DVDs are the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media

Before the lights dimmed for the film, “The Lady from Shanghai” astatine Vidiots, Aidan Gannon and Jason Fine were engaged perusing the aisles of endless DVDs. For these young cinephiles, the Eagle Rock hub isn’t conscionable a theatre — it’s a gateway to movie history.

In a substance of minutes, the 24-year-olds recovered themselves successful the heavy of its “Star Wars” DVD and Blu-ray collection, reminiscing astir the peculiar features they enjoyed arsenic kids.

But for them, collecting and watching DVDs isn’t simply a puerility memory. They’ve rediscovered the mean arsenic adults.

“I privation thing I tin enactment connected my shelf,” Gannon said, having precocious collected 200 discs. “I tin spell buying successful my closet and drawback thing and popular it in, alternatively of spending an hr scrolling done Netflix to find thing and past conscionable turning connected the aforesaid TV show.”

Vesta McDade, 13, browses DVDs astatine Videotheque successful Highland Park.

And Gannon isn’t the lone one. Local video rental stores similar Vidiots, the Highland Park-based Vidéothèque and the Westside’s Cinefile video store connected Sawtelle are reporting higher rentals, purchases and ft traffic. Even Barnes & Noble, 1 of the past large retailers selling movie discs, sees income maturation successful that area.

Before streaming platforms dominated at-home entertainment, consumers relied connected places similar Blockbuster, the present astir erased movie rental concatenation and RedBox, the defunct movie vending machines, to ticker recently released films. So, erstwhile Netflix and others launched streaming services, carnal organisation yet waned.

Similar to vinyl records that saw a resurgence among millennial customers, DVDs are enjoying a comeback with immoderate Gen Z buyers, adjacent though the discs nary longer thrust important workplace profits.

DVD income person been falling for years, dropping much than 20% successful 2023 and 2024 alone. However, the falloff slowed substantially past twelvemonth erstwhile income of DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K Ultra HD declined conscionable 9%, according to the commercialized relation Digital Entertainment Group.

In turn, boutique Blu-ray companies, similar the Criterion Collection, are likewise connected the rise. As 1 of the starring autarkic home-video sellers specializing successful classical and modern films, Criterion confirmed to The Times the company’s income are seeing “significant year-over-year increases.”

Peter Becker, president of Criterion, credits this continued yearly maturation to young customers’ enthusiasm for carnal formats.

“In the dawn of streaming, it seemed similar possibly this was not going to happen, but it has decidedly happened,” said Becker. “We’re seeing a batch of evidence, including astatine the Criterion Mobile Closet, that much young radical are reasoning astir carnal media successful a antithetic way. In an property wherever truthful overmuch is disposable to america connected demand, it becomes progressively important to us.”

Amy Jo Smith, president of the Digital Entertainment Group, said income of carnal media thin to highest astir the merchandise of highly sought-after titles similar “Wicked” and different franchise collections.

“This is astir wide successful 4K UHD Blu-ray, which delivers a premium in-home viewing experience,” Smith said, adding that “U.S. viewers spent 12 percent much buying titles connected 4K UHD successful 2025 than they did successful 2024.”

In January 2026, Vidiots said it had its biggest period ever — renting an mean of 170 movies regular and renting 500 titles successful conscionable 1 day. Each disc rents for $3, including their astir fashionable titles similar David Lynch’s “Wild astatine Heart” and Elaine May’s “The Heartbreak Kid.”

When it opened successful 2023, Vidiots loaned retired astir 22,000 discs. A twelvemonth later, it doubled to astir 50,000. The shop’s rental numbers person continued to rise, hitting a small implicit 1,000 movies a week successful 2025.

Nat Roberts retrieves DVDs from shelves down the antagonistic astatine Vidiots. Roberts has worked astatine the store for 2 years.

Robbie McCluskey, the manager of the video store, said the astir caller numbers aren’t “even adjacent to backmost successful the mid-2010s,” adding that this infinitesimal feels similar a “golden age” for carnal media.

Over the weekend, Bianca Garcia and her friends Lauren and Emily VanDerwerken were connected a ngo to find “Raising Helen” and “Drop Dead Gorgeous” successful the Vidiots collection, arsenic they couldn’t find the titles connected streaming. For them, owning and renting carnal media is each astir reassurance.

“If thing gets deleted disconnected an online platform, I volition inactive beryllium capable to ticker it due to the fact that I person a carnal copy,” said Lauren, 31. “It feels truly precious to beryllium capable to ain things physically and not beryllium astatine the mercy of studios’ fiscal decisions.”

Garcia, 27, who archetypal started to dive into cinema during the pandemic, sees carnal media ownership arsenic an enactment of “rebellion.”

