Physical media can be a boost to family film night. The quality, features, and ceremony of selecting and playing discs (or other formats) can turn it into a moment worth remembering. Here are the places you can buy Blu-Rays, DVDs, or even VHS cassettes — and the times of year you’ll find a sale to keep your budget intact.
Best Buy
Best Buy is one of the most reliable places to pick up new 4K releases, especially around Black Friday and the holiday season, when recent theatrical films and SteelBooks drop to some of their lowest prices. If you have a local store, browse the physical endcaps — they often contain discounted titles that aren’t promoted online. Best Buy is a dependable place for recent, mainstream films that will see frequent rewatching.
Target
Target’s value comes from timing rather than everyday pricing. Their recurring “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” promotions — which tend to run in spring, early fall, and again before the holidays — are one of the easiest ways to build a family shelf affordably. This is especially effective for animation, seasonal favorites, and PG adventure movies. For best results, choose titles within a similar price range so the free item delivers true value.
Amazon
Amazon adjusts movie prices constantly throughout the year, especially during July and November, when other retailers are running major sales. Instead of scrolling for deals, set price alerts using a free tool like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel. Amazon tends to price-match competitors quickly, meaning the best deal often comes to you if you wait a little rather than purchase immediately. Amazon is most useful for filling gaps — not for browsing.
Criterion
Criterion curates and restores films with care — from the picture and sound to the subtitles, commentaries, artwork, essays, and behind-the-scenes features. Buying directly from Criterion supports the teams who restore film negatives, repair damaged audio, and assemble materials that help older movies feel alive and relevant to new viewers. Criterion typically runs a 48-hour 50% off flash sale in October, which is ideal if you already know which titles you want. If you prefer browsing or shopping in person, Barnes & Noble hosts a month-long 50% off Criterion sale every July and November, making it easy to build a thoughtful family shelf without overspending.
Kino Lorber
Kino specializes in restoring older studio films, international cinema, and important catalog titles that are often overlooked elsewhere. Their site-wide sales in the summer and late fall offer strong pricing on movies that broaden a family’s sense of film history in approachable ways. Kino is where you look when you want your kids to develop curiosity about movies made before they were born.
Shout! Factory / Scream Factory
Shout! focuses on animation, family comedies, cult classics, and nostalgia favorites. Scream Factory handles horror and Halloween-season titles. Their September–October sales are particularly useful for planning cozy fall movie nights. Many of their releases include commentaries, interviews, and archival materials that restore personality and texture to movies that streaming tends to flatten.
Arrow Video
Arrow’s editions emphasize context and craftsmanship, with thoughtful packaging and substantial bonus feature work. Their seasonal sales, especially in early summer and late fall, are excellent opportunities to pick up films that spark curiosity or conversation. Arrow is a strong pick for families who like to talk about how movies are made or enjoy quirky, memorable storytelling.
Vinegar Syndrome
Vinegar Syndrome preserves and restores films that nearly disappeared — from oddball genre movies to overlooked comedies to “I didn’t know this existed, but I’m glad it does” discoveries. Their biggest sales happen in May (Halfway to Black Friday) and late November. These releases aren’t for every family, but for households that enjoy adventurous picks or cult-favorite movie nights, this label makes movie night feel like treasure hunting.
Walmart
Walmart’s holiday shelf resets frequently result in some of the lowest prices on mainstream 4K discs. This is a straightforward way to pick up popular family titles and repeat-watch favorites at very low cost. It’s less about discovery and more about rounding out a dependable home shelf.
Local Independent Stores
Independent video stores, record shops, and used bookstores often curate with taste and memory instead of algorithm. Prices vary, but staff recommendations are where the real value is. Shopping here also signals to kids that movies are something people share and talk about — not just something they scroll past. Community matters in movie culture.
Cheers!
Brendan
