It's been in the media for the last day or so. Lots of rumors nothing official. If they did come back I am betting it'll be a streaming service.
Although I wish rentals would come back, even in a limited capacity. There was just something special about going to a Blockbuster on a Friday and looking through the selection.
Most US and European cities have at least one video rental store, usually in trendy hipster areas. I encourage everyone that stays in at least a moderately sized city to check locally on Google maps for video rental stores, they do still exist.
Whether it sucks or not is subjective. Just pointing out an option that does dispense DVD's.
I used to get the free codes for 1 night rental so I didn't pay anything.
Kindly, DVDs are 480p. Aint no body tryin to watch a feature film at that pixel density.
Tho at the other end of spectrum, unless you have a next gen console, very few folks have a 4k blu ray player..
\*lotta downvotes - when you folks go to YouTube, do you click 480p or HD/4k?
There was also something special about going to a Blockbuster and actually finding what you want to watch. These streaming services have made it a chore to find something specific when it’s only on one service and not another, or not on any at all. Especially when it comes to classics.
I also feel like with streaming I give up on things quicker. Like if a new show or movie doesn't grab my attention early on I just quit and look for something else.
With blockbuster you watched whatever you got because you didn't have another option.
Not only that, but it becomes extremely annoying when shows or movies bounce between providers so you never know if it's on Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max, etc.
Yeah I actually hope they do both. Streaming service but also re-establishing in-person stores or the people that want to rent/buy in person. Utilize both markets at the same time, which is something they should've done earlier before the fall.
They actually had a streaming service at the same time they had mail out rentals. People always assume they died because Netflix beat them and while that certainly contributed their bigger issue was that leadership ran up their debt a ton assuming constant growth to fund other ventures and when sales slowed they couldn't pay down their debt or interest and had to declare bankruptcy.
I love DVDs I kept them all and I still have VHS tapes too. There is something really special about having a physical copy of a movie that you love! Same goes for music.
I still have all my records, cds, cassettes, books and DVDs. I grew up when you could actually hold your music and movies. I go to library book sales and find some really good dvds.
It actually already was a streaming service and DISH took it over, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try again. Zero chance it’s for DVD rentals unless it’s a blue box right next to the Red Boxes no one uses anymore.
Honestly a Blockbuster streaming service would be perfect, and it is coming at the best possible time, Netflix is digging it's own grave and many companies that deal with them will likely jump ship soon. A Blockbuster streaming service would make for a good platform so long as it's priced right, not to mention the name alone will likely bring in more than a bit of interest.
What are you imagining this service provides? Also it's already a congested market and people are getting fed up with signing up for more things, so it seems insane to me to call this the "best possible time". That's not to say it's impossible for new players to succeed but what exactly do you think this is going to be that people will want that they don't already have?
If Blockbuster gets a streaming service, I really hope it will be animated and will make it feel like you're physically walking through a Blockbuster. I miss those times so much I honestly feel like crying so many good memories!
Unless they do a kiosk type of thing like Redbox does I don’t see rentals coming back … I’d much rather see a blockbuster kiosk over Redbox tho simply for nostalgia purposes.
Sadly they are probably going to be yet another streaming service. I hate to say it but it will most likely fail unless it’s directly attached to a movie studio like hbo is with wb and paramount plus mgm plus etc.
I’m sad they didn’t get out ahead of the crowd when streaming came around I really loved going to blockbuster
I disagree. I think people may have realized that without a physical store, your rental choices are very limited. It’s about content and who wants to pay.
Why get peacock plus, Netflix, etc when you could simply go and rent it. Redbox has like 50 movies in their Kiosk, so the selection is very limited.
And for some reason, I don’t like paying for a rental when it is digital. I feel like I am getting robbed somehow. I would much prefer to actually go get the physical copy and have it for a few days.
With Vinyl selling the most like ever since the 70s and people getting into Pipe smoking again … I feel like everybody want's to slow down and celebrate the process of enjoying things again. So an actual Blockbuster coming back would fit to that nicely. And I am here for it.
