The Decline of Blockbuster...What Happened?
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2017
- Today Blockbuster is effectively gone, but there was a time when they were the standard for movie rentals. This video takes an in depth look into the rise, decline, and attempts to answer the question of what exactly happened to Blockbuster.
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Former Blockbuster employee here.
It was my first job and I have a lot of good memories.
Sure, the job didn´t pay much but I loved it: Free rentals, staff discount, I really enjoyed to talk about movies with costumers and other film buffs, the schedule allowed me to still go to college and I met some really good friends there.
It was quite sad to see the death of my local Blockbuster with my own eyes: During the last months I worked there the store was pretty much empty, with only about 4 to 6 customers renting movies during the whole day. Once, I stayed the entire saturday and the whole sale of that day was about 6 dollars... It was terrible to tell my boss the news but sadly there was little that we could do.
I really like Netflix but Blockbuster had something special that now is simply gone.
not to mention. services like Netflix are Super slow on getting new releases. when Blockbusters did. not to mention. Block Busters rented video games. which was great. i remember renting assassins creed 3 from my Local BB and hated the game and i only spent like i think $5 to rent it. now i have to be careful with what games i buy to make sure i didnt waste abunch of money and then get only like $2 back on a return or trade in. as with Netflix they dont even have alot of movies from decades ago like the original Star wars trilogy. all they have is TFA and the clone wars on Netflix. episodes 1-6 are none existent.
Luis Valenzuela Medina They could return, who knows
I HATE NETFLIX!!!!! IT NEEDS TO DIE!!!!
Luis Valenzuela Medina the experience of blockbuster will always be one of my favorite memories as a kid. I really wish they were around today. I think what was so special about the experiences is that you never know who you would meet at the store. You would have real interactions with people in your area.
i get free stuff at wal-mart
I remember walking into a blockbuster store and thinking it had the same "atmosphere" as going to the cinemas... and bumping into family friends etc... it was cool
IIIrandomIII | Ik the best feeling
Yup it did feel like that
Ok boomer
Totally agree. They were community fixtures in the most unexpected way. Still miss them. Netflix started sucking right around the time Blockbuster disappeared. Not a coincidence.
Anonymous look ma, an idiot who doesn’t know how to use the phrase...
I was born in 1985. Blockbuster was such a great part of being a kid in the 80s/90s. Going there to pick out some movies and picking up a pizza to bring home was just an experience that was so simple yet special. I'm glad I got to enjoy that while it was a thing.
I was born at the turn of the century, but I still remember being 6-8 years old and going to Hollywood Video (they were closer) and getting a new release rental and buying a movie from the discounted section every time we went. And of course Godfathers pizza afterwards (also sad they are gone). Even at that age it was a special experience and I don't remember a whole lot from when I was 6 either.
The best was getting the big movie theater sized candy towards the front of the checkout.
I was also born in 1985 and have such fond memories of going with my mom every Friday. It was the only store that my mom would let me roam free when I was like 7-8 years old. She would go look at the new releases and I'd run over to the Super Nintendo games, picking up every single box to look at the screenshots on the back to see which one I wanted to rent for the weekend. Good times.
I vaguely remember doing the same thing being a kid in the mid-2000s. My mum would take my brother and I to Blockbuster after school on Fridays and we would pick up a bunch of movies, and then pick up a couple pizzas from Eagle Boys (Australian pizza chain that no longer exists sadly), which was literally right across the road.
Streaming services and pizza delivery are obviously way more convenient but it just doesn't hit the same as actually going to the Blockbuster and then the pizza place in the 2000s
I was a part of that too and it was something great. We didn't juice our dopamine stores so often back then.
Going to BB and renting a game or movie was a big deal and a huge source of simple pleasure.
Watching this in 2021, and hearing the line: "If new movies were available to be streamed into your homes, theaters would probably become irrelevant, as well." You totally called it, back in 2017.
Almost. The box office keeps getting better and better. Black widow, f9, quiet place, mortal Kombat. All signs point to theatrical exclusive windows. The only successful straight to streaming release is trolls world tour lol
@UFO'S ARE REAL!!! a lot of people have been going in 2021. The box office is recovering
@@matthewmartinez6922 That's only because not every movie is able to be streamed on release day. But this is only the beginning of the decline of movie theaters. Which I hope doesn't happen because I love the movie theater experience.
@@josea.martinez2234 na people like going in person theaters are different experience especially for younger crowds they don't want to watch a movie with all their friends at their parents lol
@@matthewmartinez6922 I've seen a bunch of movies thanks AMC 🚀
Little Caesar’s Pizza was directly next door to our Blockbuster. Man, that was LIVIN’!
Mine had a Baskin Robin’s next to it
Had a subway, chinese food, quicktrip gas station, blockbuster all in one..that's FAT
Dina DeVoe I had a blockbuster in Colorado and I’m not sure what it was next door to
I Rember Mine Was In Jefferson Street
Fuck you’re lucky
I Can still remember the smell of BLOCKBUSTER.... Freshly minted DVD Plastic and popcorn....
