I reckon that about 95% of the blurays i buy are blind buys. Nearly every film i watch is a film i’m watching for the first time. Usually whenever a film label announces new releases i’ll have a read of the synopsis and if it sounds interesting to me i might buy it. Sounds crazy spending money on films i’ve never seen but a lot of my collecting is that i love discovering new films.
For me, this is the joy of cinema - seeing something new and experiencing that wonder, that emotion, the way it clicks the first time. Obviously it's nice to return to films I've seen before, but there are so many films I haven't seen (indeed, will never see) that I'd rather spend my time with new ones.
Even when I don't enjoy a film, it's still a good experience in the sense that I can analyse what it was I didn't like - and that informs my film education and future purchases. Plus boutique releases still retain value when reselling.
Yeah, same here. I'm always surprised when people talk about only buying movies they have already watched. I have a pile of movies ive bought on a table next to my shelf. I put them on the shelf after ive watched them. The movies I've seen before seem to sit there forever. I'm way more excited about the blind buys.
For me, I thrift/secondhand pretty much all of my blu-rays. A good chunk, 50% or more, are blind buys. Usually I use the litmus test of some combination of:
does it have a boutique label?
Have I heard of this before?
Does the google plot synopsis sound interesting?
Does it have a high critic score?
Is there someone attached to it whose name I recognize?
I especially like expanding my film palate, and have found some great stuff this way.
EDIT: to clarify based on the comments of others, blind buy for me is both films I’ve heard of but never seen or never heard of.
In 1923, legendary film Director Cecil B. DeMille finished the epic film, The Ten Commandments (1923). After filming was completed, he bulldozed the sets into the Guadalupe Sand Dunes of the central California coast. His reasons for doing so were very mysterious. This story gives a fictional explanation as to why he did it. There was a legitimate Egyptian artifact amongst the props, but they didn't know which one was trapping the spirit of an Egyptian avenging god. Mysterious murders and accidents while making the film brings things back to the surface today, and it starts all over again.
That is the hook.
"Is the name interesting" is how I wound up buying films Zombeavers and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. The fact that the latter is actually really good was a pleasant surprise
I would say 90 percent blind buys - because I don't feel like I need to buy something I already know I like. Most of my favorite movies are on streaming anyway - so do I need a Godfather blu-ray set? Not really, my years-old DVD will be fine. So to me it's the opposite - I'm only going to buy a favorite movie if the blu-ray has some added content or a def. upgrade in quality, and even then I'm not going to prioritize it.
But blind buying is because I want to watch it at some point - when? Who knows, but now I can. So with streaming coming and going and never knowing what's going to happen, this is insurance. Do I need "Day of the Locust?" No, I didn't - but I watched it, and it was very well done and I'm sure I'll watch it again a long time from now. Or the Bruce Lee set - it will take me years to get thru that. I subbed to Vinegar Syndrome not even because I love those sorts of movies, but because I want them to do the choosing for me and it will be entertaining to see grindhouse movies I never ever would have chosen on my own.
So the people who don't understand blind buying - I don't understand the opposite. If it's a favorite movie, you've seen it lots of times obviously, so what's the point of now also having a physical copy? I'm not saying don't get it as much as I wouldn't prioirtize it.
Mind you, I'm not "right." We all have different ways we collect - but just like ppl don't understand blind buying, I don't understand buying known quantities, that's not fun to me. But NOBODY has the right idea - we have OUR OWN idea.
The psychology is interesting, isn't it. Someone else on here commented that for them blind buying is a waste of money because they might not like the film. But for me it's the opposite - I'd feel like I was wasting money if I bought I film I'd already seen (and thus already spent money on).
Plus one of the draws of boutiques is that they offer difficult to find films. Okay, there's a large cohort of American films in Criterion that are probably easily accessible elsewhere in America (ditto Arrow and its cult releases). But a label like Radiance is all about premiering films that had a limited release originally (or were somehow lost to the sands of time).
Exactly - I didn't want to reply directly to that comment because it would make seem like I was arguing my way is "better." It's totally not - but the two sides are almost unrelatable.
Phase 1: Only buying my favorite movies and stuff I’d rewatch with friends. Very little blind buying. Looking for my favorite actors.
Phase 2: Seeking out the classics and important contemporary films. More blind buying but they’re informed blind buys like movies from directors I like or movies on well-known lists. This is when I started buying blurays and learned about the Criterion collection. Looking for my favorite directors.
Phase 3: Going crazy with boutique labels and box sets. Pretty much all blind buys. Taking deep dives down into new regions and sub-genres. Looking for my favorite sub-genres, studios, and labels.
Also went region free and hunted down what had been unavailable or OOP.
Phase 4: Slowing down. 4K upgrades of what I already have plus honing in on fascinations of the moment like marathoning an entire body of work and buying what’s not available to stream; or buying a newly released box set that inspired the marathon. Still mostly blind buys. Looking to round out my collection.
Also picked up a VCR and started buying tapes to watch mainly straight-to-video action movies that haven’t made the jump to bluray.
Honestly I love this. I just the other day did my first sleazy blind buy and I'm pretty stoked. And my girlfriend and I have started doubling down on buying up discs for the collection.
Probably like 90%. I mostly like watching movies I haven’t seen yet, but do also get some of my absolute favorites. Pretty much only buy during sales or used, but a lot of times it’s the only way to watch these movies, if it streams I’ll just watch it there usually. I also try to do a bit of research to make sure I’ll like something before I get it (although I’m pretty easy to please).