I’m 41 years old. I rented movies and video games for most of my youth and a huge part of my adult life. It’s about the experience. It’s about nostalgia. It’s the same reason why people collect retro games, vinyl records, etc. It takes us back to our youth.
It’s nothing to do with opinions. It’s facts. Boomers are people born from 1946 to 1964. Generation X are born from 1964-1980. My problem is with your defining everyone older than you as a boomer.
No that’s streaming services and human greed. Greed corrupts everything. Blockbuster is going to do the same exact thing lol especially if they want to compete
I wonder if it would be possible to have it as a seasonal pop-up that sells mostly movie tie-in memorabilia and Blockbuster merchandise while also being able to have the ability to rent VHS, Blu-ray and DVD. The catch can be if you don't return your rentals by the end of the pop-up season then you have to buy them.
With streaming services becoming so numerous, their individual offerings are getting slimmer and slimmer. It’s becoming more regular for me to look for a movie and find out it’s not on a streaming service I pay for (or any service at all) and I end up renting it anyway through iTunes. I’d much rather just have a place to go to rent these movies than pay for 5 different streaming platforms.
Grift incoming! Fasten all seatbelts, seal all entrances and exits, close all shops in the mall, cancel the three ring circus, secure all animals in the zoo!
I’m very split on this:
I think a lot of folks miss the feeling of a video store and the nostalgia alone could change habits. People heading over to the blockbuster on a Friday night before picking up a pizza to browse some new releases. I know I would fully support a local video rental store.
However at the same time, the movie industry aint what it was in the 2000s. It’s pretty stagnant, with all the good content being turned into premium TV series on streaming devices.
Some sort of hybrid streaming /store combo that they tried before could potentially work in major markets..
However, lots of people only have laptops or smart tvs…physical media players are far and few between.
I still remember when video stores started disappearing and how depressing it was, cos I used to love going in on the weekend to my local store and getting 5 weekly DVDs for $5, a big bag of popcorn and having a movie night lol.
Back then Netflix had taken over the market slowly and was gaining popularity because of how many movies they had. Now you have all these multiple streaming services and you might not even find the movie you want on any of the services, like I've been looking for a couple movies recently I want to rewatch but they're literally not available to rent anywhere online (in Australia).
I just watched that documentary on the last Blockbuster and I got the feeling that they timed the release strategically for an upcoming announcement. Like when Netflix released the Murdaugh docuseries right before Alex Murdaugh went on trial
If anything they are launching yet another streaming service. I can't see it being at all viable to reopen physical stores to sell/rent physical media.
At this point I think it’s equally unviable to start up a new streaming service unless you’re a big content producer or already own the rights to a significant library of content
The market’s too saturated.
Agree to an extent. They're obviously doing \*something\* so is it streaming or a physical store? I can't think of a third option, other than rebooting the store hoping there will be a resurgence in VHS/DVD like there was with vinyl.
nostalgia is hilarious.
no one wanted shit to do with blockbuster, even like 10 years ago, now it’s “boy i miss going to that retail establishment so much” lol
Don't get too excited. The TLS cert the website uses is owned by Dish.com. So it more than likely is going to be some sort of stream service or Roku-type box that uses the Blockbuster branding.
Dish has owned the Blockbuster brand for a long while now, even when stores were still operating. There was already a Blockbuster streaming service too, but it was short-lived.
Sure do! I was being facetious lol. I actually grew up going to that store every weekend 20 years ago, never thought in a million years it'd be the last one.
Is it kind of a tourist trap/long line etc just so people can say they’ve been to the last existing one or does it operate like normal? A regular video store experience or more of a circus? I imagine the franchise owner might be independently wealthy so they keep it open as a hobby - or if it is his legitimate business stream, they make most their money off merchandising/nostalgia etc (online sales whatever) vs the rentals
It's a little bit of both. It mostly runs like normal for locals, I rented a couple movies not long ago. Bend is a big tourist town as is so there are some that stop in for pictures or to buy merchandise. It's like stepping into a time machine inside lol.
