20 Movies From the 2020s That Deserve Physical Media
There's no better feeling for a cinephile than collecting your favorite movies on physical media. But in the age of streaming dominance, so many fantastic films – whether they get a limited theatrical release or forgo it altogether – end up buried in the streaming mines. The made‑for‑streaming model wasn't so bad in the 2010s, but it's definitely worsened this decade. Movies commissioned for a platform or acquired from a festival now go straight to streaming, with a potential Blu‑ray release damned from the start. CODA won the Best Picture Oscar in 2022, and a Blu‑ray didn't come out until November 2025. Isn't that nuts?
Back in the day, we only had to wait about seven months after a film finished its theatrical run to get it on VHS. Now, if you're a movie from a studio with streaming exclusivity – even if you get a limited theatrical release – there's no guarantee you'll ever escape that streaming window onto physical media. You're more likely to become lost media than land a Blu‑ray. That shit’s terrifying for the hundreds of people that made a movie together. It's already happened: the HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu purges of 2023 wiped out dozens of titles.
This decade has already given us so many great films – Oscar nominees, theatrical releases, straight‑to‑streaming gems – that still haven't seen a physical media release. I want to add so many of these titles to my collection. Perhaps this list catches someone's attention, and a distributor manufactures a few of these titles for home viewing. Maybe. I don't know. Nevertheless, here are 20 movies from this decade that deserve a physical media release.
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1) Rye Lane (2023)
Rye Lane is by far one of the best rom-coms of this current decade; slight and breezy, visually inventive, extremely funny, and a major star-turner for David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah. It rattles me to my core that, yes, it's a British production, but in America it wasn't blessed with a theatrical release and was thrown to Hulu. Straight-to-streaming fodder, because that's what Searchlight and 20th Century are good for these days, considering that Disney leadership either doesn't want a commercial hit or isn't chasing Oscar bait. Do you know how hard a Raine Allen-Miller, Jonsson, and Oparah audio commentary would go? Or featurettes about Colin Firth's cameo or Olan Collardy's cinematography? Plus, with Allen-Miller's sophomore feature The Roots Manoeuvre coming up shortly, now's a better time than ever to bring her first feature to physical media.
2) Nimona (2023) / Over the Moon (2020) / The Sea Beast (2022) / Wendell & Wild (2022)
So K-Pop Demon Hunters is soon joining the Criterion Collection, right next to Netflix's other Best Animated Feature Oscar winner, Pinocchio. Sooooo, where are the other Best Animated Feature nominees you had this decade, Netflix? Glen Keane’s adorable musical Over the Moon and Chris Williams' swashbuckling charmer The Sea Beast definitely deserves a physical media release. Sea Beast was nominated alongside Pinocchio! I'd say Wendell & Wild deserves one too, especially for Henry Selick and stop-motion fans.
But most definitely, if not most importantly, Nimona deserves a Blu-ray. The little shape-shifting trans allegory that could! It deserves to be in the Criterion Collection. She and her film did the impossible within the animation industry's current landscape: received a second life after cancellation and nabbing an Oscar nom. Also, the production details and featurettes across its DNEG-made version would make for great supplement material.
3) Theater Camp (2023)
You're telling me the first movie from Molly Gordon and co-director Nick Lieberman – featuring a stellar cast of Hollywood's freshest talent right now, including Patti Harrison, Ayo Edebiri, Jimmy Tatro, Noah Galvin, and Owen Thiele – went to theaters and then just stayed on Hulu? Unlike Rye Lane, this Sundance 2023 flick was a Searchlight acquisition and had the benefit of a theatrical release, yet it shared a similar fate on Hulu (and other VOD services like iTunes). Theater Camp deserves far more than that. It remains one of the funniest, most charming indie comedies of the past five years. It deserves the Blu-ray spotlight, complete with a Gordon and Lieberman commentary track featuring select cast members, plus the original short film that started it all as a special feature, and maybe some footage of putting on the camp show. Gordon recently wrapped her sophomore A24 production, Peaked, and knowing A24, they will undoubtedly give that flick the Blu-ray treatment. Like Rye Lane, give that filmmaker's first movie the physical copy their work deserves before they up their game on the second.