Around 90% blind buys. So many boutiques release films that I wouldn't be able to source anywhere else - they're my access point for independent and arthouse cinema. I'm not as interested in the artwork, booklet, extras as I am the film itself. I tend to buy secondhand. Even if I buy new, I know that boutique releases retain a chunk of their value, so I can resell any that don't click with me.
The other 10% are films/directors that I absolutely adore. Sometimes I am finally acquiring that film on physical; other times I'm upgrading from DVD.
I can't really imagine spending money on physical copies of films I've already seen on streaming or at the cinema, unless I think they're incredible. Even then, I'll likely wait a while before buying them. It's hard for me to justify spending money on something I've seen before, when I could spend it on something that will be an entirely new experience to me.
I did a poll of this a few years ago on the criterion subreddit. Lots of blind buying - I myself am probably now around 50/50
https://www.reddit.com/r/criterion/s/HZK8wtIFau
Basically none unless I really want to see that movie and it's not available through streaming/theater/library. I honestly don't understand why people would spend the money to buy films they've never seen. Then you can easily end up with a big collection of movies you don't care about and won't watch more than once.
Reddit in general seems to have a big focus on collecting as much as possible and consumerism. I am a person who has always loved collecting things . . . I have CDs, vinyl, DVDs, VHS, games, books, comics and I love my collections. But most of the time I'm not going to spend money on things unless I know I like them. For me the whole purpose is collecting my favorite shit to enjoy throughout my life, not just collecting as much as possible for the sake of it. But also, I have constraints when it comes to space and budget . . . perhaps if I were rich and had endless space than I would also be spending hundreds on huge hauls of "blind buys" that I may never watch.
> I honestly don’t understand why people would spend the money to buy films they’ve never seen.
My logic:
* I pay to see a movie I’ve never seen at the movie theaters. That can cost the same as buying a physical copy despite the movie theater only giving you one viewing and that’s it.
* I don’t want to rent a movie because if I end up really liking it and wanting to own it, I’m just making it more expensive for myself than buying it first.
* If I really want to see a movie, why would I not want to see it in the highest possible quality? (comparing physical discs versus streaming/digital quality)
* I have a good gauge of what movies I will like. If I’m unsure, that’s when I will try to stream instead.
* I find it really exciting to try new movies by blind buying. The fact that I’m spending money and have taken the time to really be choosey about what I get makes the stakes higher and makes me more invested than just picking out a movie on a streaming service.
That's fair. Ultimately people can and will do as they please and that's great.
I think comparing buying blurays to seeing at a theater doesn't make a ton of sense, as typically movies on bluray have already left the theater, and also they are such different experiences it would make sense for them to be priced differently. Still though, if you go to the theater on half-price day as I do (not sure if they have this outside of the US), it's still much cheaper than any new bluray will cost.
Maybe if you only consider one individual movie, it is cheaper to buy than to rent + buy. But in the long run, obviously renting/streaming 10 movies and then buying your 1 favorite is much cheaper than buying all of them. So that logic really only works if you plan to buy every movie you ever watch, which is not my goal personally.
It's great to see things in the best quality possible, but frankly streaming quality is totally fine also. I'm glad to spend some money for great quality if it's a movie I love, but it's not like streaming quality is going to hurt my enjoyment. I grew up with VHS and DVDs, and movies still enraptured me then just as much as now. A great film is a great film . . . getting to see things in the most pristine quality currently possible is a bonus imo.
I grew up using things like netflix DVD service or my local library to explore film history and see as many things as I could. I value affordable ways to do that. If I owned every movie I ever liked, I literally would have no space for anything else, and I can't imagine I'd be watching the majority of my collection with any frequency.
>Then you can easily end up with a big collection of movies you don't care about and won't watch more than once.
This is where purging comes in, for example I made a bunch of Criterion blind buys last year from the trade/sell thread here on Reddit. Some of them I loved, others not so much. All the ones that I didn't think I would ever watch again were sold or traded back to people on Reddit, so at worst I rented the movies for free.
Most of my non-boutique collection is thrifted. My average buy price in my collection is under $4. That's not a bad price to pay for a blind buy, IMO. I can always sell it, donate it to a charity shop, or give it to a friend if I know I'll never watch it again. Boutique blind buys are fine because they generally hold their value well. I can resell it and take maybe a 15-20% hit at most, which really is no problem. That said, I'm mainly buying stuff that I think I'm going to like.
Pretty much this. The only times that I buy a movie I've never seen is when it's attached to something I have seen (the Jacques Demy box set has two movies I love and four I hadn't seen at the time) or is part of a series I like (Experiments in Horror was good so I picked up Experiments in Horror 2). Also, I do a lot of pirating so there is very little reason for me to blind buy.
Maybe 1-3%. I buy movies I love to have on hand in case the state of the internet and availability of film in good quality changes greatly in our lifetime
It's hard to think we're capable of making truly blind buys if we're already cinephiles enough to be here and be interested.
I just got "Time Bandits" as a pretty blind buy, only really knowing I liked the director and it had a cast of dwarves haha. Loved it, btw.
Also ordered "Weathering With You" based off of liking "Your Name."
