Word is that not only is Apple not interested in giving their films a physical release, but they are also refusing requests to do so via third parties.
As it stands, Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” is not available for physical purchase in the U.S. Last year, Apple had indefinitely postponed —very likely canceled — the physical media release of the film. Patron holds were being canceled, temp MARC listings were pulled from library catalogs.
Criterion reached out to Apple, multiple times, to take over and release ‘Killers,’ but the streamer is flat out refusing to work with them.
Apple doesn’t release its original films on physical media. In fact, the streamer still hasn’t released their Oscar gloried “CODA” — it remains the only Best Picture winner to have never been available on physical media. Other noteworthy Apple films with the same fate include Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon,” and Joel Coen’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.”
Hell, even Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” a Netflix original, was released on Criterion. The same goes for Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” Jane Campion’s “Power of the Dog,” Bong Joon ho’s “Okja,” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story.” It’s surprising to see Apple being even more protective of their content than Netflix.
For the time being, if you want to get your hands on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” you’ll have to buy the Region 2 copy, which is only available in Europe, or online stores. There really is no other option.
I’ve already tackled the current decline of physical media, which will only be accentuated in the coming years. It’s not just Apple. For example, and despite passionate petitions circulating online, Disney still refuses to release Zach Cregger’s “Barbarian.”
The goal for Disney, Netflix, Apple and company is to make physical media go obsolete. I hate to say this, but that’s where we’re headed. This comes a year after Best Buy announced that they would stop selling physical media in their stores, and only a month after Sony announced it will cease production of Blu-ray discs and other physical media.