Physical Media Releases (The Princess Bride) The Princess Bride (1987)

VHS (1988)

The first home-video release was Nelson Entertainment / Embassy Home Entertainment in early 1988, on VHS and Betamax in the United States and on PAL VHS through Video Collection International in the United Kingdom. The release coincided with the film's transition from theatrical underperformer to home-video phenomenon — the picture became one of the most-rented family titles of 1988 and stayed in catalog continuously through the laser disc and DVD eras. (wikipedia)

LaserDisc (1988, 1997)

A pan-and-scan LaserDisc release through Nelson followed the VHS in late 1988. A widescreen LaserDisc was released by MGM in 1997 as part of their late-LD enthusiast catalog. Both editions are now collector items.

DVD (1998, 2001, 2007)

MGM Home Entertainment released the first DVD on October 13, 1998, in a barebones edition. A "Special Edition" DVD followed on August 14, 2001, with two new featurettes: a making-of documentary featuring Rob Reiner, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, and William Goldman; and a separate piece on the fight choreography. A 20th Anniversary Edition followed in 2007 with additional behind-the-scenes content and a feature commentary by Reiner. (dvd talk review)

Blu-ray (2009, 2018)

The first Blu-ray release was March 17, 2009, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, a "20th Anniversary Edition" port that recycled the 2007 DVD supplements. A 25th Anniversary Edition followed in October 2012 with a new transfer.

The most substantial physical-media event was the Criterion Collection edition.

Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K UHD, 2024)

The Criterion Collection released The Princess Bride as spine #1212 on November 19, 2024 — the most ambitious home-video edition of the film to date. The release contained:

  • A new 4K digital restoration supervised by Rob Reiner and approved by the surviving members of the cinematography team
  • Two audio commentaries (Reiner's 2007 commentary and a new 2024 commentary by Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin recorded together)
  • "As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride" — the long-form 2001 documentary
  • New interviews with Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, and Christopher Guest
  • An hour-long conversation between Cary Elwes and film critic Sloane Crosley
  • A 2020 cast reunion table read recorded for the Wisconsin Democratic Party
  • An archival 1987 interview with William Goldman
  • A printed essay by film critic Bilge Ebiri and a new printing of Goldman's 1987 production diary
  • A 60-page booklet

The release was widely reviewed and became Criterion's bestselling new title of the fourth quarter of 2024. (criterion)

4K UHD (standard releases)

A standard 4K UHD release through Lionsgate (which had inherited the MGM library through its 2005 acquisition) appeared in 2018 ahead of the Criterion edition, with a serviceable HDR transfer but no new supplements beyond the recycled 25th-anniversary materials.

Streaming availability

As of 2026, The Princess Bride is available on Disney+ (which inherited the title through Disney's 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox), with rotating availability on Hulu, Max, and Amazon Prime through licensing deals. The Criterion Channel began streaming the new restoration in January 2025.

Sources