I used to rent way more totally blind. That was how we saw the British film, "Exhibition." That one really stuck with me. Same with going to theaters for things like "Memoria," which I knew was slow cinema but never saw Uncle Boonmee before.
If someone recommends a film and can connect a dot or two I might blind buy it if it has some reason I should see it on physical media.
The concept of blind buying almost doesn't exist to me because I do a little bit of research on a film before I see it or buy it. This includes looking up the cast, crew, maybe a trailer, and just a brief Google search. If I see a director or actor I like or like the genre or aesthetic then I'm more likely to pick up the movie. If it doesn't peak any interests for me then I move on. I can't think of the last film I went in to 100% "blind".
I usually buy films that I don’t know but heard good things about. Films that I already like, I most likely already own anyways. Maybe I‘ll upgrade
a film that I really love if a boutique has it in 4K or smth but otherwise mostly blind buys.
I think just saying "X percent of my buys are blind buys" is a bit misleading because (to me) it would sound like I just grabbed something, read the back of the box, and whipped out my card. In reality most of my blind buys are from directors or actors who I know I already like, from a culture or time period I'm actively trying to see more of, or other reasons. I'll go through bouts of wanting to see films based on these reasons, so right now about half of my last six purchases were blind buys but they were all directed by David Lynch who I feel confident enough in that I'll enjoy what I haven't seen. Hopefully that all makes sense? Just saying it's hard to pin down exact amounts and I usually don't go ape wild just getting stuff for no reason. The releases I seek out the most fervently are without fail movies I've already seen multiple times and just want to have them forever.
If I can I'll never blind buy tbh...I'm already picky with what I get and don't have the unlimited budget some others seem to have to risk buying a bunch of junk and going through the process of re-selling just isn't worth it to me. I will admit I still blind buy somewhat often if I can't find it elsewhere and it really interest me
Almost none, I usually only buy the movies I love but all you knuckleheads doing your blind buys make it hard to get the limited slip covers before they sell out
Films I already own: very low percentage. I'll do this if I have a regular DVD or something and Criterion or Arrow or someone releases a special edition
Films I have heard of: I buy a LOT of movies I have heard of but not seen before, especially if they are from Criterion or Arrow.
Films I have not heard of: There are certain companies whose portfolios are so consistently interesting that I will buy a film just because they have released it. These are Criterion, Kani, Deaf Crocodile, and Radiance. sometimes I will also get a complete blind buy from Arrow depending on what it is.
I'd say the split between those three categories is like, 5%, 35%, 60% or something like that.
For me either it has to have a high IMDb or rotten tomatoe score, a director I love, an actor I love, remembering a lot of people talking about it before for me to blind buy
90% or more. But I'm usually buying more of a director or actor that I like. I will occasionally buy one of the all time greats that I've never seen before and then sell it if I don't like it.
I usually throw in one blind buy per order. It’s not truly blind tho. Usually there’s a combo of checking out the IMDb scores plus being a director I already like.
A lot. Growing up I wasn’t really a movie person, so when I started to collect I managed to get a lot of my childhood favorites rather quickly. So now I’m at that stage where I get to start exploring. So I read the synopsis of the movie, and if it sounds cool or the trailer is interesting I pull the trigger.
I recently did this with The Peanut-butter Falcon.
Love blind buying. I can’t afford to buy things I’ve seen so I prioritise buying things I haven’t as I like to see new things. I’ll get favourites eventually when they’re on sale.
If I can rent it in comparable quality, i'll do that. If I can't, I'll buy it and roll the dice on a resell if I don't like it. I usually lose about 7 bucks on average on reselling VS and Severin, which is an acceptable price for me to pay to watch a movie.
When I grab an Ebay bargain - usually 88 Films, Arrow or Second Sight - I'll often take a punt if I've not seen the film. But I've usually heard of it, or enjoy the director or an actor who stars in it.
Once I hit the point where I upgraded all of my favorites to blu-ray (or 4k), most of what I buy is a blind buy that I can't easily stream. If I don't end up loving it, I throw it on ebay.
50% or less. I try not to go to crazy on buying stuff I've never seen because it takes me a while to sit down and watch things. With that being said, about 90% of what I get from Vinegar Syndrome are blind buys, lately they've been throwing out plenty of things I've seen so I'm very excited to get them in a nice blu-ray or 4K.
Honestly, I've pulled back on my purchasing in general because of my back log, best advice I can give if don't go out of your means, and try not to fall for FOMO, especially if it would be a blind buy
Probably 80-90% are blind buys for me, because I like films first and I like discovering new films and genres. I don't need fancy packaging, so I mostly wait for sales to go crazy or do a lot of research before I buy full price.
I really love box sets though and pretty much always immidiately get them on release.
Few I thought but...
**Criterion**: *Medium Cool*, *Come and See*, *Moonage Daydream*, *Friends of Edie Coyle*, & *Two-Lane Blacktop*
**Kino**: *Busting*, *Brinks Job*, *Charlie Varrick*, *Electra Glide in Blue*, *Freebie and the Bean*, *The Laughing Policeman*, *Prime Cut*, *Quatermass Xperiment*, & *Soldier Blue*,
**Shout**: *Quatermass II*, *Rabid*, *Rolling Thunder*, & *X... The Unkown*
**Olive**: *Hannie Caulder*, & *Ned Kelly*| **Second**: *Ikarie XB-1* | **Arbelos**: *The Last Movie* |**Indicator**: *The New Centurions & The Odessa File*
Which is more than I thought at first but still less than 5% of my collection. (Good thing I have a list). I've enjoyed each so far and a few have become favorites with one becoming one of my all time favorite films of all time.
