When Stranger Things came to a close late last year with the long-awaited arrival of the fifth and final season, Netflix made sure it was a major pop culture event. Not only were the episodes released in three installments that coincided with U.S. holidays, the streamer did something quite unusual for the premiere of the series finale. The feature-length episode played in theaters over a special two-day window and found success at the box office. Though Stranger Things wrapped up nearly three months ago, Netflix is still breaking its mold to celebrate its flagship series. Soon, fans will be able to own all of Stranger Things on physical media.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Today Arrow Video announced that pre-orders are now open for the Stranger Things complete series box set, which is available in both Blu-ray and 4K formats. The 25-disc set will release on July 28th. Fans can choose between regular and deluxe editions. The latter comes with bonus materials, including a Palace Arcade coin, a self-adhesive Hellfire Club patch, a Hellfire Club d20, 25 artcards from all of the seasons, posters, a map of Hawkins, and a 148-page artbook featuring concept art, storyboards, and more. Check out the announcement video from Arrow in the space below:
Will Netflix Release More Shows on Physical Media Moving Forward?
Though there are some Netflix originals that have been released on physical media (including a couple of Stranger Things seasons, which were Target exclusives with collectible VHS style packaging), it’s become increasingly rare for something like this to happen. The reasoning is understandable; Netflix is a streamer, and as such, it wants people to stay subscribed to the service to watch its programming. Releasing its original movies and shows on Blu-ray means there’s less incentive for people to stick around (especially if they were only subscribed for a specific show or two in the first place).
Seeing Netflix go all out by unveiling a Stranger Things box set will likely raise questions about whether or not the company will embrace physical media moving forward and regularly release its originals on these formats in the future. In all likelihood, the Stranger Things set won’t be the start of a new trend. When it originally aired, the show became a cultural phenomenon, garnering a massive, global fan base. Stranger Things is a big enough property where something like this is warranted, capitalizing on the show’s widespread popularity by giving fans a unique collectors item. Obviously, not every Netflix original has the same kind of outreach, so there shouldn’t be an expectation that all of the streamer’s shows and movies will hit Blu-ray from here on out.
Still, the Stranger Things box set is a sign that Netflix is willing to consider these kinds of releases on a case by case basis, moving forward with it if it’s deemed worthwhile. Similar to how Netflix has partnered with the Criterion Collection to release Blu-rays of The Irishman and Marriage Story for cinephiles, the streamer could look into physical media releases for select popular offerings. Stranger Things is one of one in Netflix’s library, but earlier this month, Cobra Kai received a complete series box set, giving people a relative idea of which Netflix programs fit the bill. The long-running genre shows with a strong footprint in the pop culture zeitgeist are the safest bets.
Though the mainline series is now over, the Stranger Things franchise is set to continue with animated spinoff Tales from ’85 and other projects that are in development. It remains to be seen if these will also receive Blu-ray releases, but now that there’s a precedent, it’s likely something fans will be expecting. Especially for the completionists, there’d probably be interest in owning these spinoffs so the whole franchise can sit together on the shelf. Assuming Tales from’85 and more are well-received, Netflix might be willing to put them on physical media.
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