The 18 Best Blu-Ray Box Sets Ever Released

Although physical media has taken a hit in the streaming age, it’s still nice to have a few collectible Blu-rays on the shelf, especially when the internet fails. Sometimes, movie studios really knock it out of the park by greenlighting excellent box sets that stand the test of time, and it’s a testament to how much effort and passion goes into these projects.

Some of these amazing box sets have crammed in as much content as possible, from multiple cuts of the same film to hours upon hours of behind-the-scenes documentaries and materials. Whether it’s a horror, sci-fi, or action franchise, there’s a box set for fans of every genre, and they make for great conversation starters. But what are the very best Blu-ray box sets available today?

Updated on December 16th, 2021 by Derek Draven: There have been many amazing box sets that have been released in recent years. Of particular note are box sets that blend aesthetics and presentation. The best come in beautiful packaging that captures the spirit of the franchises in question while offering a plethora of material to dive into.

A few sets are loaded with content that spans dozens of discs, which can feel insurmountable and overwhelming, even for diehard fans. Then again, having all this content on hand is a great way to get the definitive experience.

Friday The 13th Deluxe Collection

Due to the legal issues with the entire Friday The 13th series, it became difficult for fans to get all twelve films in one pack. That finally changed with the Deluxe Collection, slapped together by the excellent and detail-focused team at Scream Factory. It contains all twelve Friday The 13th movies, including the 2009 reboot, plus a thirteenth disc dedicated specifically to bonus features.

Binding it all together is a nicely designed box with artwork straight out of a Drew Struzan poster, and it’s time-locked specifically in that 1980s movie poster feel. For any fan of Jason Voorhees, regardless of what form he’s taken, including his many gory kills and crazy adventures, the Deluxe Collection is a must-have.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series –  Deluxe Limited Edition

Fans were thrilled when Warner announced that the classic and iconic Batman: The Animated Series would swoop onto the Blu-ray scene. Every episode was meticulously remastered for HD and spread across 10 Blu-ray discs to create the ultimate Batman experience.

The Limited Edition box set features twenty-five featurettes and a full documentary, a deluxe art book, plus Funko Pop figures of Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn. If that weren’t enough, Warner saw fit to pack in the excellent tie-in feature film Mask of the Phantasm, and Batman and Mister Freeze: Sub Zero to round out the collection.

Bruce Lee: His Greatest Hits

When Criterion attaches its name to a release, it’s a safe bet it’ll be good. The same applies to this box set featuring, as the name implies, Bruce Lee’s most iconic films from his illustrious, yet short-lived film career. The collection includes The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), The Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), and Game of Death (1978), which was released five years after Lee’s passing.

In addition, the package boasts special features, including alternate soundtracks, audio commentaries, interviews, and documentaries that showcase the life of the famed martial artist, and his contribution to the action movie genre.

Indiana Jones: 40th Anniversary Collection

Indiana Jones got the Blu-ray treatment a few years back, but this double-dip was designed specifically to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary, which has inspired a slew of fantasy adventure films in its wake. It resulted in a Blu-ray/4K release of the Indiana Jones series with a pearl-white infused box that framed a variation on the film posters.

This box set might seem a bit light, but it’s actually quite well stocked in terms of extras, with tons of special features that dive into the making of all four films, plus cast interviews and behind-the-scenes extras. Having Indiana Jones in Ultra HD is just icing on the cake.

The James Bond Collection

To coincide with the release of a new film, the 007 franchise typically tries to capitalize by releasing a pack with all the films on it. This is the case of The James Bond Collection from 2020, which was originally meant to coincide with No Time To Die, before its many delays.

From Sean Connery to the Daniel Craig era, all twenty-four previous films in the James Bond series are featured, along with a ton of bonus features to enjoy. The only caveat is the lack of No Time To Die, which effectively ends with one film missing from the lineup.

Universal Monsters: The Essential Coffin Box Collection

The Coffin Box collection narrows down the roundup to eight essential films, with excellent picture and audio clarity, packed into a case that any fan of classic monsters will love. This includes The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein, Dracula, and so much more.

The coffin box design motif houses the fold-out collection, and each film is given a special presentation treatment that bursts with classic movie poster colors. It also includes poster cards, a booklet, and a ton of bonus features that dive into these iconic classics.

Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman – Criterion Box Set

Fans know how much attention to detail Criterion puts into their releases, but few are as dazzling as the Zatoichi Blu-ray box set. This nine-disc collection serves up no less than twenty-five Zatoichi films from 1962 to 1973, brought up to HD quality, thanks to Criterion’s rigorous restoration process.

The set itself is a work of art, laid out with excellent graphics, and a fully colored informative guidebook. This is one box set that pays ultimate respect to its source material, and one of the coolest and most pristine collections in the industry.

Godzilla: The Showa-Era Collection

The classic Godzilla films that saturated Japanese culture vary in terms of quality, but they all have their own inherent charm. For Godzilla diehards, there’s this amazing Criterion Collection, which may just be one of the most definitive of the franchise.

This pack includes 15 classic Godzilla films, beginning with the seminal 1954 original, all the way up to 1975’s landmark hit Terror of Mechagodzilla. Each film boasts an HD transfer fitting of Criterion’s reputation, plus a slew of extras, new English subtitle translations, and kitschy, colorful, comic book-inspired packaging.