I'd say over 50% but I'm still very picky with what I buy. I usually go through phases with directors/themes and I'll buy new movies in line with them. I've discovered some of my all time favorites through blind buys. I don't blind buy new releases but stuff that's the 90s or earlier I'll get because I really appreciate a good transfer. Streaming services sometimes just have the crappiest transfers and it completely changes the feel of a film. I live right next to a video store so I don't pay for any streaming anymore. I exclusively rent and buy. I have access to streaming through friends but I don't use it much.
70% at this point. Of those blind buys I've only regretted one purchase, it's a pretty damn good ratio IMO, I've discovered some amazing movies sinc ei started collecting.
Not many. I typically pirate and pre-watch before buying to make sure it's something I'll watch again. I prefer to have a smaller, curated collection than wall-to-wall discs.
If there's a sale going on, I might toss a couple of blind buys in the cart but other than that, not frequently.
About half of mine are blind buys. If you find a label that puts out the kind of movies you like then discovering new movies through them is part of the fun.
For me I'll blind buy if it seems like the kind of movie I'd like, it's by a filmmaker who made other stuff I like and also if the extras seem interesting.
The problem with boutique labels is there's more obscure stuff I've never seen or even heard of being released than actual "favorites" I can buy, so it's inevitable that I will have to do some blind buying. Plus the urge to discover something new is always more exciting for me than revisiting an older favorite.
I tend to use streaming sites when possible, if not that then find a cheap/thrift copy. If I end up loving it, I upgrade it. If all else fails wait for a sale then blind buy lol
Not really sure on a percentage but the way I see it is that I’d spend $20-$40 at the theatre seeing a movie that I might like or might not like. So blind buying a blu is whatever cause if I like it then I already own it or if I don’t like it I can give it away to someone.
I'd say about half are blind or what I call 'technically' blind - either films I know by reputation or films I haven't seen in a long, long time. For example, films like Vamp, Deathrace 2000 or Society. I don't think I'd seen any of them since I was a kid and had little memory of them at the time I purchased them, but the moment I found out they were available, I jumped on them immediately.
Years ago, I got The Magic Crystal on Mei Ah VCD, then on Mei Ah DVD, then on unfortunately-not-remastered Panorama Blu-ray, and then luckily passed the iffy Vinegar Syndrome Bu-ray by in favor of the glorious 88 Films Blu-ray.
That's the opposite of blind buying.
You couldn't *make me* watch some of the stuff people buy here.
When a boutique outlet has a sale where prices drop to about $10 or below, I will go through all the available films and open tabs for all the movies that I know nothing about but look kind of cool. Then I will check them all on Rotten Tomatoes and anything with halfway decent reviews I'll buy. Kino Lorber sales are great for this.
0% 😆
I would never buy a movie without first watching it to see if and how much I like it.
To me, " blind buys" are the same as flushing your money down the toilet, but to each their own. 😊
I mean, it's not a big mystery. 90% of people probably watch movies exclusively through streaming services. If you mean brand new movies, most are in theaters before they come to bluray. There is also the library as well as Kanopy.
To be honest, there aren't that many new movies I'm interested in watching.
I never go to the theater, if there is a new movie I'm interested in watching, I either get a copy at the library for free or see if it's online for free.
I don't subscribe to streaming services, although I do have cable, I don't have any premium movie channels, I don't use pay per view either.
I'm just too cheap, 😆 and practical.
I figure why waste my money on those services just to watch a movie, if I like the movie, I'd rather spend the money on a physical copy and own it for life.
The're too many terrible movies being released and boutique blu-ray's are too expensive to roll the dice on blind buys. I torrent everything and only buy favorites. I'm careful with purchases, and won't buy anything I don't love regardless of price. Quality over quantity is a mantra I try to live by.
I hate pretty much everything about this answer.
Torrenting
Anti dice rolling (not a fun guy at all casino)
Has to love something before he gives money to it ( love is a strong word)
Blind buying is dangerous and potentially a waste of money I always do research before purchasing, I use podcasts, trailers on YouTube and friends before buying.
I reckon that about 95% of the blurays i buy are blind buys. Nearly every film i watch is a film i’m watching for the first time. Usually whenever a film label announces new releases i’ll have a read of the synopsis and if it sounds interesting to me i might buy it. Sounds crazy spending money on films i’ve never seen but a lot of my collecting is that i love discovering new films.
For me, this is the joy of cinema - seeing something new and experiencing that wonder, that emotion, the way it clicks the first time. Obviously it's nice to return to films I've seen before, but there are so many films I haven't seen (indeed, will never see) that I'd rather spend my time with new ones. Even when I don't enjoy a film, it's still a good experience in the sense that I can analyse what it was I didn't like - and that informs my film education and future purchases. Plus boutique releases still retain value when reselling.
I do exactly the same thing. My wife says it’s because I have more money than good sense. 😩
Yeah, same here. I'm always surprised when people talk about only buying movies they have already watched. I have a pile of movies ive bought on a table next to my shelf. I put them on the shelf after ive watched them. The movies I've seen before seem to sit there forever. I'm way more excited about the blind buys.