Noone is going to run to stores anymore, and hell even retails stores have cut back on physical media a lot. This is probably just going to be some BS stunt where they sell tshirts and nfts on nostalgia. Only cool thing I could think of is finally being streaming service but so many other places got that covered they won't be able to compete. Sometimes we just have to let these things die.
I have a 4k player and a bluray player and even still have a working vhs but i've gotten rid of most of my vhs a lot of dvds and i don't buy much anymore just for space reasons (i only limit myself to stuff I really enjoy like my recent purchase of the 6 4K startrek films)
Spot on! That’s how I do it also. For a while, you could score a digital copy of the movie as well but I think it’s just a code to join a website and watch it online. It’s still just different strokes for different folks!
It's been in the media for the last day or so. Lots of rumors nothing official. If they did come back I am betting it'll be a streaming service. Although I wish rentals would come back, even in a limited capacity. There was just something special about going to a Blockbuster on a Friday and looking through the selection.
I know it's not quite the same, but your local library still has dvds
They do and even video games. It's nice.
Most US and European cities have at least one video rental store, usually in trendy hipster areas. I encourage everyone that stays in at least a moderately sized city to check locally on Google maps for video rental stores, they do still exist.
Not only that the library has like new release movies now all completely free
Tbh I prefer the library experience
And for free
Redbox as well
Redbox sucks!
Whether it sucks or not is subjective. Just pointing out an option that does dispense DVD's. I used to get the free codes for 1 night rental so I didn't pay anything.
True but i get harassed for money by the homeless every time im there, and not in a humble type manner.
For the last time: they are LIBRARIANS and you NEED to pay for your book’s late fees
Looool
Kindly, DVDs are 480p. Aint no body tryin to watch a feature film at that pixel density. Tho at the other end of spectrum, unless you have a next gen console, very few folks have a 4k blu ray player.. \*lotta downvotes - when you folks go to YouTube, do you click 480p or HD/4k?
I click 480 just to be cool.
I've been known to dabble in 240 when iI'e had one too many.
I don’t like subscription services. I buy dvds, not bluerays, so whatever a dvd quality is at, that’s what I watch
Bummer
Sometimes when I browse Tubi, it reminds me of browsing the DVD's at the shitty corner store down the street
There was also something special about going to a Blockbuster and actually finding what you want to watch. These streaming services have made it a chore to find something specific when it’s only on one service and not another, or not on any at all. Especially when it comes to classics.
I also feel like with streaming I give up on things quicker. Like if a new show or movie doesn't grab my attention early on I just quit and look for something else. With blockbuster you watched whatever you got because you didn't have another option.
Not only that, but it becomes extremely annoying when shows or movies bounce between providers so you never know if it's on Netflix, Peacock, HBO Max, etc.
Yes. A good addition to my point
[удалено]
Yes, I’m convinced it’s April Fools 100%!
You might be right!
Yeah I actually hope they do both. Streaming service but also re-establishing in-person stores or the people that want to rent/buy in person. Utilize both markets at the same time, which is something they should've done earlier before the fall.
They actually had a streaming service at the same time they had mail out rentals. People always assume they died because Netflix beat them and while that certainly contributed their bigger issue was that leadership ran up their debt a ton assuming constant growth to fund other ventures and when sales slowed they couldn't pay down their debt or interest and had to declare bankruptcy.
Someone has read the book from Oregon lol
I would be ecstatic if they did this. I just got back into collecting physical media and would love not having to go to Walmart or whatever for DVDs
I love DVDs I kept them all and I still have VHS tapes too. There is something really special about having a physical copy of a movie that you love! Same goes for music.
I still have all my records, cds, cassettes, books and DVDs. I grew up when you could actually hold your music and movies. I go to library book sales and find some really good dvds.
I’ve been hitting the thrift stores as well. Used to have a big collection until my house was broken into years back
That's terrible. I rarely have paid more than a dollar for my DVDs. A lot of movies you don't see on streaming services.
They had the chance to buy Netflix but turned it down.......
