[jermaustin1]

The license on the Bluray and DVDs that RedBox buys (Rental Licensed) typically require paying out royalties from the rental fee. As with all royalties, these are negotiated, but I have heard from people who ran their own DVD rental store fronts (when that was still a thing) that they could be as much as $5 per rental on.

Also the disk is usually a LOT more expensive (up to $100 for a new blockbuster release). DVD store fronts were already so low margin, it didn't take much disruption before they started to go under.

[RobAley]

As the story points out, Redbox don't have an agreement with Disney, and so buy their discs at retail price. It does mean they don't get the new blockbusters (which is why they have deals with other studios), but the costs above are reflective of their costs in this case. If they had a contract with Disney, they would get the block busters (at a higher price), but wouldn't get the digital codes (which are the subject of this case).

[qilo]

I was under impression that those direct deals with distributors are better deals for RedBox than buying discs in retail. Because if they don't get a good deal, they can always buy discs in retail for $20-ish something, and have no restrictions on renting or resaling them, and with no royalties or fees, because of "first sale doctrine".

[RobAley]

Yes, but then they only get them once they are on general retail sale, and so don't get the newest (to-rental) movies. They pay more when they have an agreement, but the theory is they make it back from increased rentals (because people can't just buy themselves a copy at the supermarket, and enough people are lazy enough to spend a bit more so they don't have to return it).