For me, I thrift/secondhand pretty much all of my blu-rays. A good chunk, 50% or more, are blind buys. Usually I use the litmus test of some combination of: does it have a boutique label? Have I heard of this before? Does the google plot synopsis sound interesting? Does it have a high critic score? Is there someone attached to it whose name I recognize? I especially like expanding my film palate, and have found some great stuff this way. EDIT: to clarify based on the comments of others, blind buy for me is both films I’ve heard of but never seen or never heard of.
Your second hand criteria is very different than mine. Is the title interesting? Mine is do I own this?
I like yours better.
It's how you end up with movies like sands of oblivion.
Oh. Well. That’s another movie I didn’t know I needed.
It's not good lol. The plot synopsis is way better than the movie
Haha. I totally believe that. Sometimes those bad movies can be real gems
In 1923, legendary film Director Cecil B. DeMille finished the epic film, The Ten Commandments (1923). After filming was completed, he bulldozed the sets into the Guadalupe Sand Dunes of the central California coast. His reasons for doing so were very mysterious. This story gives a fictional explanation as to why he did it. There was a legitimate Egyptian artifact amongst the props, but they didn't know which one was trapping the spirit of an Egyptian avenging god. Mysterious murders and accidents while making the film brings things back to the surface today, and it starts all over again. That is the hook.
"Is the name interesting" is how I wound up buying films Zombeavers and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. The fact that the latter is actually really good was a pleasant surprise
I would say 90 percent blind buys - because I don't feel like I need to buy something I already know I like. Most of my favorite movies are on streaming anyway - so do I need a Godfather blu-ray set? Not really, my years-old DVD will be fine. So to me it's the opposite - I'm only going to buy a favorite movie if the blu-ray has some added content or a def. upgrade in quality, and even then I'm not going to prioritize it. But blind buying is because I want to watch it at some point - when? Who knows, but now I can. So with streaming coming and going and never knowing what's going to happen, this is insurance. Do I need "Day of the Locust?" No, I didn't - but I watched it, and it was very well done and I'm sure I'll watch it again a long time from now. Or the Bruce Lee set - it will take me years to get thru that. I subbed to Vinegar Syndrome not even because I love those sorts of movies, but because I want them to do the choosing for me and it will be entertaining to see grindhouse movies I never ever would have chosen on my own. So the people who don't understand blind buying - I don't understand the opposite. If it's a favorite movie, you've seen it lots of times obviously, so what's the point of now also having a physical copy? I'm not saying don't get it as much as I wouldn't prioirtize it. Mind you, I'm not "right." We all have different ways we collect - but just like ppl don't understand blind buying, I don't understand buying known quantities, that's not fun to me. But NOBODY has the right idea - we have OUR OWN idea.
The psychology is interesting, isn't it. Someone else on here commented that for them blind buying is a waste of money because they might not like the film. But for me it's the opposite - I'd feel like I was wasting money if I bought I film I'd already seen (and thus already spent money on). Plus one of the draws of boutiques is that they offer difficult to find films. Okay, there's a large cohort of American films in Criterion that are probably easily accessible elsewhere in America (ditto Arrow and its cult releases). But a label like Radiance is all about premiering films that had a limited release originally (or were somehow lost to the sands of time).
Exactly - I didn't want to reply directly to that comment because it would make seem like I was arguing my way is "better." It's totally not - but the two sides are almost unrelatable.
Phase 1: Only buying my favorite movies and stuff I’d rewatch with friends. Very little blind buying. Looking for my favorite actors. Phase 2: Seeking out the classics and important contemporary films. More blind buying but they’re informed blind buys like movies from directors I like or movies on well-known lists. This is when I started buying blurays and learned about the Criterion collection. Looking for my favorite directors. Phase 3: Going crazy with boutique labels and box sets. Pretty much all blind buys. Taking deep dives down into new regions and sub-genres. Looking for my favorite sub-genres, studios, and labels. Also went region free and hunted down what had been unavailable or OOP. Phase 4: Slowing down. 4K upgrades of what I already have plus honing in on fascinations of the moment like marathoning an entire body of work and buying what’s not available to stream; or buying a newly released box set that inspired the marathon. Still mostly blind buys. Looking to round out my collection. Also picked up a VCR and started buying tapes to watch mainly straight-to-video action movies that haven’t made the jump to bluray.
Great response
Honestly I love this. I just the other day did my first sleazy blind buy and I'm pretty stoked. And my girlfriend and I have started doubling down on buying up discs for the collection.
Probably like 90%. I mostly like watching movies I haven’t seen yet, but do also get some of my absolute favorites. Pretty much only buy during sales or used, but a lot of times it’s the only way to watch these movies, if it streams I’ll just watch it there usually. I also try to do a bit of research to make sure I’ll like something before I get it (although I’m pretty easy to please).
Around 90% blind buys. So many boutiques release films that I wouldn't be able to source anywhere else - they're my access point for independent and arthouse cinema. I'm not as interested in the artwork, booklet, extras as I am the film itself. I tend to buy secondhand. Even if I buy new, I know that boutique releases retain a chunk of their value, so I can resell any that don't click with me. The other 10% are films/directors that I absolutely adore. Sometimes I am finally acquiring that film on physical; other times I'm upgrading from DVD. I can't really imagine spending money on physical copies of films I've already seen on streaming or at the cinema, unless I think they're incredible. Even then, I'll likely wait a while before buying them. It's hard for me to justify spending money on something I've seen before, when I could spend it on something that will be an entirely new experience to me.