A bit OT but what is the thing about pop corn? Can not stand the stuff or its smell. It's the reason I never go to movies. hat horrible whiff of pop corn which is bland, too salty and just all round awful. YUK!
coweatsman Lol
r Curtis: the blockbuster in my area is now a chuck e cheese. smells much better now.
And the odor of getting burned by late fees... :/
R Curtis Absolutely wonderful.
I can’t even explain in words how important blockbuster was to my child hood back in the early 90’s :/ my dad would take me atleast 2 times a week to rent video games and some of my favorite movies. Just the excitement of walking into the store and seeing the rows of vhs tapes and PlayStation/ N64 games is just a whole different feeling :)
Good old days
This one hurt, unlike all the others this one was an experience not only there at the blockbuster but it continued on back home. Gathering the family in the living room making the pop corn getting all cozy for the scary movie or whatever and all the family eventually passing out in the living room.
Sleepovers and renting a game was how I spent my childhood weekends.
Nostalgia 😿😿😿
same man
No
Deng Akuar
I’m the older brother
Your childhood is over. We live in a Black Country now
I remember when you could rent the game consoles from BlockBuster. My parents rented a PlayStation and crash bandicoot and twisted metal 2. Those were good times back in the 90s.
Certainly were.
i member my pops renting a n64 with star wars episode 1 racer. those were the days
I used to rent video games for my son in the very early 2000's(between 2002-2006). Even though the account was in my wife's name, they would let me rent until they changed the policy making only the person with the name on the account able to buy or rent games/movies.
BrooksMasters twisted metal was the shit lol
What!!! Rent a console! Damn... Guess they stopped for reasons
The nostalgia of going to blockbuster as a kid was unlike no other, I remember it was in the same plaza as our Kash n Karry(grocery store) ahh the late 90’s early 2000’s was a good time.
@Andrew L So good and so simple. Everything is becoming more isolated and less social and family connections. I loved the blockbuster popcorn and takeaway next door. That was the best Saturdays
Blockbuster was an experience! I remember taking my college girlfriend there and we got movies and snacks to take back to my dorm room. Needless to say we broke up but I really miss Blockbuster 😭
I miss walking into town when I was 5/6 years old and going to blockbuster only to argue with my older sister on what movie to rent 😂😂
WillTheReptileVlogger I remember when I was 4 i kept on going down there with my dad.
WillTheReptileVlogger I don't remember when I was 5/6ths of a year old.
He means 5 OR 6 years old.
SAMEEE!
Tanner memes
wtf is that?
I worked at a blockbuster when I was 15 years old back in 1996. We could take movies home to watch for free at the end of our shift
That's weird. When I was 17 they said I couldn't work there, telling me I had to be 18. I guess it depended on the location I don't know.
Nice. Hope it was good ole vhs
@@starlalilymoon I was born in 2006, Only thing I knew about blockbuster was a brewstew video and a the fact that Netflix assasinated it
@@sabribeser2268 oh wow xD
He said at the end “If new movies where to come directly to people’s homes the theaters would be obsolete.” Three years later a pandemic caused the new movies to go straight to people’s homes thanks to HBO max jumping on it immediately. This man predicted the future! 🤭 My mind it blown how fast everything can change!
My experience was in 2004, I went to a Blockbuster and tried to rent a movie and was told that I needed a credit card, not a debit card. At the time I had bad credit and no financial institution would touch me with a ten foot pole. As I walked out of there I thought any company that willingly turns away customers is not long for this world.
In answer to your "In Alaska for some reason", the reason is that the Internet is as expensive as hell out in rural Alaska, and people rent a shit ton before going out to their cabin on vacation or holiday. Source: I live in AK.
Is DSL cheaper than Cable Internet out there? I would think DSL is viable out there since laying out new infrastructure for FIOS and Cable is more expensive.
I was actually going to comment that. What isn't more expensive in AK anyway?
Paul Cosby Badass kx 250 brother
Not to mention that the mail is also slow, along with monthly DSL bandwidth limits.
Paul Cosby this is true I lived their for a while and the only real relevant company GCI charges out the ass for internet packages not to mention they capped their usage so u could run over easily on accident and then pay out the ass again for overage charges and that’s just the start of it.
Flashback to a Blockbuster on a Saturday at 6pm in 1990. Packed with people!!
dang that memory comes with the scent attached wat a time
And your date was in the car complaining about how long it took you. Then you get to the house and she would complain about the movie(s) you selected...i'm like b@#*h you could have brought your a#^ in the store instead of waiting outside in the ride polishing your nails. lol ahhh!....memories.
"If new movies could legally be streamed to people's homes" is one hell of a sentence to hear in 2021
Alot of movies stuff is on internets youtube, dvds,,
I remember blockbuster as a young child and it was where my dad rented a lot of our ps2 games. My parents were separated so going to his house on the weekends usually meant stopping by blockbuster and picking something out. Now that he is gone these memories are something that I can really only think about. I would love to browse those shelves again.
Renting games. This. I miss this too
I was born in 2001, so I really missed Blockbusters peak. I only went in there once, and I got Pokemon 2000 on VHS, and a big Wonka chocolate bar. It was incredible.
