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Netflix Mails Its Last-Ever DVD (and Reveals the Most-Rented Films from the Last 25 Years)

Bye bye, red envelopes

Netflix envelopes.
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images

While you might have stopped receiving Netflix DVDs in your mailbox ages ago, the service was still sparsely available to some subscribers...until now.

The media company just announced that they mailed out their final DVD, closing the chapter on a service that they have provided since 1998.

To commemorate the moment, a video was posted to the official Netflix YouTube page, with a message that read: “On September 29, 2023, Netflix will ship its final DVD in the mail. We’ve always loved entertainment and that little red envelope remains an enduring symbol of our mission to make it better for every member. DVDs will forever be in our DNA.”

In the video, we follow the process for how Netflix DVDs were packaged and sent to households. The clip also includes a look at how the website for Netflix originally looked. At the end of the video, a message appears, which says: “Farewell to the era when Netflix came in the mail.”

Besides this video, the streaming service also made a post to their official Instagram page, with a caption that read, “Netflix has shipped 5.2 billion DVDs over the last 25 years — and here are the most rented movies for nearly every one of those years.” (Their first-ever DVD shipped was Beetlejuice in March 1998.)

The list includes titles like The Notebook, Inception, Wonder Woman and The Hunger Games. Their most-popular title ever was The Blind Side.

Although Netflix has been sending out DVDs for a quarter of a century, they announced back in April that they would be cutting off the service. Now, they will continue to expand their streaming service, as well as venture into new realms, like gaming tied to their original programming.

We'll miss those red envelopes.

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calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the former Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features Editor at ROCKET Magazine. When he's not dissecting the latest trends in entertainment (or guiding you on what to watch), he covers all the hottest red carpet looks and fashion movements. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him at an NYC concert, thrift store or LGBTQ+ bookstore happily perusing the shelves.