Physical Media Releases (Cast Away) Cast Away (2000)

The DVD broke Fox sales records in its first week

The two-disc Special Edition DVD was released on June 12, 2001, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was THX-certified with DTS 6.1 ES audio and included an audio commentary assembled from edited interviews with Zemeckis, cinematographer Don Burgess, and members of the technical crew. The set also included behind-the-scenes footage, photo galleries, and production interviews. (wikipedia)

The DVD became the fastest-selling title in 20th Century Fox's catalog, surpassing X-Men. In its first week, it generated $57 million in sales and $20.6 million in rentals. The single-week rental figure of $5.5 million held as the highest on record until The Fast and the Furious overtook it in 2002. It ranked as the second-highest first-week rental performer after Meet the Parents. (wikipedia)

The commentary track is notably technical during the island sequences, with extended discussion of how CGI was integrated into the Fiji location footage and how the sound design replaced the absent musical score.

Key DVD and Blu-ray releases

Format	Region	Release Date	Label	Notes
DVD (2-disc Special Edition)	North America	June 12, 2001	20th Century Fox	THX-certified, DTS 6.1 ES, commentary, featurettes
Blu-ray	North America	December 4, 2007	20th Century Fox	First HD release; omitted some DVD extras
Blu-ray	International	2012	Paramount Home Entertainment	International distribution
Blu-ray + DVD combo	North America	October 1, 2018	20th Century Fox	Reissue

(wikipedia, blu-ray.com)

The Fox Blu-ray dropped documentary material from the DVD

The 2007 Blu-ray offered an HD transfer but omitted several documentary featurettes that had been included on the two-disc DVD Special Edition. For collectors and researchers, the 2001 DVD remains the more complete package in terms of supplementary content. The Blu-ray retained the audio commentary. (highdefdigest)

A 4K UHD release has been discussed but not delivered

As of 2026, no official 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release has been issued by a major studio. Forum discussions around the film's 20th anniversary in 2020 anticipated a 4K release that never materialized. Reports indicate that Disney, which acquired Fox's film assets in 2019, has deprioritized 4K masters for portions of the Fox back catalog. International 4K distribution through Paramount remains a theoretical possibility but has not been confirmed for Cast Away. (blu-ray.com forum)

Specialty label 88 Films released a collector's edition

UK-based boutique label 88 Films issued a collector's Blu-ray featuring a new 4K scan from the interpositive, a 1080p presentation, audio commentaries by film historians and a journalist, and an interview with cinematographer Don Burgess. This release caters to the physical media collector market that has grown around catalog titles the major studios have neglected in the streaming era. (88-films)

Streaming rights followed the Disney-Fox acquisition

Following Disney's 2019 acquisition of 21st Century Fox assets, domestic streaming rights for Cast Away moved to Hulu rather than Disney+. International markets have access through Paramount+ in select regions. The fragmented streaming landscape has reinforced the value of physical media for viewers who want reliable, quality-controlled access to the film. (wikipedia)