Jay Spencer restocks DVDs astatine Vidiots

“At this point, I’m forced to person six antithetic subscriptions, which is insane, and I inactive can’t find what I privation to watch,” Garcia said. “Why americium I paying this overmuch for them to springiness maine a movie for a twelvemonth and instrumentality it away?”

“Vidiots is afloat of radical who really emotion movies and don’t conscionable privation my subscription wealth each month,” she said.

Cinefile, a video store founded successful 1999, boasts a akin upward inclination successful business. Post-COVID, determination were astir 300 paying members. Today, that fig hovers astir 500.

Luis Samra, an worker astatine Cinefile, has noticed some a flood of younger followers connected the store’s Instagram leafage and an influx of assemblage students coming into the shop. He says, each Friday nighttime (when they are unfastened until midnight), helium sees Gen Z person groups determination into the store, successful hunt of the movies from David Lynch, David Cronenberg and thing from A24, the accumulation institution champion known for movies similar “Hereditary,” “Midsommar” and “Marty Supreme.”

“It’s similar an after-dinner hangout activity,” said Samra. “They similar to browse amongst each different and accidental ‘Have you seen this movie?’ oregon ‘Have you seen this director?’ And possibly 1 successful 3 of those radical usually travel up and marque a membership.”

Before this surge successful memberships, the video store relied connected providing much niche films. But with the renewed interest, Cinefile is capable to walk much wealth to support up withcurrent releases, similar buying each of this year’s Oscar-nominated films for customersto rent. They’ve besides been capable to bulk up their for-sale section.

Barnes & Noble is 1 of the fewer remaining concatenation retailers that inactive dedicates in-store abstraction to carnal media items. According to Bill Castle, the manager of B&N’s euphony and video section, income of DVDs and Blu-rays person accrued by “mid-double digits” successful the past year.

Victor Gonzales, left, browses wrong Videotheque connected Feb. 14. Gonzales said helium has been coming to the store since it was located successful South Pasadena much than 10 years agone and present lives nearby.

“We spot crossed each of our platforms, books, vinyl, everything, is mode up for us. People privation to ain things and physique libraries,” said Castle, who added that Barnes & Noble’s media conception demographics proceed to skew toward younger shoppers. “It’s convenient. They tin perceive oregon ticker them astatine immoderate time. They don’t person to interest astir what streaming work has it up.”

Castle said helium is frustrated erstwhile large studios similar Disney look to prioritize streaming implicit carnal releases.

“When Disney moved from their ain organisation to Sony, we saw a driblet successful their rubric count, and we often carried each the Disney titles. We spot it shrinking from immoderate studios,” said Castle. “We request products to merchantability absorbing things for our shoppers to browse through. So without much content, it’s a disadvantage.”

Recently, shaper and seat of USC Peter Stark Producing Program Ed Saxon was “shocked” erstwhile helium received 1 of his aged movies, “Married to the Mob” (1988), arsenic a caller merchandise from Blu-ray boutique vendor Vinegar Syndrome.

Phoenix Topete and Dayana Gallardo sojourn Videotheque for a Valentine’s Day day connected Feb. 14. Gallardo said she archetypal began coming to the store successful autumn 2023 and that she and her fellow bask browsing for movies together. Maddie Bumb, seen successful the background, has worked astatine the store for 2 and a fractional years and was antecedently a lawsuit erstwhile it was located successful South Pasadena.

“It’s good thought of to this day, but it wasn’t a large hit. It’s directed by a notable director, but that would not person happened earlier this bump,” said Saxon, referring to the film’s reemergence. “In an epoch wherever we’re each truthful online, it was reassuring and felt nurturing. It’s bully grounds of however overmuch movie civilization means to people.”

He suggested a precursor to this emergence successful popularity began successful the 2010s, erstwhile audio streaming platforms were introduced and vinyl records started to regain popularity among millennials. He explained that to younger radical similar his students, collecting and renting DVDs is simply a mode “to beryllium capable to dilatory down and get disconnected this hedonic treadmill of ‘where’s my adjacent stimulus coming from.’”

“Infinite prime is exhausting. People are conscionable bushed of each of it. Putting a assertion down connected a portion of civilization is successful immoderate ways subversive and fights backmost against level control,” said Saxon. “Physical media isn’t competing with streaming. It’s alternatively correcting for the discourse and commitment.”

Saxon, who produced “The Silence of the Lambs,” is besides good alert that carnal media tin beryllium a “nice portion of concern for the studios.”

He added, “‘The Silence of the Lambs’ is simply a perennial now. I recognize however it’s been everywhere, but that movie means capable to radical that they volition spell bargain it.”

“As a benignant of wide marketplace for older films that don’t person caller sources of revenue, beyond caller streaming platforms, [physical media] is simply a bully bonus, and erstwhile you adhd it up crossed a full room of films from the studios, it adds up to existent money.”