"This Is How the World Ends" Is Coming Directly to VHS Tape

June 8, 2026, 12:43 pm | Read time: 3 minutes

For years, the demise of physical media has been heralded in many places. Especially with films and series, DVDs and Blu-rays seem to have become obsolete, except for a small, passionate group of fans, with the majority preferring streaming. Against this backdrop, the film “This is How the World Ends” feels like a small protest action. It is set to be released directly on the good old VHS cassette.

“This is How the World Ends” Comes to VHS

As reported by “Variety,” the last VCR rolled off the production line in 2016. Most of the machines in circulation are likely much older, dusty, or even broken. Nevertheless, more are in use than one might think. And it is precisely for this audience that “This is How the World Ends” is being released directly on VHS cassette.

According to South African director Robert dos Santos, this is the first direct VHS release in 20 years. “This is How the World Ends” is a sci-fi adventure in which a young man searches for his sister at a wild party in the middle of the desert. The story is set against the backdrop of a war between humans and AI machine states, which humanity is on the verge of losing.

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From Mockery to Quality Mark

In the past, films that didn’t make it to theaters and were released directly for home viewing were considered low-grade B-movies—cheap and poor quality. The term “direct to VHS” was understood as mockery. But dos Santos wants to redefine this in the digital age. Now, the description is meant to indicate quality and promise a “well-made film produced with intention for the audience.”

Of course, the number of people who still own a VHS player is limited. Nevertheless, more than 1,000 pre-orders have been received—far more than dos Santos and his team expected. His intention was not to make a lot of money with the project. However, there is now not only a U.S. distributor, but there is also the prospect of bringing “This is How the World Ends” to theaters.
There are sales agents who like the project. It is recognized that a loyal audience is being built that appreciates such endeavors and especially “organic filmmaking.”

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“Middle Finger to AI”

However, dos Santos does not want the VHS release to be understood as a mere PR stunt. Instead, he is interested in a “conscious middle finger to AI”: “This is a film by humans for humans. This is cinema that you can hold, touch, and, most importantly, own.” Headlines about “Hollywood being over” or “filmmaking being dead” have upset him. He wants to show with his work that there are indeed people who really care about it.

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Whether “This is How the World Ends” will receive a German translation is unknown. However, those proficient in English and not deterred by potential import fees can pre-order the film on the homepage. Incidentally, there were also DVD and Blu-ray editions available there, but they are currently sold out.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TECHBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@techbook.de.