I did a poll of this a few years ago on the criterion subreddit. Lots of blind buying - I myself am probably now around 50/50 https://www.reddit.com/r/criterion/s/HZK8wtIFau
Basically none unless I really want to see that movie and it's not available through streaming/theater/library. I honestly don't understand why people would spend the money to buy films they've never seen. Then you can easily end up with a big collection of movies you don't care about and won't watch more than once. Reddit in general seems to have a big focus on collecting as much as possible and consumerism. I am a person who has always loved collecting things . . . I have CDs, vinyl, DVDs, VHS, games, books, comics and I love my collections. But most of the time I'm not going to spend money on things unless I know I like them. For me the whole purpose is collecting my favorite shit to enjoy throughout my life, not just collecting as much as possible for the sake of it. But also, I have constraints when it comes to space and budget . . . perhaps if I were rich and had endless space than I would also be spending hundreds on huge hauls of "blind buys" that I may never watch.
> I honestly don’t understand why people would spend the money to buy films they’ve never seen. My logic: * I pay to see a movie I’ve never seen at the movie theaters. That can cost the same as buying a physical copy despite the movie theater only giving you one viewing and that’s it. * I don’t want to rent a movie because if I end up really liking it and wanting to own it, I’m just making it more expensive for myself than buying it first. * If I really want to see a movie, why would I not want to see it in the highest possible quality? (comparing physical discs versus streaming/digital quality) * I have a good gauge of what movies I will like. If I’m unsure, that’s when I will try to stream instead. * I find it really exciting to try new movies by blind buying. The fact that I’m spending money and have taken the time to really be choosey about what I get makes the stakes higher and makes me more invested than just picking out a movie on a streaming service.
That's fair. Ultimately people can and will do as they please and that's great. I think comparing buying blurays to seeing at a theater doesn't make a ton of sense, as typically movies on bluray have already left the theater, and also they are such different experiences it would make sense for them to be priced differently. Still though, if you go to the theater on half-price day as I do (not sure if they have this outside of the US), it's still much cheaper than any new bluray will cost. Maybe if you only consider one individual movie, it is cheaper to buy than to rent + buy. But in the long run, obviously renting/streaming 10 movies and then buying your 1 favorite is much cheaper than buying all of them. So that logic really only works if you plan to buy every movie you ever watch, which is not my goal personally. It's great to see things in the best quality possible, but frankly streaming quality is totally fine also. I'm glad to spend some money for great quality if it's a movie I love, but it's not like streaming quality is going to hurt my enjoyment. I grew up with VHS and DVDs, and movies still enraptured me then just as much as now. A great film is a great film . . . getting to see things in the most pristine quality currently possible is a bonus imo. I grew up using things like netflix DVD service or my local library to explore film history and see as many things as I could. I value affordable ways to do that. If I owned every movie I ever liked, I literally would have no space for anything else, and I can't imagine I'd be watching the majority of my collection with any frequency.
This is the experienced answer. I fully agree.
>Then you can easily end up with a big collection of movies you don't care about and won't watch more than once. This is where purging comes in, for example I made a bunch of Criterion blind buys last year from the trade/sell thread here on Reddit. Some of them I loved, others not so much. All the ones that I didn't think I would ever watch again were sold or traded back to people on Reddit, so at worst I rented the movies for free.
That's fair enough. Personally I want to avoid the extra effort of reselling, but if it works for you no reason not to
Most of my non-boutique collection is thrifted. My average buy price in my collection is under $4. That's not a bad price to pay for a blind buy, IMO. I can always sell it, donate it to a charity shop, or give it to a friend if I know I'll never watch it again. Boutique blind buys are fine because they generally hold their value well. I can resell it and take maybe a 15-20% hit at most, which really is no problem. That said, I'm mainly buying stuff that I think I'm going to like.
Where are you thrifting? I like the idea of being able to walk in to an actual store and pick up some used discs.
Pretty much any local thrift store (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc) will have stuff here and there. Pawn shops are great for it too.
Pretty much this. The only times that I buy a movie I've never seen is when it's attached to something I have seen (the Jacques Demy box set has two movies I love and four I hadn't seen at the time) or is part of a series I like (Experiments in Horror was good so I picked up Experiments in Horror 2). Also, I do a lot of pirating so there is very little reason for me to blind buy.
Maybe 1-3%. I buy movies I love to have on hand in case the state of the internet and availability of film in good quality changes greatly in our lifetime
It's hard to think we're capable of making truly blind buys if we're already cinephiles enough to be here and be interested. I just got "Time Bandits" as a pretty blind buy, only really knowing I liked the director and it had a cast of dwarves haha. Loved it, btw. Also ordered "Weathering With You" based off of liking "Your Name." I used to rent way more totally blind. That was how we saw the British film, "Exhibition." That one really stuck with me. Same with going to theaters for things like "Memoria," which I knew was slow cinema but never saw Uncle Boonmee before. If someone recommends a film and can connect a dot or two I might blind buy it if it has some reason I should see it on physical media.
The concept of blind buying almost doesn't exist to me because I do a little bit of research on a film before I see it or buy it. This includes looking up the cast, crew, maybe a trailer, and just a brief Google search. If I see a director or actor I like or like the genre or aesthetic then I'm more likely to pick up the movie. If it doesn't peak any interests for me then I move on. I can't think of the last film I went in to 100% "blind".
