The final movie Blockbuster ever rented out
These days, it’s easier than ever to watch a movie or television show at the click of a button. With services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu garnering millions of users, any title conceivable is merely a few clicks away. The rise of streaming services has allowed thousands of movies to be rediscovered and coveted by a new generation of viewers, allowing them to achieve cult status.
With over 238.4million users worldwide, Netflix reigns supreme, boasting classic titles and original content. However, before the accessibility of streaming services, cinema buffs needed to source films for home viewing from mail-order services or specialised DVD and video stores. Netflix began their DVD rental service in the 1990s, shortly after the technology was invented in 1995. However, way before Netflix, Blockbuster was the home video giant.
The first Blockbuster store was founded in 1985 by David Cook. Located in Dallas, Texas, Cook’s business quickly took off, leading him to build a $6million warehouse to house the stock. By the 1990s, Blockbuster was a multi-million dollar company. At its peak, it had 9,000 stores worldwide, although there was a constant fear of new technology affecting its business model.
Evidently, Blockbuster’s fears were realised when Netflix and other companies began to provide faster and more accessible alternatives. Despite efforts such as ‘Total Access’ introduced by Blockbuster to compete against Netflix, their efforts were futile. The company even made a massive blunder in 2000 when Netflix was willing to sell itself to Blockbuster for $50m. If the deal were to have taken place, Blockbuster’s online services could’ve been managed by Netflix, making it even more successful.
One of Blockbuster’s fatal flaws was its inability to change with the times at a quick pace, resulting in significant losses. While Netflix boasted online ordering, with customers selecting a movie online and having it delivered to their door, Blockbuster relied on physical stores. When they introduced Blockbuster Online in 2004, it was too late – Netflix was already leaping ahead with much bigger plans.
Alongside the Great Recession of the late 2000s, Blockbuster collapsed and filed for bankruptcy in 2010, closing hundreds of its stores. Now, just one Blockbuster remains in Bend, Oregon, known as The Last Blockbuster. After the company closed all of its corporate-owned stores in 2014, it became one of the few franchise stores remaining before standing as the only Blockbuster in the world.
However, the final store to close its doors back in 2013 was located in Hawaii. On the night of November 9th, the store rented out its final movie, with the company sharing an image of the historic moment on its Twitter account. The customer’s pick was none other than This Is The End, directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The movie features actors such as James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Michael Cera alongside the creators, all playing fictionalised versions of themselves during an apocalypse.
In response, Rogen Tweeted, “The last movie ever rented from a blockbuster was this is the end. In high school, I would go hang out at Blockbuster every day.”
