Audio Video News

Whether you love watching movies on 4K Blu-ray without having to worry about buffering glitches or are just fed up with the ever-changing and ever-escalating cost of streaming, we have some good news: Movies on disc are making a comeback in a couple of unexpected places: Fred Meyer grocery stores and GameStop.

Studio Distribution Services (SDS), the leading distributor of physical media entertainment in the U.S. and Canada, recently reached agreements to supply 4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD discs to 132 Fred Meyer locations and 170 GameStop stores; discs will also be available on GameStop.com.

The move, which caught everyone by surprise, comes at a time when the availability of discs is shrinking, most notably with Best Buy’s decision to stop selling movies on disc.

Fred Meyer and GameStop began selling the blockbuster Dune: Part Two this week. The grocery chain is installing dedicated floor displays to highlight a selection of discs, which will be regularly updated with recent releases, catalog titles, anime, and seasonal movies.

GameStop is setting up a dedicated video wall showcasing 20 titles in each of the 170 locations that carry movie discs and offering an expanded assortment on its website. As of this writing, 30 discs were available on GameStop.com; click here to peruse the titles.

Fred Myer, which is owned by grocery king Kroger, operates stores in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. As of February, GameStop was operating 2,915 stores in the U.S. so you’ll have to check your local store to see if it is stocking movies. GameStop has struggled to remain viable in recent years, cutting staff and closing stores amid a decline in console sales and growth in subscription gaming services.

In the press release announcing the SDS deal, GameStop described the move as a natural progression for a company that sells entertainment: “This move capitalizes on the widespread adoption of gaming consoles as multi-functional entertainment hubs that include both gameplay and film viewing options.”

SDS, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal Pictures, distributes a broad assortment of movies and television shows from multiple studios on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. The company attributes the renewed interest in movies on disc to a “resurgence of audiences looking to purchase more of their favorite entertainment on physical formats.”

It’s too early to know whether this is the beginning of a bona fide trend but we know readers of this magazine appreciate the potential of higher quality visuals on 4K Blu-ray, so we’ll be watching to see if it grows — and if Best Buy reconsiders its position.