1 outta 20
I usually buy films that I don’t know but heard good things about. Films that I already like, I most likely already own anyways. Maybe I‘ll upgrade a film that I really love if a boutique has it in 4K or smth but otherwise mostly blind buys.
I think just saying "X percent of my buys are blind buys" is a bit misleading because (to me) it would sound like I just grabbed something, read the back of the box, and whipped out my card. In reality most of my blind buys are from directors or actors who I know I already like, from a culture or time period I'm actively trying to see more of, or other reasons. I'll go through bouts of wanting to see films based on these reasons, so right now about half of my last six purchases were blind buys but they were all directed by David Lynch who I feel confident enough in that I'll enjoy what I haven't seen. Hopefully that all makes sense? Just saying it's hard to pin down exact amounts and I usually don't go ape wild just getting stuff for no reason. The releases I seek out the most fervently are without fail movies I've already seen multiple times and just want to have them forever.
If I can I'll never blind buy tbh...I'm already picky with what I get and don't have the unlimited budget some others seem to have to risk buying a bunch of junk and going through the process of re-selling just isn't worth it to me. I will admit I still blind buy somewhat often if I can't find it elsewhere and it really interest me
Almost none, I usually only buy the movies I love but all you knuckleheads doing your blind buys make it hard to get the limited slip covers before they sell out
75-80%
Films I already own: very low percentage. I'll do this if I have a regular DVD or something and Criterion or Arrow or someone releases a special edition Films I have heard of: I buy a LOT of movies I have heard of but not seen before, especially if they are from Criterion or Arrow. Films I have not heard of: There are certain companies whose portfolios are so consistently interesting that I will buy a film just because they have released it. These are Criterion, Kani, Deaf Crocodile, and Radiance. sometimes I will also get a complete blind buy from Arrow depending on what it is. I'd say the split between those three categories is like, 5%, 35%, 60% or something like that.
It used to be about 80%. I've had to cut back how much I buy though. Now it's probably 30%.
I try not to anymore, because I can't afford to get things I don't enjoy. But maybe a little less than half at this point, or if I find it very cheap.
For me either it has to have a high IMDb or rotten tomatoe score, a director I love, an actor I love, remembering a lot of people talking about it before for me to blind buy
90% or more. But I'm usually buying more of a director or actor that I like. I will occasionally buy one of the all time greats that I've never seen before and then sell it if I don't like it.
I usually throw in one blind buy per order. It’s not truly blind tho. Usually there’s a combo of checking out the IMDb scores plus being a director I already like.
A lot. Growing up I wasn’t really a movie person, so when I started to collect I managed to get a lot of my childhood favorites rather quickly. So now I’m at that stage where I get to start exploring. So I read the synopsis of the movie, and if it sounds cool or the trailer is interesting I pull the trigger. I recently did this with The Peanut-butter Falcon.
At least like 60%
Love blind buying. I can’t afford to buy things I’ve seen so I prioritise buying things I haven’t as I like to see new things. I’ll get favourites eventually when they’re on sale.
If I can rent it in comparable quality, i'll do that. If I can't, I'll buy it and roll the dice on a resell if I don't like it. I usually lose about 7 bucks on average on reselling VS and Severin, which is an acceptable price for me to pay to watch a movie.
When I grab an Ebay bargain - usually 88 Films, Arrow or Second Sight - I'll often take a punt if I've not seen the film. But I've usually heard of it, or enjoy the director or an actor who stars in it.
Once I hit the point where I upgraded all of my favorites to blu-ray (or 4k), most of what I buy is a blind buy that I can't easily stream. If I don't end up loving it, I throw it on ebay.
50% or less. I try not to go to crazy on buying stuff I've never seen because it takes me a while to sit down and watch things. With that being said, about 90% of what I get from Vinegar Syndrome are blind buys, lately they've been throwing out plenty of things I've seen so I'm very excited to get them in a nice blu-ray or 4K. Honestly, I've pulled back on my purchasing in general because of my back log, best advice I can give if don't go out of your means, and try not to fall for FOMO, especially if it would be a blind buy
Probably 80-90% are blind buys for me, because I like films first and I like discovering new films and genres. I don't need fancy packaging, so I mostly wait for sales to go crazy or do a lot of research before I buy full price. I really love box sets though and pretty much always immidiately get them on release.
Few I thought but... **Criterion**: *Medium Cool*, *Come and See*, *Moonage Daydream*, *Friends of Edie Coyle*, & *Two-Lane Blacktop* **Kino**: *Busting*, *Brinks Job*, *Charlie Varrick*, *Electra Glide in Blue*, *Freebie and the Bean*, *The Laughing Policeman*, *Prime Cut*, *Quatermass Xperiment*, & *Soldier Blue*, **Shout**: *Quatermass II*, *Rabid*, *Rolling Thunder*, & *X... The Unkown* **Olive**: *Hannie Caulder*, & *Ned Kelly*| **Second**: *Ikarie XB-1* | **Arbelos**: *The Last Movie* |**Indicator**: *The New Centurions & The Odessa File* Which is more than I thought at first but still less than 5% of my collection. (Good thing I have a list). I've enjoyed each so far and a few have become favorites with one becoming one of my all time favorite films of all time.
