How did Disney make billions by deliberately hiding its own movies?

The answer

Starting in the mid-1980s, Disney implemented the 'Disney Vault' strategy, making animated classics available on home video for limited windows before pulling them from sale for seven to ten years. The company initially hesitated to release films on VHS at all, fearing it would cheapen their theatrical prestige. When they did, the limited availability created artificial urgency - parents rushed to buy before titles were 'locked away.' The Lion King became the best-selling home video of all time through this approach. Disney Consumer Products revenue eventually reached $3 billion annually. Critics called it textbook artificial scarcity, since Disney was deliberately withholding its own intellectual property to simulate rarity. The strategy ended quietly when Disney+ launched in 2019, making nearly the entire catalog available simultaneously.