The Dark Knight Trilogy

Often considered one of the best trilogies of all time, it only makes sense that Warner Bros. would go all out with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy. There are several versions fans can pick up, but there’s only one definitive pack that fans should focus on.

That particular pack includes all three movies, including the iconic and influential The Dark Knight, that come in a book, which unfolds into a Batman symbol styled after the threat in all three movies. This pack also contains a book that features artwork, and behind-the-scenes facts about the whole series. It’s not the box set that fans need – it’s the one they deserve.

Alien: 6-Film Collection

Those who already enjoyed the original release of the Alien Anthology pack will likely enjoy this one. Instead of just the first four films, the Alien 6-Film collection features every entry in the franchise thus far, from Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Alien, all the way to Alien: Covenant.

Each film features extended special editions which have been remastered for Blu-ray quality, except for the two prequels, which maintain their theatrical cuts. All the extensive behind-the-scenes extras for the Alien movies are also included, along with beautifully drawn poster cards for each film.

Game Of Thrones: The Complete Collection

Despite the fact that Game of Thrones lost its footing in the last two seasons, the show still remains a landmark fantasy franchise that has attracted millions of fans worldwide. The Complete Collection pays tribute to this iconic show by wrapping everything up with a nice bow, and some cool wooden box packaging.

Though it’s not in Ultra HD, this Blu-ray pack does boast a slightly nicer overall presentation. It spans a grand total of 33 Blu-ray discs with every season, plus the Reunion Special, and 15 hours of behind-the-scenes material. The question is whether fans will take the gorgeous packaging, or opt for the UHD collection.

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The Star Wars Blu-ray set brings the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy, and Disney’s sequel trilogy into one high-quality collection. In addition to HD quality versions of all six films, there’s also a ton of behind-the-scenes documentaries and content to explore.

On top of that, all nine films come in a beautiful and sleekly designed black box set, featuring the Death Star, while the discs themselves are stored in an artbook, with over twenty-five hours of bonus features. The only issue with this collection is that it does not feature either Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, or Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Collection

This box set is perhaps the ultimate gift for Harry Potter fans, to this day. It’s a sprawling 31-disc compilation of every Harry Potter film in Blu-ray, as well as DVD format and digital copy. This gives fans a lot of options when it comes to enjoying these films all over again.

The most amazing aspect of this box set, however, are the extras, which clock in at 37 hours. They feature an HD documentary making-of series, behind-the-scenes interviews, and bonus extras. The entire package comes in a large book-style design with artwork galore, making it one of the best Blu-ray box sets ever to hit the market.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Complete Series

Most Trekkers will be gobsmacked by how excellent the Star Trek: The Next Generation Blu-ray box set is. It amalgamates every standalone Blu-ray seasonal release of the show into a single package that is 4″ wide and filled to the brim with special features.

Every episode has been elevated into HD territory, bringing out details never seen when the series first ran on TV. In addition, the team went back to update and enhance existing visual effects, without ruining the look and feel. It also cleaned up that horrid red hue that permeated the first season of the show and brought it in line visually with the rest of the series. And finally, the hours upon hours of behind-the-scenes content is magic for Star Trek fans.

The Best Of Warner Bros. – 50 Film Collection

Warner Bros. decided to go full a la carte for their 50-film Blu-ray collection, and it is quite the spectacle to behold. The collection includes sixteen movies that ended up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards, so there’s a lot to love here.

Classic icons like Ben-Hur, Grand Hotel, Citizen Kane, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are just the tip of the iceberg. This is one of the most definitive movie collections around if price is not an option. In return, it provides a bevy of movies that stand the test of time.

Nakatomi Plaza Die Hard Collection

Die Hard is one of the most revolutionary action franchises of all time, and the five films got the collector’s edition treatment, complete with a miniature replica of the Nakatomi Plaza from the first film. On top of that, all five movies’ unrated cuts have been restored and remastered to the best quality possible.

There are five collectible cards based on the villain of each film, a behind-the-scenes booklet, and the replica of the Nakatomi Plaza which has been meticulously reconstructed with impressive craftsmanship. It’s overkill for most, but Die Hard “diehards” will enjoy every moment of it.

The Hobbit & Lord Of The Rings: Extended Editions

There are several collections of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films to pick up, including this $800 edition designed to look like books straight out of the lore. If the eye-watering price tag isn’t a factor, then this is definitely the single-greatest collection of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films to ever hit the market.

The collection spans a whopping 30 discs, 18 of which are dedicated specifically to bonus material, including the much-beloved behind-the-scenes documentaries of yore. What really sells the feel of the collection are the leather-bound book cases for each film, which all rest on a custom wood shelf. It’s an absolutely beautiful collection that defines the word “premium,” and then some.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga Set

With the first saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe over and another one already in full swing, it makes sense that Disney would want to further capitalize on the highest-grossing franchise of all time. Together, all twenty-three movies of the Infinity Saga form a decorative banner, featuring Marvel heroes standing in front of Thanos.

Not everyone will care for every single film in the lineup, but having them in perfect order of release, Iron Man to Spider-Man: Far From Home, is worth the price. Add the many bonus features and beautifully designed case, and it becomes a must-have for any Marvel superhero fan.

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