1993 baby. And oh how I miss the experience
As a 1998 baby I feel it miss blockbuster
I was born in 1997 and remember going to it in the early 2000s
I was born in 2004 and remember my parents bringing me along there a few times before the one in my area shut down in 2009
2000's zoomers really missed out
The reason there are Blockbusters in Alaska is because they don't have access to broadband internet.
Nobody uses Broadband Internet anyway. This isn't 2005. Everyone uses WiFi now.
Emperor Palpatine lolwut?
Not anymore. They are all gone. All except for one in Oregon.
Emperor Palpatine Sorry is this some 90s kid joke I’m too 2000s kid to understand?
@@emperorpalpatine1228 Come again?
I’ve been to block buster about 3 times since I was born in 2000. Yet the memory I have of them is so vivid and positive. I still love the idea of going out to the store with a few friends and browsing, and having the physical copy :)
I never went to a Blockbuster, because there wasn't one near where I lived, but we did have "Video Warehouse" and "Movie Gallery", and I remember those places quite fondly. The experience you described was quite apt, and summarized how I felt at that time perfectly. I enjoyed browsing the movies, checking out the cases, looking at the "coming features" brochures, etc. That's one thing I love about Japan: You can still visit video rental places there, and get something of a similar, albeit slightly different, experience.
Oh the irony, before the video starts, I get an ad for a Netflix original series
DANmovies100 thats not irony. Thats a coincidence
Netflix knows where their name is mentioned. It's no coincidence.
desulv, Coincidence has 2 meanings. When 2 incidences occur at the same time it is a coincidence.
1.
a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.
"it's no coincidence that this new burst of innovation has occurred in the free nations"
synonyms: accident, chance, serendipity, fortuity, providence, happenstance, fate; a fluke
"too close to be mere coincidence"
2.
correspondence in nature or in time of occurrence.
"the coincidence of interest between the mining companies and certain politicians"
synonyms: co-occurrence, coexistence, conjunction, simultaneity, contemporaneity, concomitance
It’s not irony, coincidence, or cookies - it’s keywords. Netflix has always advertised anywhere video rentals or even Blockbuster was mentioned online. This topic is part of their target audience for ads.
Those fucking cookies
The one thing I missed most about Blockbuster was...
That smell!
The mattress 😭
Rosetta Stoned
It smelt like a cinema
@@Inferno-ob9td facts
It did smell oddly great for some reason.
It always felt weird walking out into fresh air. Not bad. But weird.
YES exactly that. There's no other smell like it. Fifteen years ago, and I still remember it
Blockbuster is gone, but we can still head down to cinemassacre video for all our favorite vhs's. Lol
“If movies were legally allowed to stream new movies, theaters would quickly become obsolete”....well that also happened faster than anybody expected. I don’t think movie theaters will ever be the same after COVID
and Netflix came about because a guy hated paying $19.99 for a late fee!
moises ojeda sadly, that didn’t save them, as it was too little too late.
Sad thing is Blockbuster had the chance to buyout Netflix but passed on it.
GG GG obviously that came to bite them in the ass later.
The thing is, even if they bought Netflix, their days were numbered no matter what. A streaming company would have risen from Netflix's ashes anyway.
Cyrus' guitar and lift hi
I loved BlockBuster when I was a kid. There was nothing like getting the last tape of a "must see" movie from the return bin!
You brought back memories
My rental movie era started with Errols in the late eighties. When Blockbuster opened it was like a dream. There were so many more VHS tapes to rent for the popular movies, unlike Errols which might have five at the most. Me and my brothers would get our movie for the night, and Blockbuster actually had Orvell Redenbacher Caramel popcorn (haven't seen it anywhere since). My mother would make it for us, the caramel was so gooey and sweet. I think she was enjoying it as much as us kids :) And then we would settle down for our movie. Blockbuster was a memory maker from childhood to when my now-husband and I were dating in 2002. Good times.
I remember Errols. I wondered if it was associated with Errols 1930s.
11:25
Who would’ve thought that this was going to happen… Streaming new movies to your home tv… Damn times change fast
I live in Anchorage, Alaska. The other day, I took a picture of a stunning rainbow; about this time of year, Anchorage is absolutely thick with rainbows. I sent this picture to all my friends back home on the east coast, and all anyone could react to was that I got the Blockbuster sign in the shot.
@Wolfie Magnet Hole before bro, I mean...blockbuster > rainbow
Wolfie Magnet I live in Fairbanks and there is a blockbuster here as well actually two one in Fairbanks and one in North Pole
Wolfie Magnet there are 12 blockbusters since wifi is more expensive than the continental United States
Blockbuster still works in Alaska because Netflix and the Internet isn't as common there, which is why most of the remaining stores are there.
MLG Quickscoper Alaska is an expensive and insular state. some businesses can only be seasonal due to the climate and weather.
costs of living are very high as well.
MLG Quickscoper Could they return to the main states?
They also expanded up there in the first place by franchising (or buying up a regional chain that had franchised), meaning the Alaska stores could be independents still doing business under the Blockbuster name since their contracts allowed that in the event of corporate going belly-up.
