It’s been a while and it’s time to update this post as I have more tips + tricks & Disney has changed this deal slightly. Now you can get a better deal up-front, but will need to order more movies later (in case you find an older post elsewhere promising 2-3 movies to fulfill a commitment). I’ve now had 2 separate memberships (more on that below) and can share even more (updated) details and tips for DMC.
Use this link to get 5 Movies for $1!
What is it?
If you’re old enough to remember BMC & Columbia house, the Disney Move Club will be familiar to you. Sign up and get a great initial offer of 5 movies for $1 plus 2 additional discounted Disney/Pixar (includes Marvel & Star Wars) movies. Throughout the year, DMC offers “Featured Titles” which are typically new releases, re-releases or re-masters. If you want to receive the Featured Title, do nothing and it will automatically ship (keep reading for a tip on this). If you don’t want it, you need to let them know online, by mail, or by phone. As part of the introductory offer, you are committing to purchase additional movies at full-price later over a period of 2 years. After you fulfill your commitment, you become a “VIP Member” with additional perks.
Is it worth it?
In the era of streaming, I had to take a hard look at this. If you only have a few Disney movies and would like to build a collection, this is a fabulous way to do it and you should save money over buying from Target/Amazon/etc. If you feel that owning a physical disk is archaic, know that most titles are now offered in multi-format including Digital HD with more on the way. We prefer Blu-Ray + Digital HD and recently purchased our first 4K from the Movie Club. Even with the upgraded formats, we have averaged less than $10 per movie! Don’t forget it’s not just princess movies and cartoons… Disney now owns Pixar as well as the Marvel and Star Wars franchises so you will find these alongside the classics. There are also many rare DMC Member Exclusives as well. For us, it’s been well worth it, so here’s how it’s worked out…
How it works.
Using a referral link like this one, you can get 5 movies for $1 when you sign-up at DisneyMovieClub.com (it’s typically 4 for $1 without the link). You’ll be offered 2 movies at a discount, and you should take advantage of this – one should count towards your commitment and it’s the only time you’ll get to use a discounted title towards your commitment. The initial selection won’t be the entire library, but they will offer a good mix of new movies and classics. You’ll pick if Blue-Ray or DVD is your preference (pick Blu-Ray, these often include a DVD and/or Digital HD). Prices may vary, but we got 7 Blu-Rays for $21.90 shipped with our initial offer. Average so far, $3.13 per Blu-Ray.
Occasionally a Promo Code can get you the same deal + a blanket, lithograph, or other freebie. Codes to try: 47256, 48805, 61330 (adds Cars blanket), 50503, 50822
Over the next 2 years, you’ll need to purchase 4 “full-price” movies (5 of you didn’t take advantage of the sign-up bonus). You can use this on pre-orders, exclusives, or classics, but you’ll need to be sure that you aren’t using a “Special Offer”. There are always various Special Offers, such as “Buy 1, get one 40% off” or “Buy 2, get 25% off your order”. You’ll get the best deal if you plan purchases and order multiple titles to save on shipping. I usually order a new release and add something we’ve been wanting for 40% off + free shipping (if buying 2 $29.95 Blu-Ray+Digital New Releases, buying this way comes out to 20.97 per movie). If you want the featured title, order it online along with a second title to save 40% on the additional movie. With the 7 movies from sign-up plus 8 movies buying with this special, that’s an average of 12.59 per Blu-Ray – although we’ve actually averaged less because we often order a less-expensive classic. Even if I could buy a new release for less at Target or Amazon, the average is much lower using DMC.
Getting the Most Out of DMC
Disney Movie Rewards – DisneyMovieRewards.com
Now here’s another way to bring the cost per title down even further! Disney movies include codes that you can redeem at DisneyMovieRewards! Let’s take the 15 movies from the above example. Each will include a code. Most are worth 150 points, 4Ks are usually worth 200 points. With 15 movies each earning 150 points, you’ll have a balance of 2,250 points. Be sure to sign-up even if you don’t join the club because movies purchased at other retailers will have these codes as well. You can also earn points for submitting tickets from movies you watch at the theatre (about 50 points per ticket) and for playing the DMR trivia games that come out twice a month. Get another Blu-Ray by redeeming about 1060-1325 points and repeat because these movies will also come with codes. The points can add up even faster when you purchase the 2-movie deals (like Pocahontas + Pocahontas II 2-disk set). Redeeming 2 movies with DMR plus the 15 movies above averages $11.36 per Blu-Ray, and that’s assuming you order only $29.95 new releases (which you won’t every time). My first membership to DMC averaged $8.97 per title!
Movies Anywhere – MoviesAnywhere.com
Movies Anywhere is the update to “Disney Movies Anywhere” and now allows you to include a library of non-Disney Movies. Any movies that you purchase from DMC or DMR that include a Digital Copy can be added to Movies Anywhere. The great thing about digital copies is that you can’t loose or scratch them, and they are easy to bring with you on your phone, tablet, or laptop. You can stream and watch online on the website, or download the App to your phone, iPad, or even your Roku. This is a game changer! Now when we are getting ready for a trip, we let the kids pick a few movies to download to their iPads and they can watch while we travel even without wifi. Our of our current collection of about 80 movies, 62 of them are on Movies Anywhere!
DMC Exclusives
Disney know how to treat it’s customers. Disney Movie Club is the ONLY place where you can find several exclusive movies or formats for movies available elsewhere. Many of these may be available elsewhere on DVD, but not on Blu-Ray or with a Digital Code. Here are the cult-favorites available only on Blu-Ray at DMC:
- Saludos Amigos and the Three Caballeros
- Mighty Joe Young
- Jungle 2 Jungle
- The Three Musketeers
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- The Parent Trap (1998)
- Freaky Friday (1977)
- Freaky Friday (2001)
- Rocketman
- Holes
- Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
- Swiss Family Robinson
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Piglet’s Big Movie
- Snow Dogs
- Cool Runnings
- Return to Oz
The Mighty Ducks- Journey of Natty Gann
- Pollyanna
- Honey, I Bet Up the Kid
- D2: The Mighty Ducks
- D3: The Mighty Ducks
- Treasure Island
- Davy Crocett
- Escape to Witch Mountain
- Return from Witch Mountain
- Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas
- The Love Bug
… and many more!
Now you can see how we averaged less than $10 per Blu-Ray and really enjoy the club.
Becoming a VIP
Once you full-fill your commitment by ordering 5 movies at “regular prices” (or 4 if you followed my advice of adding the 2 additional movies at sign-up), you’ll become a VIP. VIPs have access to additional special offers, typically Buy 1, get one 50% off (instead of 40%) and access to exclusive pins. For a pin collector, this is huge. We aren’t pin collectors, so the BOGO 50% was less appealing than starting over and getting the entire offer over again.
Re-Committing to a New Membership
What’s to stop you from canceling your membership once you meet your commitment and starting all over again? NOTHING. You can cancel and re-start a new membership and get another set of movies all over again. It’s a quick way to build a collection.
Is it Worth It?
A few years ago we owned 1-2 Disney movies and now our collection has grown to over 80. We are now saving our reward points and are planning to redeem the big 12,500 VIP Studio Tour in the coming months – this tour is only available to D-23 members and through DMR! For us, it’s absolutely worth it to average around $10 per title, get a large collection of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars movies, and enjoy the rewards. We’ve purchased a handful of exclusives and have a growing collection of Lithographs that came free with featured titles and new releases. We have the full line-up of Princess and Marvel movies and are looking forward to adding a FREE VIP Studio Tour to our upcoming Disneyland trip. When our current membership is fulfilled, I’ll cancel and sign back up again!