4) Every Richard Linklater Movie Netflix Bought: Apollo 10½: A Space Age Childhood (2023), Nouvelle Vague (2025), and (UGH) Hit Man (2024)
Apollo 10½ started the Linklater-Netflix relationship; they picked it up during pandemic-era development. But now, whenever a new Linklater banger hits a festival, there's nothing scarier than seeing that big red N loom in the background amid all the on-the-ground praise.
Hit Man not being on Blu-ray is the real pain. It's by far the best movie he's done this decade, even better than Ethan Hawke going full flamboyant king mode in Blue Moon. A lot of that is thanks to Glen Powell and Linklater's co-written screenplay, and the film's balance between dry humor and deeply romantic study.
During the 2023 TIFF (amid the WGA/SAG strikes), Hit Man became one of the festival's best titles. Then Netflix swooped in and cleaned house with it and His Three Daughters, meaning, "Oh, fuck us for ever wanting it in theaters, let alone physical media." Same story with his Nouvelle Vague.
But Canada has it. Oh, Canadians get to have fun. Australia is shortly getting Nouvelle Vague. God forbid Apollo 10½ winds up anywhere. The man has had four movies this decade, and only one of them has hit limited and wider theatrical screens with a Blu-ray release. If that doesn't shake you, I don't know what does.
5) Rebel Ridge (2024)
I never formally reviewed Jeremy Saulnier's slick and intense action thriller starring Aaron Pierre taking down Don Johnson's corrupt small-town police corps. I did screen it while petsitting my friend's dog, and though I was glued to the screen, I became increasingly agitated that I wasn't experiencing this intense filmmaking feat with an old-school action flair in a theatrical setting. Especially since Netflix original action movies have become the equivalent of Nintendo Wii shovelware, despite their big budgets. Nevertheless, Rebel Ridge deserves a physical media release right next to my copy of Green Room. Thank God Saulnier is going back to A24 with his upcoming October release, because the big red N doesn't deserve what I think is his best movie to date.
6) His Three Daughters (2024)
Azazel Jacobs' empathetic and exquisitely written drama follows three sisters trying to reconcile to say goodbye to their ailing dad. It was the hardest I sobbed during TIFF 2023. Given Jacobs' track record – French Exit (the one with Tracy Letts as a talking cat) with Sony Pictures Classics, and The Lovers during the peach fuzz era of A24 – I thought a company like NEON would have picked this up. But nah, it went to Netflix, and they didn't really do much with it. They did something, but not enough.
Considering it won the Robert Altman Award at the Spirit Awards and Best Screenplay at the Gothams, His Three Daughters deserves so much more. At the very least, it deserves a physical release copy for indie heads who enjoy Jacobs' past work.
7) Maria (2024)
Pablo Larraín's stunning and moving drama starring Angelina Jolie as the late, prolific opera singer is another case of Netflix swooping in like a vulture at a festival, snatching up a film for awards consideration. Larraín's recent work, including Ema and Spencer, represents some of the best range of storytelling he's done thus far. Maria is a gorgeous cinematic gem in the same vein as his Jackie. So why not have that and El Conde (which I haven't seen because Netflix dropped it during TIFF) on Blu-ray? Both movies, shot by Edward Lachman, were nominated for Oscars. Umm... physical media.
8) My First Film (2024)
Zia Anger's compelling, lyrical experimental indie about the filmmaking process and reflecting on the work you made as a youth was given far less than it deserved. Despite a limited theatrical release, the Mubi original was destined to be just another streaming movie. What makes it so deserving of a physical copy is that it could also include remnants of Anger's unfinished work compilation. There was also a Reunion shorts program I attended in 2024, with star Odessa Young making an appearance, which showcased a great featurette Anger made for the movie. My First Film deserves a Blu-ray so future filmmakers can understand collaboration and the beauty of reflecting on your work, even if it goes unfinished.