I live in Alaska and while yes, in some places like the Bush, there is little or no internet options, the main problem is that the internet we can get is very expensive, or certain providers aren't fast enough for streaming. But you are mostly correct.
what part of AK are you in? I don't know a single person without internet (most unlimited use) and netflix, and at minimum, they use the netflix disc mail/rental system.
This is a fresh perspective on what happened to Blockbuster, I remember the store fondly from going there as a kid. The late fees though… those I don’t remember fondly.
Hi, I just showed the video to my brother. He Loved you. He just joined to follow you. Keep up the Great work. I appreciate you.
2037: The decline of Netflix...what happened?
What replaces it?
George Soros and Dear white people happened.
Brandon Lyon Blockbuster. People went on a nostalgia kick.
Netflix is doing rather well at the moment.
+Commodorefan64 I think they would have taken it too far if they even included a Piñata of a Blockbuster logo to smash into pieces as their way of celebrating, don't ya think?! O.o
Wait a minute!! Hollywood Video gave you a free movie on your birthday!! Blockbuster didn't.
Actually, Blockbuster did; but they didn't apply it to new releases.
Anthony Ogans real shit. I remember that
none of them did because they are closed on my birthday
hollywood video was my go to
LOL
As a new subscriber I'm watching a lot of your older video and by the way I just absolutely love your voice.
In the late seventies when Beta Max was before VHS
A good friend of mine opened up the very 1st video store in Las Vegas called Omni Video. Before that he was renting videos for $5 A-day with home delivery-p8ckk up out of his car and through the classified ads.
Omni Video was a local Las Vegas store that may have grew to a 1/2 dozen , but never really marketed itself beyond that and of course Blockbuster and Hollywood Video superstores came in to play soon after.
But truly very fond memories of going to the video store and renting a movie to take home and share with the family.
Thank you for your Videos. I'm an avid viewer.
Glad you found the channel.
The simple fact that at 0:55 we get a glimpse of a couple Godzilla movies (top right) literally just gave me chills. As a kid I’d run to that section to see if they got any different or new Godzilla movies. Every Friday night after dinner at marinas.
People : "Thank god I don't have to go to the store again. I can stay at home and order it online!
Also People : "Oh no! The store closed down?! I loved that place!"
Well,that's because BB kinda was old and if you are not born in 2008-2010 you are going to have a nostalgia effect if you ever went to BB stores once.
Though I admit,there is no single BB store in my place.....
@@explosivemodesonicmauricet1597 I was Born in 2005 I don’t remember it at all
There's literally one store left in Bend Oregon.
People: are dumb
Also people: are even more dumb
But yeah the Reddit Wall Street bets came in to make to stock go up
Netflix figured out how lazy we were and exploited the shit out of it!
dwayne601 I mean isnt that what most companies do? For example the automotive industry.
Bob Bob yes I know. It wasn't meant to be taken so serious
Yep, I remember when I planned my rental schedule for 6 months in advance. Sometimes I might splurge and rent two movies at a time instead of 1 per month.
Back then I read a lot more books and worked out like crazy.
LOL, now trying to get back in shape. To busy to read casually. Normally my reading involves work or making money.
Yep, I am going to buy a few more shares of their stock too.
I wish Hulu kept their ad-feed-free-accounts. I had no problem with it. You could watch one add or break it up. Or you could pay and have no commercials. There were options for everybody.
As for Netflix, you are correct sir. I used to rent two a month when I was not taking classes. Or One when I was heavy in studying. Believe it or not. That DVD, book reading, and weekend video games were the only things I looked forward to when I was deep in school. As I am slightly order and not in school, I love to stream for the weekend. While I do chores and take care of 'life crap' [the crud life those at you randomly]. Soon I will be going back to school and getting back into everything. Going into it all 'heavy' too :) !
Fortunately MMORPGs, Streaming, Working Out, Books, Etc. Cheaper and easier it all is now. Even many mobile games are MM (Massively Multiplayer). Most are free to play. Playing only when there are sails on items and only if you want the ability, tool, or weapon. So now even game rental is going down. Not 'dead', but you have so many avenues of gaming in general. If you are a heavy console player, you might consider www.gamefly.com. If you have heavy console gaming and with to rotate games from different consoles, then this is the best option. Me, I am more of a casual gamer. I have not played consoles much since Xbox 360. I plan on buying an Xbox One, Playstation 3 (if I can find one), Sega Genesis aka Master Drive, Super Nintendo, Classic Nintendo, Original Sega 8 bit, and Playstation 4. I wish to catch up on all the games I have been missing out on over the past decade or so. You can download some of these and if I could find a wireless controller or cast it to my TV that is good. However it is a lot of shopping. LOL, I have to consolidate :) !
There was something special about physically going to Blockbuster. I remember Friday nights were a bonding experience for my father and brother. Going there together on Friday nights with my family created special memories. Also, the anticipation of what videos would be available and whether they would have your "new release" was a special feeling. Unfortunately, from a business perspective, the proliferation of technology killed their business model. I also miss going to malls/stores in general to shop, but I fear that in-person shopping will come to an end soo too (this has been sped up during the pandemic). Shopping at malls and in-person stores created special memories too, which I feel will be coming to an end in the near future too :(
I remember going to blockbuster to get games for me and friends to play for the weekend if we didn’t have anything new and that was some of the best times
2047:
Netflix: I thought you were dead!
