount pretty shortly after the initial release date, but usually you'll have to wait a bit. Collectors who missed the initial preorder window are often still willing to pay full price for a new steelbook shortly after release. This means you can usually expect discounts about a month or so after the initial release date. You're unlikely to find these discounts on the really popular new movies with limited-edition steelbooks, but they are often available on the re-releases or anniversary editions of films that don't get as much attention from being in the zeitgeist as recently.
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