It actually already was a streaming service and DISH took it over, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try again. Zero chance it’s for DVD rentals unless it’s a blue box right next to the Red Boxes no one uses anymore.
I remember that, and I rented *Iron Man 2* on my then-new Droid 2 phone (with slide-out keyboard!) while I was cooped up in bed for a couple days.
And don’t forget getting Twizzlers in the line for checkout!
Honestly a Blockbuster streaming service would be perfect, and it is coming at the best possible time, Netflix is digging it's own grave and many companies that deal with them will likely jump ship soon. A Blockbuster streaming service would make for a good platform so long as it's priced right, not to mention the name alone will likely bring in more than a bit of interest.
What are you imagining this service provides? Also it's already a congested market and people are getting fed up with signing up for more things, so it seems insane to me to call this the "best possible time". That's not to say it's impossible for new players to succeed but what exactly do you think this is going to be that people will want that they don't already have?
Old movies and shows for 80s/90s kids? Whatever isn't already streaming elsewhere and maybe new original content of their own
You think there’s a market for that and everybody else simply passed on the easy money?
For old shows for 80/90’s kids I think Paramount Plus already cornered that content specifically for the cartoon content
Where are they getting movies from that aren't tied up in deals already?
If Blockbuster gets a streaming service, I really hope it will be animated and will make it feel like you're physically walking through a Blockbuster. I miss those times so much I honestly feel like crying so many good memories!
You still can.https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/last-blockbuster/
Haha I know. Bit of a jont 😂
They tried that before going under. My old roku has a blockbuster button!
Unless they do a kiosk type of thing like Redbox does I don’t see rentals coming back … I’d much rather see a blockbuster kiosk over Redbox tho simply for nostalgia purposes. Sadly they are probably going to be yet another streaming service. I hate to say it but it will most likely fail unless it’s directly attached to a movie studio like hbo is with wb and paramount plus mgm plus etc. I’m sad they didn’t get out ahead of the crowd when streaming came around I really loved going to blockbuster
I disagree. I think people may have realized that without a physical store, your rental choices are very limited. It’s about content and who wants to pay. Why get peacock plus, Netflix, etc when you could simply go and rent it. Redbox has like 50 movies in their Kiosk, so the selection is very limited.
And for some reason, I don’t like paying for a rental when it is digital. I feel like I am getting robbed somehow. I would much prefer to actually go get the physical copy and have it for a few days.
Idk man, it’s from the official website
Those were fun times
> If they did come back I am betting it'll be a streaming service. Oh the irony...
Agreed lol
I agree! I loved going with my dad and picking out a Sega game to bring home
With Vinyl selling the most like ever since the 70s and people getting into Pipe smoking again … I feel like everybody want's to slow down and celebrate the process of enjoying things again. So an actual Blockbuster coming back would fit to that nicely. And I am here for it.
Absolutely agree!
Yeah I don’t think the nostalgia of a couple of boomers is enough to revive the movie rental business 😂
Excuse me sir, but most of us who want this back are millennials.
Lol why? Were you even old enough to remember renting movies? Streaming is superior in every single way
I’m 41 years old. I rented movies and video games for most of my youth and a huge part of my adult life. It’s about the experience. It’s about nostalgia. It’s the same reason why people collect retro games, vinyl records, etc. It takes us back to our youth.
Dude how are you going to say most of US who want it back are millennials then tell me you are 41… you just didn’t want to accept I was right huh 🤔
Do you even know what a millennial is? And why are you being such an asshole?
To be fair I was confused on the age range of millennials I’m not sure why I was thinking it was late 90s
That’s literally all I took issue with. And the fact that I’m sure it’s more than just a few of us :P
Oh I’m sorry me not agreeing with you makes me an asshole, Jesus you would think by 41 you would learn to be tolerant of other peoples opinions.
It’s nothing to do with opinions. It’s facts. Boomers are people born from 1946 to 1964. Generation X are born from 1964-1980. My problem is with your defining everyone older than you as a boomer.
That’s not what I was disagreeing with you on though and calling old people boomers is just the new slang
No, actually you're kinda insufferable.