Blockbuster: My death was greatly, exaggerated.
Netflix back in 2005 video on demand are the future
@@Maly_Kaly what does starwars have to do with this?
@@Maly_Kaly no it isn't, it's from megamind.
Actual copium
I'm in my 30s now and I can definitely remember the days of Blockbuster Video. As a young gamer I used to go there and rent videogames on weekends and vacations. It was something I enjoyed doing as a kid. One time my mom got me my own membership card and a games freedom pass for 30 day unlimited rentals on games and every day that month I would ride my bike to one of my local Blockbuster stores and get a game and return it the next day. Those were some great times
boredstudent i agree with u man. Those was tha best days ever. I remeber renting tha mask and havin tha best slumber party with my karate class. As u said good times
Fernando you and me both brother
I was born in 2006 and missed out on this
Ur mome is a true MVP
Hell yeah,me and my buddy would be up there constantly.beat almost every SNES we could get our hands on. Ahhhhhhhhh reflection
I came here after watching "The Last Blockbuster" and it's fascinating how you made a significantly better and more informed documentary in 13 minutes than a studio made documentary.
You actually tell the information and story behind the fall of the company and not just fan gushing for over an hour
I worked at a regional video chain for a couple of years from (roughly) 1992-1993, "Alfalfa Video", which was part of Super Club Retail Entertainment Corp. I quit soon after Blockbuster bought the company in 93, but I still remember them as the "big dog" in the business. It's just crazy looking back at how big a piece of the home entertainment market Blockbuster had even before their peak, and now (2021) they're down to literally one location. If it weren't in Oregon, I'd be damn tempted to visit for nostalgia's sake.
Internet is expensive in Alaska. They charge by the gigabyte. So that is why 12 blockbusters still exist in Alaska.
Bo Hershey damn that sucks man
Actually, Bo, as of August 7, 2017, there are only 10 independent franchise stores left for Blockbuster...6 are in Alaska, 3 are in Oregon, and 1 lonely store remains standing in Texas. o.o
I miss going to blockbuster with my mom. We would always go on every Saturday night pick some movies out and go home, heat up some popcorn and enjoy
I'm in the weird generation gap between "Millennial" and "Gen Z" (born in 1995-1996), I have a burning memory of being brought to a BlockBuster in my hometown with my older siblings to get movies, I remember the cut-out of The Scorpion King being in there along with a Jango Fett one. This memory is what comes to mind every time I think of BlockBuster.
Growing up, it felt like such a victory when I found a copy of the hot new release that week on a Friday or Saturday, or digging through the returns and finding a copy. There was nothing like going to Blockbuster Friday night for a sleepover and getting an arm full of movies. So many good childhood memories. Pizza and Blockbuster were the best combo ever.
"Mostly in Alaska, for some reason..."
Do you not realize how shit the internet is in Alaska?
I lived in Kenai for 21 years. You are correct. The net is dog shit.
That’s because internet service in Alaska is expensive! You pay per gig ! There is even a CBS News report on it
Least it's not like the philippines...
You perfectly described that Blockbuster experience! There was one 5 minutes from my home when I was a kid and we visited it regularly.
I also worked there during the time when Blockbuster was trying to compete with Netflix's mail-based service. We were forced to ask every customer if they wanted to join Blockbuster's subscription mail-based DVD service -- every customer, every time we saw them. We had customers that would visit the store several times per week and we had to ask them EVERY time, or get scolded by our manager. Customers eventually became angry with us and would yell at us for asking. They'd be like "You asked me the last time I was here!" It really sucked.
People at that store didn't want to sign up for the mail-based service. One day, the store manager closed the door to her office and soon, we could hear screaming coming through her office phone. I could hear it all the way from the other side of the store! She was literally getting screamed at by a higher-up because our store wasn't performing on subscriptions. She cracked down on us even harder after that but all it did was tick off the customers even more.
I remember the mad scramble every Friday and Saturday night for new releases. The place would be packed and people would form a line on the wrong side of the counter, waiting for someone to return one of the hottest new releases so that they could rent it because we were out of it! They'd yell from behind me (while I was attending to the long line of customers in front of me), "Which movie is that??!!! Hey! Which one is that??!!"
That was an inconvenience to the customers. Some of them felt like their entire weekend was ruined because the couldn't get the movie their kids wanted to watch. I think it's another thing that led to the decline of rental stores, in general.
I would have quit that job rather then having to annoy repeat customers I wouldn't have been able to work like that.
Bad leadership like that is a main reason given for Blockbuster's fall and based on this story that seems to be true you don't annoy your customers like that that is just stupid!
Yeah ... gayness personified
I'd probably kill the people shouting at me cause I hate human beings you ALL look like hairless apes to me
Man, I remember when my dad took me to these here and there in the early 2000's and I still have a "halo legends" dvd that we got when we went there one time.
My childhood blockbuster was torn down in the late 2000’s (07/08 IIRC) and replaced by apartments. When I drive by that location I can’t help but to reminisce on all the fantastic memories from the early 2000’s and the excitement of renting a new PS2 game for the weekend.
