Listening to people talk about physical media, you’d think it was on life support — that eventually, studios would run out of movies to release or upgrade to 4K. But if you take a look at September’s lineup, it paints a completely different picture.

Personally, I think SteelBooks are what reignited the joy of collecting physical media — at least for me. It might sound silly to someone who doesn’t collect, but the packaging and artwork make all the difference. I’ve always loved owning movies, but I never cared for the standard plastic clamshell cases. Once studios started giving films the SteelBook treatment — complete with commissioned artwork — my interest came rushing back.

This month’s standout for me is easily the SteelBook Library Case for the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” seven-film collection. There’s honestly nothing better than these Library Cases. Wrapping the entire set in Freddy’s iconic striped sweater was pure genius, and I absolutely love the presentation.

A close second would be Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy”, which also received a smaller SteelBook Library Case this month. The artwork is stunning — clean, sharp, and worthy of such an acclaimed trilogy.

When it comes to SteelBooks in general, Lionsgate continues to leave everyone else in the dust. Their exclusive releases of Ballerina were gorgeous, especially the lenticular cover on the Amazon exclusive. Their Lionsgate Limited Exclusives were lenticular as well, including Meatballs, Daybreakers, and Requiem for a Dream, all of which dropped this month.

On the flip side, Shout! Factory seems to be slipping a bit in the SteelBook department. They’ve done little to elevate their artwork lately. Their Ouija release was fine — certainly better than some of their past attempts — but still my least favorite of the month.

Some of 2025’s biggest titles also hit shelves in September. Universal’s Jurassic World: Rebirth got the SteelBook treatment, along with 28 Years Later, M3GAN 2.0, and Superman. Unfortunately, Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck didn’t get the same level of attention. It received a 4K release but not even a slipcover — a real missed opportunity. Thankfully, there’s a much better international edition on the way that I plan to import.

Disney made a welcome return to the physical media scene this month. Their Pixar release Elio continued their SteelBook line, and both Tron and Tron: Legacy finally got 4K SteelBooks ahead of the new film’s debut. After more than a year of silence, The Film Vault also came back strong with The Shining and Poltergeist. I couldn’t resist double-dipping — picking up the hefty Vice Press box sets and the international SteelBooks with clear slipcovers (still waiting on those to arrive).

Looking ahead, October’s biggest must-have is shaping up to be Arrow Video’s long-awaited release of The Mask starring Jim Carrey. Fans have been begging for that title for years, and we’re finally getting it. I’m also excited for the SteelBook release of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one of my all-time favorites.

I do wish the upcoming horror film Together was getting a proper special edition, but since NEON continues to rely on Decal Releasing for their physical media, I’m not holding my breath.

On the awards front, several Oscar Best Picture winners are getting the 4K upgrade treatment. CODA — which I already imported on 4K a while back — is finally coming to the U.S. after four long years. Shout! Factory is adding Spotlight to their Shout Selects line, and Universal is rolling out a 40th Anniversary Edition of Out of Africa.

As for new releases, I’ll likely be grabbing The Naked Gun and have already pre-ordered The Conjuring: Last Rites. And I can’t wait for Criterion’s upcoming 4K release of Eyes Wide Shut — though I’ll probably hold off until the Barnes & Noble sale in November. It’s one of the last Kubrick films waiting for a proper upgrade. Now we just need Lolita to complete the set.

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