9) Ultraman: Rising (2024)
For an action-superhero series as beloved as Ultraman, it's strange that even Shannon Tindle's Netflix-made Ultraman: Rising can't escape the streaming barrier. Publisher Mill Creek has handled the franchise's home video releases thus far, and I know that's a different situation from Netflix, but it deserves some sort of physical treatment. Above anything else, it’s soooooooooo good! There are countless EPKs about the production and chats about the movie primed for Blu-ray, and a 4K copy would be sublime for that striking hyper-stylized 2D-3D visual style. Plus, this would be great for Ultimate Ultraman collectors. Come on, Netflix.
10) Funny Pages (2022)
Listen, I dislike New Jersey and will mock it as hard as the next person, but I’ll never slander Jersey-set stories. I think Owen Kline's debut, about a wannabe comic artist and degenerate douchebag (in an entertaining caper produced by the Safdies), should have had a Blu-ray by now. It's one of their most underrated titles, and I figured some people who adore it would love to add it to their collection.
11) Your Monster (2024)
Man, the Melissa Barrera and Tommy Dewey Sundance rom-com Your Monster is such an underrated movie that deserved much more love than it got. But hey, when you're a movie distributed by Vertical Entertainment, you're immediately marked for death. Like a fucking Death Note, it means only a select few people will watch you, and your second life is streaming. It sucks because it's such a cute production that rom-com and horror enthusiasts deserve to own.
Some of Vertical's titles that released the same year (The Order, Elevation, and The Exorcism) got Blu-ray releases. Those movies didn’t make much bank, but there must’ve been a greater demand by genre collectors. But Your Monster is also in the horror bracket, as this beastly creature (wolfman?) and Melissa slash the most insufferable theater people. Whatever. At least Germany has it. Lucky Germans.
12) May December (2023)
Todd Haynes' stellar dramedy has become a cult classic thanks to Julianne Moore's lisp, Charles Melton's devastating arrested-development performance, and the offbeat nature bolstered by Samy Burch's sly script. Fuck it, this deserves to be in the Criterion Collection. Seriously. It had a theatrical release and received at least one Oscar nomination, but it's Todd Haynes. It’s May December. It’s fucking Todd Haynes’ May December.
13) tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
In 2021, Lin-Manuel Miranda proved he had the juice to helm a theatrical musical. Among the, like, seven movie musicals that came out that year, tick, tick... BOOM! was the second best of the bunch. It's also a made-for-Netflix movie.
Oh, I can envision how a New York-centric release of this musical about Jonathan Larson's life – splendid, visually striking, and vibrant, full of life and theater easter eggs – needs a Blu-ray. My God, how about a commentary track with Miranda discussing his direction process? Thank God Miranda is coming back to us, given how iconic and relevant he is to our modern musical landscape. There's no way a physical release for tick, tick... BOOM! shouldn't be on the table.
14) Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)
Now that Apple TV+ is starting to release their movies on Blu-ray (with CODA and F1), we should get their other titles, too. Nothing is more deserving than Cooper Raiff's sophomore feature about a bar mitzvah DJ and a lonely mother – a true Gen-Z gem. Hey, we're great about owning physical media and seeing movies in theaters. Raiff is one of the few Gen-Z filmmakers actually telling stories and having the platform to see them distributed. Many of us adore Cha Cha Real Smooth and would love to own it. Shithouse is already on Blu-ray; this is the perfect follow-up.
15) The Half of It (2020)
In The Wedding Banquet (2025), there's a scene where the couple's friends have to de-gay the house. One of the DVDs that Lily Gladstone and Kelly Marie Tran’s characters own is Alice Wu's charming The Half of It – a Netflix movie famously not on DVD. I joked on my Letterboxd, "Of course, they loved it so much they ripped it to a disc and gave it its own packaging. Peak lesbian shit!" But hey, give Wu's lesbian Chinese coming-of-age Cyrano a physical release right next to Saving Face. She pioneered lesbian Asian representation and then went into the crypt for 15 years before dropping her sophomore feature starring Leah Lewis, which is cute, very charming, and so rewatchable. Wu already has one Criterion flick. Might as well give her another. Man, what’s gonna take longer, Wu doing another movie or her latest getting a Blu-ray/DVD release?