I remember blockbuster I use to live right down the street from one so many game rentals lol good video!
PsychoPieO those days.... I miss it
Uzair Dakri same. i remember back when i was a kid going there all the time. i'm 15 now
supremexdax You're still a kid? I would think at 15 - Blockbuster would be before your time.
ChristopherAndersonTV I'm 13 and I remember those days...
i like renting games on ps3 back in 2008 or 2009 for trophy hunting cuz it was cheaper
Let's not forget that you can borrow movies from the public library... for free.
Yeah you can but they’d be scratched up And buffering
The Catnat 90% of my public library"s movies are scratch proof and 10% aint but every time a new movie comes out they have 2 shelf's were a bunch of the new movies are at it like blockbuster i like it
But not really new releases.
but you'd have to go to the library
Did you know you can pay $8 a month to watch movies on Netflix.
The video game rentals were the best! Renting n64 games to the actual GameCube system, I had endless fun renting out the games too.
It's sort of funny. We have a "FatBurger" here. It's moving locations and another restaurant is taking its place. As I drove by, they were removing the "FatBurger" title. And, underneath it all was the faded letter spots that you could still read out - and it said: *Blockbuster*
Edit: HMV and Blockbuster are extinct siblings.
Family video is still around. They survived the Netflix purge by attaching themselves to Marco's pizza, and give free rentals with a purchase of a pizza.
LifeBeginsWithChrist wtf, Marcos is outstanding! Just too $$$.
I went to fam video just last week 😂
i have never heard of Family Video... FunCo Land yes..
MegaTechpc i agree they want 20 bucks a pie
Amusingly, some Family Videos carry porn too.
I saw on the news yesterday there's one Blockbuster in Oregon still open
mudkat85 in bend!
Yep. I passed it on a trip to the Oregon Coast.
Jacob and Timber same! I just thought “Isn’t Blickbuster closed?”
I went 2 weeks ago. They are whole_heartedly embracing their "Last Blockbuster" title.
Cause they haven't invented Internet in Oregon Yet
As a 90s baby this was GameStop before GameStop! I remember going here with my friends looking at all of the game we could rent… begging my parents to let me rent one or two games.. The first game I ever rented was Mario 64. I instantly fell in love with the game that I begged and begged my parents to get me the game for Christmas and sure enough it was under the tree a few months later… good times 😌
To me, the Hollywood/Blockbuster thing is a matter of preference. I remember having that same experience walking into a Hollywood video that many had walking into a Blockbuster. It was indeed a grand time, and it's nice to know more about the journey that Blockbuster took to where they are today.
I once met a girl who, in an attempt to make a good first impression, told me she worked at a Fortune 500 company. She later told me she worked at Blockbuster. Back then she technically wasn't lying =)
Imagine someone trying that one now XD
salty kid xd
I love you. . . . Be my bride
stiimuli 😂 lol
stiimuli lol seems like a nice girl
Charles Ferdinand Bad day, eh?
There was one left in Morley, Western Australia. They permanently closed their doors this year.
Now there is only one left in the whole world! Bend, Oregon!
now the last one is 1 day drive oof
Alaska?
I remember seeing two of them in Alaska in 2016 but they closed a couple of years ago I think :(
Now it's a restaurant
Cool, next time I'm in Bend, I'll go rent a VHS tape of Ben Hur. 😁
I worked as an assistant manager at a blockbuster in the early 2000s and it’s where I met my husband! It was such a fun job. I bounced right around the time they started hurting stores with that “Total Access” nonsense (people could get a dvd in the mail, then trade it for a free movie at blockbuster, and the store received zero profit unless the customer decided to purchase something else, which they never did).
Streaming had a much more limited appeal back then. The data speeds you needed to make it work weren’t available in a lot of places, and weren’t cheap when they were available.
While streaming would have eventually killed the rental store, it was Redbox that did the honors.
Quicker experience, far more locations (including outside places you were already going), being able to return them anywhere (with car based DVD players, this allowed you to take a road trip with rentals) and being able to check online and reserve copies ahead of time.
Those are the features that Redbox offered…the tools they used to murder blockbuster.
Blockbuster could have attempted to copy some of them. Smaller locations, return anywhere, post inventories online and allow reservations…it would have potentially fended off the Redbox attack if done early enough.
But then they would have just been killed by streaming a few years later.
Unless they were going to pull a Netflix and turn into a content producer their days were numbered.
As someone who worked in a Blockbuster from 2002-2009, everything was going fairly well for the company until the Late Fee removal. People never brought movies back on time, which led to movies never being in for the people who would still come in to rent. Those people would find other means to get their movie. The had some stores that had a "Games Rush" section, that was kinda like a mini Game Stop when you could trade/buy used games and systems. They made mistakes, but did a lot of good things, but removing Late Fees is what killed them IMO.
Basicly reomving the late fees was basicly blockbuster saying we can't do it anymore becuse they were fine till 2005 but after that it was just downfall
I figured that would happen. The point of the late fees were to motivate people to return the movie on time, so the next person could have a chance to watch/rent it.