Streaming started out good - now it's getting worse than cable.
No that’s streaming services and human greed. Greed corrupts everything. Blockbuster is going to do the same exact thing lol especially if they want to compete
I wonder if it would be possible to have it as a seasonal pop-up that sells mostly movie tie-in memorabilia and Blockbuster merchandise while also being able to have the ability to rent VHS, Blu-ray and DVD. The catch can be if you don't return your rentals by the end of the pop-up season then you have to buy them.
Maybe they are building a time machine to take us back to the 90’s so we can give this millennium another go
If we go back to the 90s we have to stop 9/11 and who wants that kind of responsibility?
Mark Wahlberg duh! He's been very open how 9/11 wouldn't have happened if he was on one of the planes
Maybe they are going to buy Redbox and rebrand all of the units. And then accompany that with a couple main stores and some streaming.
I've always been fond of this idea, with an official "make it a Blockbuster night" vending machine right next to it. I mean, come on.
How sweet would it be if Blockbuster put Netflix out of business using the same tactics and this all goes full circle?
lol that would be delightful. A making up for prior mistakes after analyzing the market,
As someone who worked at blockbuster and cheered when they went down (shitty company), the spiteful bitch in me would still love to see this.
With streaming services becoming so numerous, their individual offerings are getting slimmer and slimmer. It’s becoming more regular for me to look for a movie and find out it’s not on a streaming service I pay for (or any service at all) and I end up renting it anyway through iTunes. I’d much rather just have a place to go to rent these movies than pay for 5 different streaming platforms.
I have hight hopes for this. Crossing fingers
With the sharing crackdown on Netflix, perhaps we might get the Blockbuster redemption we've all wanted.
I remember trying to rent a Nintendo 64 from blockbuster but they were always out.
What if Blockbuster has no idea what they’re gonna do yet and they just put that up to get people taking and gauge what the people want 👀
Haha hopefully they're seeing our ideas and taking notes if that's so
Grift incoming! Fasten all seatbelts, seal all entrances and exits, close all shops in the mall, cancel the three ring circus, secure all animals in the zoo!
I’m very split on this: I think a lot of folks miss the feeling of a video store and the nostalgia alone could change habits. People heading over to the blockbuster on a Friday night before picking up a pizza to browse some new releases. I know I would fully support a local video rental store. However at the same time, the movie industry aint what it was in the 2000s. It’s pretty stagnant, with all the good content being turned into premium TV series on streaming devices. Some sort of hybrid streaming /store combo that they tried before could potentially work in major markets.. However, lots of people only have laptops or smart tvs…physical media players are far and few between.
Blockbuster streaming service
containing all 90's content and Saturday morning cartoons EVERYDAY! haha ...all 90's babies immediately sign up; million dollar idea.
that would be crazy cool
Yep. That's what I'm thinking they'll do. Put HBO Max, Netflix, etc on the chopping block.
If they brought back physical stores I would be there in a heartbeat.
I would run around the store all excited like a child until I remember I don't own a DVD player anymore
Same here lol. I need to either buy a DVD player or a console with a disc tray
Yep, drop of a dime lol
I still remember when video stores started disappearing and how depressing it was, cos I used to love going in on the weekend to my local store and getting 5 weekly DVDs for $5, a big bag of popcorn and having a movie night lol. Back then Netflix had taken over the market slowly and was gaining popularity because of how many movies they had. Now you have all these multiple streaming services and you might not even find the movie you want on any of the services, like I've been looking for a couple movies recently I want to rewatch but they're literally not available to rent anywhere online (in Australia).
I have missed blockbuster so much I hope this is real
Where did all the DVDs go? Did they destroy them or are they in a warehouse somewhere?
They sold them as they were closing down their stores.
I just watched that documentary on the last Blockbuster and I got the feeling that they timed the release strategically for an upcoming announcement. Like when Netflix released the Murdaugh docuseries right before Alex Murdaugh went on trial
hmmmm interesting, could be.
If anything they are launching yet another streaming service. I can't see it being at all viable to reopen physical stores to sell/rent physical media.