16) Aardman's 2020 Run – Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (2023) & Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
If your name ain’t Shaun the Sheep, you’re in the Netflix mines with no chance of getting a Blu-ray counterpart. Aardman's 2020 run saw most of their features hit the big N instead of theaters. All that painstaking, handmade quality deserves the big screen. Thank God GKIDS has Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom on their hands. I'm certain plenty of Aardman collectors would love physical releases of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Mostly the latter because, well, it's Wallace & Gromit! So much great supplemental material could be mined from both films, such as Guillermo del Toro visiting the Chicken Run set while working on Pinocchio and the animation breakdown for Vengeance Most Fowl at an FYC event. Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon broke the Netflix barrier via Shout Factory. Now let the rest of Aardman's releases get the same treatment. It would be fantastic for collectors. Imagine a complete Wallace & Gromit set with everything from A Grand Day Out to Vengeance Most Fowl. That would be so crackin'!
17) Nickel Boys (2024)
How is a theatrically-released movie nominated for Best Picture not given a physical release? It's painful that one of my favorite movies of 2024 doesn't have a collector's edition Blu-ray. At the very least, Cord Jefferson's American Fiction got one from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, even though nothing was on it except the movie itself. RaMell Ross’ masterful Black drama is nothing short of deserving, especially for Oscar and Black cinema collectors and history teachers; it's the perfect movie for their media collection to show their students. Again… Criterion.
18) Knives Out Mysteries – Glass Onion (2022) & Wake Up Dead Man (2025)
There are many pains in Rian Johnson's Knives Out series – Glass Onion and Wake Up Dead Man going from theatrical to Netflix – and the biggest pain has to be the lack of physical copies of the films. My Knives Out Blu-ray stands alone, waiting for its sequel siblings to join her. Just imagine the possibility of supplemental material: the production stories, the destination featurettes, you name it. The first Knives Out Blu-ray was packed to the brim with amazing special features, including TWO commentary tracks by Rian Johnson – one he did for theaters (his tradition for many of his features; nothing says 2012 like releasing the Looper theater commentary on SoundCloud) and another with his production team. Glass Onion has a commentary track on Netflix… as a podcast episode! Wake Up Dead Man has yet to get one, along with any bonus material. Johnson is a supporter of physical media and said in 2022 he's still hopeful for a Glass Onion Blu-ray. So am I, Rian. So am I.
19) Palm Springs (2020)
God, do I feel lucky to have been one of the few people who saw Palm Springs in theaters during Sundance 2020, before Hulu and NEON did that legendary buyout deal they'll never dare do again. Alas, one of my absolute favorite rom-coms and time-looping stories of the 2020s from the Lonely Island team is a gem and a star-making turn for Cristin Milioti. It already has a Region B Blu-ray with good audio quality. It deserves a Region A Blu-ray too. Hulu already released a Samberg, Milioti, Barbakow, and Siara director's commentary cut. Just give us a Blu-ray! Let NEON handle home video distribution. What are you waiting for?!
20) Barbarian (2022)
Someone needs to be thrown off a water tower for not giving one of the best studio horrors of the decade the physical release it deserves. The 2020s gave us Zach Cregger from The Whitest Kids U' Know becoming one of the most prolific horror filmmakers of the decade thus far, thanks to his 2022 modern classic debut, Barbarian. The film was a box-office smash; it put his name on the map, entertained and shocked us all with its unpredictable storytelling, and gave us great performances from Justin Long and Georgina Campbell. Why the fuck does it not have a Blu-ray?! It made its bag and became a smash hit on streaming. How does Prey – a Hulu movie that didn't even go to theaters – get a Blu-ray release, and Barbarian didn't?! For a hot minute, I genuinely thought it had one. No, that was the Mandela Effect at its finest. In my recent Twitter poll, countless people answered Barbarian, and I was reminded that it doesn’t exist in physical form! Given how Cregger has become an icon, if not a household name among horror fans, between this and the Oscar-winning Weapons, and before he drops possibly the first good Resident Evil movie… give it the Criterion treatment. He deserves it.
