We've fretted a lot (or at least some of us have) over the growth of streaming because it threatens the survival of packaged media—having your favorite films readily available on Blu-ray or UltraHD Blu-ray, at the highest possible consumer quality, sitting on your bookshelf where no tools from a streaming service with cancellation orders can barge in and carry them away (at least not yet!).
But the death of packaged media may have been prematurely reported. Not only do new titles continue to be released, but classic films are now turning up with increasing frequency in 4K, as studios recognize that selling us our existing discs all over again is still a viable concept. Eeven Criterion is rumored to be planning 4K releases. The fact that 4K Blu-rays are region free, making them playable all over the world and thereby vastly increasing the market for them without the need for mastering and stocking multiple versions, is icing on the cake. Ever notice that some 4K releases, including those to be reviewed here, offer more than a dozen languages?
Throw in the fact that some world regions are poorly served by streaming, plus the resistance by some buyers to sign up for a growing list of for-pay streaming services (adding up to more than the cable charges they were seeking to avoid!) and you have an new marketing plan for packaged media.
Many of the new 4K releases combine multiple titles sold together...
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