With only a few months left in 2025, the world of physical media is closing out the year with a bang. The biggest news shaking up collectors everywhere is that Shout! Factory and Scream Factory are shutting down their official website and moving their online store and shipping operations to Gruv.

What this means for site exclusives, alternate slipcovers, and those beloved custom posters is still unclear—but the move feels a bit ominous. Especially since it wasn’t that long ago that Shout! was trying to launch a new points system offering freebies and purchase credits.

Still, Shout! Factory kept up their steady release schedule this month, rolling out new SteelBook editions of “Hush,” “Child’s Play,” and “Halloween III: Season of the Witch.” Meanwhile, Arrow Video followed suit, reissuing “Trick ’R Treat” in SteelBook form, and Lionsgate joined the party with Amazon-exclusive 4K SteelBooks for “Saw II,” “Saw III,” and Saw “IV.”

Favorite Releases of the Month

My personal pick for release of the month—and honestly, one of my favorite of 2025 so far—has to be Disney’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” The SteelBook artwork is stunning, and Amazon even threw in a special comic book magnet cover, which is such a fun touch. As someone who’s been building up my MCU SteelBook collection for years, it’s always exciting to add another piece to the lineup.

Another standout was Cineverse’s SteelBook of “The Toxic Avenger,” which went the extra mile with a slipcover over the SteelBook—a detail collectors will appreciate. I also finally got my hands on “F1: The Movie,” “Weapons” (one of my favorite horror films of the year) and “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” both of which look great on the shelf.

And yes, I double-dipped on the international SteelBook of “Jurassic World: Rebirth”—I couldn’t resist that minimalist design featuring just the classic logo. It perfectly matches the previous films’ artwork.

On the flip side, my biggest disappointment came from Shout! Factory’s 4K release of “The Place Beyond the Pines.” As thrilled as I was to see it finally upgraded, the lack of even a basic slipcover felt like a missed opportunity.

Both major studios and boutique labels went all in this month. Disney had a strong showing beyond “Fantastic Four,” dropping anniversary editions of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Edward Scissorhands”—two former 20th Century Fox titles that deserve the renewed spotlight.

Sony leaned heavily into SteelBooks too, giving the treatment to classics like “Silverado” and “The Quick and the Dead,” as well as the 2025 hit “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

Universal paid tribute to the “Back to the Future” trilogy with multiple formats and celebrated the release of “Nobody 2.” Meanwhile, Paramount joined the mix with SteelBooks for “Clue,” “Æon Flux,” on top of the final “Mission: Impossible” film.

A24 kept cinephiles busy with a box set of Ti West’s “X” trilogy and a 4K release of their 2025 film “Eddington.” Lionsgate Limited continued to experiment with formats, putting out “Hider in the House” on Blu-ray under the Vestron Video banner, “Knock Knock” in a 4K DigiPack, and “Jacob’s Ladder” in a premium 4K SteelBook.

Collectors also got some love from Second Sight, which released a 4K box set of Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” and from Vinegar Syndrome, who dug up one of Wes Craven’s lesser-known titles, “The Fireworks Woman.” And Kino Lorber released “Rampage,” another Willaim Friedkin film to come to 4K.

Looking Ahead: November 2025

November is shaping up to be another strong month. Arrow Video’s upcoming box set for “The Mask” is at the top of my list—it’s been years since I revisited that film, and Arrow always knocks it out of the park with packaging and extras.

I’m also eager to add Lionsgate’s SteelBook of “The Long Walk” to my Stephen King collection. And with the Barnes & Noble 50% off Criterion sale returning, it’s the perfect time to finally grab “Eyes Wide Shut,” one of the last Kubrick films still missing a proper 4K upgrade.

Other pre-orders on my radar include SteelBooks for “Him,” “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” and the new special edition of “Scarface” (I passed on the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” one this time). I’ll also be expanding my Oscars Best Picture collection with new 4K editions of “CODA,” “Out of Africa,” “Spotlight,” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

It’s been a strong finish to the year for physical media, and while the Shout! Factory transition raises some eyebrows, there’s still plenty for collectors to celebrate. Here’s hoping 2026 keeps the momentum going.

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