Company Man: the only man I've never heard pronounce 2001 as Twenty O One.
i thought i was going crazy every time he said it
@@SoloLevellor shouldn't you be out catching real UA-cam user's on more serious offenses? This really what our AD revenue is going too? Paying your paycheck for busting the balls of users like these?
@@jokyodesigns1380 cant tell if your talking satire or being real?
@@likeadino8580 satire of course good friend :) but im not surprised by your confusion after some of the people I've seen in the comment sections and apologize about that.
@@jokyodesigns1380 oh thank i was a bit confused there
I never had a blockbuster membership. Kept it strictly local. But you definitely took me down memory lane. Renting movies at the rental store was a whole experience that I truly miss
Up until like 2018, my family still went to the local movie store to rent movies. Something about actually going to the store and looking around at all the movies was just fun to do as a family
Disgusting
@@seraph450Excuse me?
Blockbuster provided a experience where you had to get off your ass to rent a movie.
Dynamike or stop blaming blockbuster for being a lazy fat ass???
Blockbuster and chill?
CaptainSwagelz
No BlockBuster And CockThruster
Chris Lancour
Lol Glad You Enjoyed My Joke
Starbucks and chill kinda works
Hi
@@noahcolgate2673 no
Loved this video! After digging into Blockbuster's annual SEC filing report from 2000-2002 though, they did not acknowledge Netflix is competition until 2003, or three years after Netflix proposed the acquisition to them. They were myopic when it came to looking at competition, listing brick and mortar stores as their main competition with the exception of "Internet Sites", which they then go onto elaborating refers explicitly to the illegal downloading of movies.
You are the only person I have ever heard refer to the 00s like we do every other decade. Twenty-o-four, twenty-o-six, etc. I really like it.
Yes. At least it’s better than pronouncing the 2020s as two thousand twenty, two thousand twenty three, two thousand twenty four, etc.
I agree, there problem is that the video industry came and went at lightning speed. Practically no one owned a VCR before the late 80s , they were obsolete and being replaced by CDs by the 90's then DVDs in the 2000s and fianly steaming later that same decade. That is very fast changes it was hard to keep up.
Movies were not on CDs, VHS ruled the 90s. Unless you are talking about laser disk, but those were more expensive than a VCR and VHS.
2004 was the start of the decline, because that was the year VHS tapes stopped being produced. Blockbuster tried to keep its business model going with DVDs, not realizing that Netflix was already beating them to it.
@@DrewPicklesTheDark This.
People also started buying DVDs at Walmart for 12 bucks instead of renting the same flick for 6 bucks three times.
Good point, DVD rentals were kept too expensive when Redbox was renting for $1 a title and movies were selling on Amazon for $8-15 new and rentals were $4-5 for a few days.
HermannTheGreat And not to mention Redbox Blu-ray for $2 and $1.50 for games. Still a good deal though.
the video missed that point. blockbuster lost its role in the movie industry. you would watch a movie like ID4 at the theaters. A couple of months later you could rent it at blockbuster. a couple of weeks after that you could buy it at target or walmart. id bet blockbuster made alot of profit in rental sales those weeks before the movies were offered for retail. when studios took away that rental grace period from blockbuster, their stores grew old overnite. whats insane is the DVD Exchange by my apartment is still busy every friday and saturday nite with people strolling the aisles.
I remember doing study abroad in Cuernavaca, Mx in 2008 and there was a blockbuster store close to the city center.
Great video. I love your positive take on the decline of blockbuster. I use to love going there. R.I.P
In my town, a video rental store opened in like 2010 or something. Pretty much every video store I knew of was going out of business and they were opening a new one! I told the lady who owned the store that it was a bad idea and she said something like "Our town always had a video rental store and it always will." A few months later, I was buying used video games from her and shaking my head as they were going out of business. Poor foolish lady.
I honestly stopped going to Blockbuster in the late 90s. When the first BB opened in my town back in 89, there were 5 small, privately owned, video clubs. Heck, even the local pharmacy has a small movie section for rent. But by 91 nearly all of the Mom and Pop's video clubs were out of business thanks to BB. In 92 BB was the only video store and what do they do, they increase the rentals from 1.50 to 4.99. Obviously they had no competition so they basically could do whatever they wanted, not to mention their late fees were relentless. In 97 I started buying movies instead of renting them, at least the ones I really wanted. Last time I visited a BB was in 2009, never went back. Yeah, I did like gping there and in an odd way, taking aside their monopoly, I miss the Blockbuster experience. But in the end, Blockbuster killed Blockbuster.
I still go to my local DVD store Video Ezy although its pretty small and it takes a while to get the new releases its still a really good store!
Nelson Villegas Yeah I started buying movies too. There's a branch of stores here in San Antonio called CD Exchange that sell all kinds of movies, games, and cds. They can even order something that you request online and sell it to you at whatever price they paid to get it. I go there whenever I have money just to see if they have anything interesting. But I remember being around 6 or 7 and basically prancing around in joy when we went to a store called Hollywood Video. I would rent games that were like $10 for 2 weeks, and if I wasn't finished, then I would just re-rent it. I was so heartbroken when it was closed down because I had to actually buy games, but since it's 2017 alot of them along with movies are really cheap to buy used. And they are still in good working condition
Nelson Villegas it was the price hike and late fees that didn't help against Netflix.
