See, the point is that it's OK. You are thinking about money, Miyazaki is thinking about what you'd call the UX.
It's better that someone picks a pirated DVD off the shelf, inserts it into the player, and watches the DVD deliberately, in their perspective, than mindlessly clicking on a "suggested next movie" button on a streaming service, and abandon the film half-way.
Even pirating the movie is better, since it's a deliberate action, a choice, and an effort.
>IMHO making the movies easier to distribute wouldn't impact the quality of presentation
Well, that's where you and Studio Ghibli disagree.
The idea of getting more satisfaction from getting something if it's a reward for an effort, however minor, is not new. That's why games have achievements, for example.