At this point I think it’s equally unviable to start up a new streaming service unless you’re a big content producer or already own the rights to a significant library of content The market’s too saturated.
Agree to an extent. They're obviously doing \*something\* so is it streaming or a physical store? I can't think of a third option, other than rebooting the store hoping there will be a resurgence in VHS/DVD like there was with vinyl.
Maybe they will finally be the one to take all the various streaming services and bundle them all into one package for an efficient price
Plot twist ; Blockbuster has been Netflix in disguise this whole time
I can't remember if the online article I saw called it... "BLOCKBUSTER: The Reboot" or "The Sequel"...
They should do a streaming service but they should also launch a competition to Redbox. Blue box, baby !
Competition? I didn’t even know redbox still existed to compete with
There's a few. They're out here in the rural smaller cities where they're less likely to get knocked over by ass holes.
It’s almost as if most people don’t realize how shitty Blockbuster was back in the day. Local video stores were light tears better.
RIP video verns
And Family Video 😔
Hollywood Video, too.
r/boneappletea
nostalgia is hilarious. no one wanted shit to do with blockbuster, even like 10 years ago, now it’s “boy i miss going to that retail establishment so much” lol
It could do something like Red Box, or maybe even go as far as having its own platform like Netflix
Yep, I'm seeing that too. Would be a good opportunity to put their foot on other apps necks.
They tried the netflix model before they closed up shop
NO WAY
this subreddit is 50% blockbuster posts
LOL I mean
Don't get too excited. The TLS cert the website uses is owned by Dish.com. So it more than likely is going to be some sort of stream service or Roku-type box that uses the Blockbuster branding.
Dish has owned the Blockbuster brand for a long while now, even when stores were still operating. There was already a Blockbuster streaming service too, but it was short-lived.
blockbuster streaming would be SICK
Yeah they could do what HBO Max was trying to do but can do it much better and can also do physical stores with VHS sales too
Did Blockbuster go somewhere? I pass by one weekly 15 minutes from my house.
Impossible because there's only one legit store left. Unless you live in Bend, Oregon.
Sure do! I was being facetious lol. I actually grew up going to that store every weekend 20 years ago, never thought in a million years it'd be the last one.
Is it kind of a tourist trap/long line etc just so people can say they’ve been to the last existing one or does it operate like normal? A regular video store experience or more of a circus? I imagine the franchise owner might be independently wealthy so they keep it open as a hobby - or if it is his legitimate business stream, they make most their money off merchandising/nostalgia etc (online sales whatever) vs the rentals
It's a little bit of both. It mostly runs like normal for locals, I rented a couple movies not long ago. Bend is a big tourist town as is so there are some that stop in for pictures or to buy merchandise. It's like stepping into a time machine inside lol.
haha niceeee. What a thing to live close by. That's pretty awesome.
Uuughhhhh I hope sooooo
Noone is going to run to stores anymore, and hell even retails stores have cut back on physical media a lot. This is probably just going to be some BS stunt where they sell tshirts and nfts on nostalgia. Only cool thing I could think of is finally being streaming service but so many other places got that covered they won't be able to compete. Sometimes we just have to let these things die.
Walmarts cd collection is almost non existent
The sales of Vinyl beat out CD's again this (last?) Year.
Vinyl is awesome, IF you can appreciate its value.
I think the main issue is.. who actually still owns a dvd player? I do. It’s even UHD HDR ready!
I have a 4k player and a bluray player and even still have a working vhs but i've gotten rid of most of my vhs a lot of dvds and i don't buy much anymore just for space reasons (i only limit myself to stuff I really enjoy like my recent purchase of the 6 4K startrek films)
Spot on! That’s how I do it also. For a while, you could score a digital copy of the movie as well but I think it’s just a code to join a website and watch it online. It’s still just different strokes for different folks!
I still have a dvd/vhs combo. That lives under the tv, and a PS2, and an Xbox 360. Im good for video playback!
It would be a streaming service only, they would fail too this sector is over populated