Netflix reveals its final DVD after last movies are shipped out
NetflixNetflix was originally known for its mailing of DVDs. Now, the streaming network’s last DVD has been shipped out.
Netflix is known as one of the leading streaming services in the world, having fully beat out the old players like Blockbuster. So it’s suspiring that Netflix got started by essentially being a Blockbuster that posted DVDs instead of loaning them in stores.
The rental service was considered revolutionary, and the red envelopes, the color of which has long been synonymous with Netflix, became rather iconic. Netflix began mailing DVDs to members 25 years ago, but made a gradual shift to pure streaming 16 years prior.
The service sent out its last red envelope on September 29, marking an end to an era. But while we know that 1988’s Beetlejuice was the first movie that was posted, what was the final one?
Netflix sends out its last DVD
Netflix announced earlier this year that it would be shutting down its DVD-by-mail service this week, but would continue to accept returns of customers’ DVDs until October 27.
The last DVD was sent out last Friday, and was none other than the beloved 2010 remake of western movie True Grit by the Coen Brothers.
Said movie follows this plot: “After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a boozy, trigger-happy lawman, to help her find Chaney and avenge her father. The bickering duo are not alone in their quest, for a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) is also tracking Chaney for reasons of his own. Together the unlikely trio ventures into hostile territory to dispense some Old West justice.”
Shutting down the DVD business is another move in a rather turbulent year for Netflix, where strikes and sunken costs have been putting pressure upon the service. But this could help Netflix better focus resources, especially as the business of DVDs has declined significantly in recent years, amounting to 0.6% of its revenue in 2021.
As said in a statement by co-CEO Ted Sarandos in April, “Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that’s going to become increasingly difficult.”
Netflix currently has no plans to sell the DVD business, and will be recycling the majority of its DVDs through third-party companies. The platform is also offering subscribers a “finale surprise” where they could potentially receive up to 10 DVDs, which will be selected at random.
You can check out our other Netflix hubs below:
The Gentlemen | Will there be Firefly Lane Season 3? | Sex Education Season 4 | Monster Season 2 | All the Light We Cannot See | Stranger Things Season 5 | Florida Man Season 2