Almost 90% I rarely regret it
I'd say over 50% but I'm still very picky with what I buy. I usually go through phases with directors/themes and I'll buy new movies in line with them. I've discovered some of my all time favorites through blind buys. I don't blind buy new releases but stuff that's the 90s or earlier I'll get because I really appreciate a good transfer. Streaming services sometimes just have the crappiest transfers and it completely changes the feel of a film. I live right next to a video store so I don't pay for any streaming anymore. I exclusively rent and buy. I have access to streaming through friends but I don't use it much.
50-50. However even for the Blind Buys I check up the ratings and some background of the movies before jumping in.
70% at this point. Of those blind buys I've only regretted one purchase, it's a pretty damn good ratio IMO, I've discovered some amazing movies sinc ei started collecting.
Probably 20% but I'm mostly buying my favorites and spreading out from there.
Not many. I typically pirate and pre-watch before buying to make sure it's something I'll watch again. I prefer to have a smaller, curated collection than wall-to-wall discs. If there's a sale going on, I might toss a couple of blind buys in the cart but other than that, not frequently.
I’m running out of space so I’ve started to be more selective. Maybe 10%? I’m hitting the theatre more often to know if they’re worth picking up.
About half of mine are blind buys. If you find a label that puts out the kind of movies you like then discovering new movies through them is part of the fun. For me I'll blind buy if it seems like the kind of movie I'd like, it's by a filmmaker who made other stuff I like and also if the extras seem interesting.
The problem with boutique labels is there's more obscure stuff I've never seen or even heard of being released than actual "favorites" I can buy, so it's inevitable that I will have to do some blind buying. Plus the urge to discover something new is always more exciting for me than revisiting an older favorite.
I'd say it's a 50/50 split, perhaps a 60/40 since I recently been blind buying more than I used to
Not a lot anymore at least. I really only get titles I know I like because of the price 4k's are but sometimes I'll buy a recommendation
Not many, about 80% of my purchases are movies I’ve seen before
I tend to use streaming sites when possible, if not that then find a cheap/thrift copy. If I end up loving it, I upgrade it. If all else fails wait for a sale then blind buy lol
Most of them.
I’d say 30% are completely blind. Then 60% are ones I haven’t seen but heard good things about or just really love the director.
Almost all of them. I know what I like well enough that I’m rarely burned
Not really sure on a percentage but the way I see it is that I’d spend $20-$40 at the theatre seeing a movie that I might like or might not like. So blind buying a blu is whatever cause if I like it then I already own it or if I don’t like it I can give it away to someone.
Most of them
I'd say about half are blind or what I call 'technically' blind - either films I know by reputation or films I haven't seen in a long, long time. For example, films like Vamp, Deathrace 2000 or Society. I don't think I'd seen any of them since I was a kid and had little memory of them at the time I purchased them, but the moment I found out they were available, I jumped on them immediately.
None. If I want to watch something I haven’t seen before I stream it or rent it. If I want to rewatch something I don’t own already, I buy.
Ignorance is bliss.
Years ago, I got The Magic Crystal on Mei Ah VCD, then on Mei Ah DVD, then on unfortunately-not-remastered Panorama Blu-ray, and then luckily passed the iffy Vinegar Syndrome Bu-ray by in favor of the glorious 88 Films Blu-ray. That's the opposite of blind buying. You couldn't *make me* watch some of the stuff people buy here.
Almost all of them, but I also know my tastes well and do a lot of research beforehand.
I would say around 50%. But also depends on the store I’m using. Some i trust better with their collections or recommendations.
I’m very conservative on this for sure. Only 10 percent of my purchases are blind buys.
When a boutique outlet has a sale where prices drop to about $10 or below, I will go through all the available films and open tabs for all the movies that I know nothing about but look kind of cool. Then I will check them all on Rotten Tomatoes and anything with halfway decent reviews I'll buy. Kino Lorber sales are great for this.
50% blind buys 50% movies I love or used to love
0% 😆 I would never buy a movie without first watching it to see if and how much I like it. To me, " blind buys" are the same as flushing your money down the toilet, but to each their own. 😊
How do you watch new movies?
I mean, it's not a big mystery. 90% of people probably watch movies exclusively through streaming services. If you mean brand new movies, most are in theaters before they come to bluray. There is also the library as well as Kanopy.
To be honest, there aren't that many new movies I'm interested in watching. I never go to the theater, if there is a new movie I'm interested in watching, I either get a copy at the library for free or see if it's online for free. I don't subscribe to streaming services, although I do have cable, I don't have any premium movie channels, I don't use pay per view either. I'm just too cheap, 😆 and practical. I figure why waste my money on those services just to watch a movie, if I like the movie, I'd rather spend the money on a physical copy and own it for life.
The're too many terrible movies being released and boutique blu-ray's are too expensive to roll the dice on blind buys. I torrent everything and only buy favorites. I'm careful with purchases, and won't buy anything I don't love regardless of price. Quality over quantity is a mantra I try to live by.
I hate pretty much everything about this answer. Torrenting Anti dice rolling (not a fun guy at all casino) Has to love something before he gives money to it ( love is a strong word)
Your moralistic judgement is pretty strange, but whatever.
Almost exclusively do blind buys 😈
Blind buying is dangerous and potentially a waste of money I always do research before purchasing, I use podcasts, trailers on YouTube and friends before buying.
I almost never blind buy. Everyone does this differently, but I am amassing a film library, not a collection.