2025 was another banner year for physical media releases. We had so many great titles, new titles, old movies, and box sets that came out this year. Companies like Shout! Factory, Arrow Video, Vinegar Syndrome, Synapse, Second Sight, and even the studios got in on the action with magnificent releases. There were some titles that we thought would never come out, and some that have been years in the making.

In a time where physical media is more important than ever, these releases showed at least a glimmer of hope that things can get better.

Without further ado, let’s get to the Top 10 Physical Media Releases of 2025.

10. Tron: Legacy 4K (Disney)

You can really add the excellent 4K of Tron that Disney also put out with Tron: Legacy here. The twosome that released around the same time as Tron: Ares gave a much needed tuneup to the picture quality and sound of both these films. Surprisingly though, the 4K for Tron: Legacy is even more of an upgrade. The stunning colors and visuals of this movie look even better than before on 4K UHD. Dolby Vision and Dolby audio only make for an even better experience watching this movie on your big screen.

Add to it a robust package of special features and you get one of the best releases that Disney has done in a while.

9. Sorcerer 4K/Blu-Ray (Criterion Collection)

William Friedkin’s classic Sorcerer got the 4K UHD and Blu-ray upgrade from the Criterion Collection earlier this year. Whether you’re watching with the 4K or the Blu-ray, this release is among the best of the year. Sorcerer is a beautiful movie on its own right, but when you add in the enhancements and restoration that Criterion did on the film, it makes it apparent. The special features include some really nice behind-the-scenes looks at the film and some retrospectives by Friedkin himself on the path the film took to get to a New Hollywood classic.

8. Sinners 4K/Blu-Ray (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

Sinners was already going to be among the best movies of 2025 when it was released in April. Now that we have the physical 4K in our hands, this release shows that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment still has some tricks up their sleeve. This is about as close to a must-have release from a studio as there is this year. The visuals, combined with an excellent Dolby Atmos track, make for a real test of your home video systems.

7. Night Of The Living Dead 1990 4K (Sony Pictures)

It seemed like something that wasn’t ever going to happen, and then one day Sony Pictures dropped the news that Night of the Living Dead 1990 was getting a 4K release. This release came and sold out in quite a short amount of time and physical media collectors are still waiting for a reprint. For the lucky bunch that got their copies, this was a revelation. We got the Uncensored version of the film in 4K AND the theatrical version. As for bonus features, it also includes a new commentary track with Director Tom Savini and Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. This is an example of how great an old movie can look on 4K.

6. Dirty Work 4K (Vinegar Syndrome)

Vinegar Syndrome always surprises with some of their releases. You know that you’re going to get the best possible work on the transfer and the special features, but you never expect it for something like Dirty Work. The Bob Saget-directed and Norm Macdonald-starring film got a fresh coat of paint and even the assembly cut of Dirty Work, AND the Dirtier Cut in 4K. All in all, this extras package, plus the restoration of the film make for one of the best and most surprising releases of the year.

5. A Better Tomorrow Trilogy 4K (Shout! Factory)

The A Better Tomorrow Trilogy on 4K from Shout! Factory makes for one of the best box sets you can buy this year. There’s only really one other that challenges this and its coming up. The picture quality upgrades, the extras, the whole package here makes for a stunning release for fans of Hong Kong action. Really, the entire Hong Kong Cinema Classics line from Shout! Factory is a revelation when it comes to these films. They’ve never looked better and making them readily available for US audiences, FINALLY, is just the icing on the cake. All three films absolutely pop off the screen with Dolby Vision and new 4K scans from the original camera negative.

The fact that it also includes the workprint version of A Better Tomorrow II, the one that John Woo would approve more of, is just a nice bonus.

4. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4K Collection (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)

As for the box set that overtook A Better Tomorrow Trilogy for best of the year, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4K Collection is a dream/nightmare come true. We had that Blu-ray box set of the entire series for a loooooong time, and while that was serviceable, this is an improvement in every single way. Whether you were lucky enough to get the Steelbook box set or just the standard edition, this release is not only the best value of the year, but it’s the best that any studio has done. Paramount better step up their game for an eventual 4K release of the Friday the 13th series, because Warner Bros. Home Entertainment did some marvelous work with this one.

3. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly 4K (Arrow Video)

This might be cheating as well, because Arrow VIdeo’s versions of the Dollars trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) are all tied here. But the release that takes the cake is The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The new 4K restoration of the International Cut using the negative is to die for. It also brings in the even longer Extended Cut on 4K, also from the original negative. That would be enough to cement this as one of the best of the year, but there’s an entire two Blu-ray discs of extras as well. If you got the chance to get the limited edition, you got some physical goodies like a poster and a book of essays about the film as well.

2. Re-Animator 4K (Ignite Films)

Re-Animator returns in beautiful 4K for its 40th anniversary. This release from relative newcomers Ignite Films, showed off their talents with restoration and a robust extras package. It brought new life to this classic horror film and makes for the best horror physical media release of the year. If Bride of Re-Animator is anywhere near as good as this, we’ll be eating good when it releases on 4K in 2026.

1. Hard Boiled 4K (Shout! Factory)

Now for something that we didn’t think was even possible going into the year. Shout! Factory forked over a good amount of money for the license to Golden Princess Films library and this was the crown jewel of that deal. Hard Boiled is one of the most legendary action films ever directed by John Woo. This release was a dream come true for fans of the film that now no longer have to watch it on some crappy bootleg copy. The 4K transfer here is stunning, showing off just what the format of 4K UHD can do for an older movie like this. The special features included are top-notch as well, giving you hours of extra content to go through when the movie is over with.

So, what do you think was the best physical media release of 2025? Let us know in the comments.

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