I too started buying movies when it got to the point where a Block Buster rental was half the price of the movie when you bought it. I mean, rent it over night or for a weekend for $5.00 or buy a copy you can watch many times for $10.00. Still, I enjoyed just looking at what movies were out via Block Buster's stores. Now, it is all but impossible to find any place that rents movies. Where I live, there are a couple red box kiosks but other then that, nothing. Streaming video and high speed internet were also a big reason for the decline in customers to places like Block Buster. Netflix as well as Amazon Prime offer a ton of movies and the cost is far less.
Around here Blockbuster seemed a bit too expensive for the time period it was around.
Great video, very entertaining
Wow. 42 seconds in and I see the location. 95th and RIdgeland was the one that we used to go to when we were younger! That’s a major throwback! Oak Lawn, Illinois.
Blockbuster had the new movies Netflix doesn't
Netflixf has all the new trashy movies
True. Blockbuster did have all of the new releases. It used to be a family event to go to Blockbusters and pick the movies that we wanted to watch.
Netflix has every b rated movie that's similar to the new movie but never the new movie itself until the week it does.. then its gone.. then it's back.. then its gone... this is why hulu is killing netflix
@@thepotato405 Netflix fell off.
@@gamerguru7428 no wonder.. you search for any movie on netflix and they dont have it
Consumer: I want X movie
Netflix: we dont have X movie but heres 100 sub B rated movies that resemble X movie
Consumer:I'm unsubscribing. Free streaming services with no ads has want I want
Netflix: O: /(. .)/ \(. .)\ okay heres nothing you want. And 1000 sub B rated movies you kind of wanted when we were good a few years ago.
Also netflix: Pull every decent show with ratings that might save us.
Again also Netflix years later: heres shit on a plate
Looking at my trash email years later: lmao wtf
Netflix: MORE SHIT!! DELETE ALL QUALITY CONTENT THEYRE ONTO US. HAVE 1 MOVIE OUT OF 1000 THEY ACTUALLY WANT TODAY BUT REMOVE IT FROM STREAMING SERVICE TOMORROW
Ive seen at least a dozen "Why BB failed" videos and you managed to add many new details. Bravo.
A very good video. You just have to love retail business! Carol from California
Dude, the commercial clips are so nostalgic... I remember seeing them as a kid!
Now one of my favorite UA-camrs 😀😀😀
Alex Delashmit wtf you two have the same pic and I got confused
I'm honored iWolf.
Company Man Seriously dude, keep up the good work, this is facinating and the kind of content YT needs.
srsly
iWolf you should check out his other channel "Basketballs best" hes a statistical GENIUS
The reason that most remaining blockbusters are in Alaska is because all the internet providers in Alaska charge based on data usage. For example $40/per month would get you 40 gb of data, and they charge exorbitant fees if you go over your bandwith allowance. Streaming a netflix movie could eat up a sizeable chunk of this bandwidth, so the oldschool service method provided by blockbuster is still relevant.
Kreege they all closed, there is only one left and it’s not in Alaska
I forgot where
Carlos Sanchez Its in Bend, Oregon. Went this last Saturday :)
That's facinating!
How do people watch movies in Alaska now with those huge data fees?
I live in Alaska. Not sure what your talking about. You said "all the internet providers". GCI gigabit internet which I have in my home is unlimited data. ACS DSL is and has always been unlimited data. AT&T and Verizon here have unlimited data plans on smart phones.
I never went into Blockbuster, but there was a local store in my hometown called First Choice Video that had a very similar vibe. I remember going there with my parents and my siblings in the mid 2000s. It was always really fun, but slowly we sort of stopped going. It was easier to just go to the library, or rent from Redbox and Netflix. Eventually, we saw that the store was closing down a few years ago and that was sad to see, however it was more than expected. I also use to drive past a Family Video that had a pizza place in it. The building looked straight out of the 80s and had a really cool vibe. It closed either late last year or early this year...and it got turned into a Dollar General.
They can't blame streaming on this one as they were long done for when streaming came in. Lots of memories renting my favorites. They stocked a lot of old classics from the 1940s to the 1970s which made me a big customer.
I lived a few blocks away from a blockbuster. When it closed I was so upset but for some reason they still have the sign up for blockbuster. Whenever I see it it makes me sad
That is sad :(
Same. There was a Blockbuster where I live now, it's become a Giant Tiger (Canadian Wal-Mart, not as fun or big) and they covered the iconic Blockbuster ticket stub shaped sign with a Rent-To-Own sign but still has the same shape underneath. I still see it from the side and KNOW that's what it is.
Angelo Pellicci I was upset to when the store near me closed. It's not the same experience renting a video out of the Redbox machine.
@@animeangel1983 there are wal marts in canada
@@lorrainestevens4295 Yep I know, I was comparing the Canadian department store of Giant Tiger to a Wal-Mart as not being as fun or big to go to. Wal-Mart has been in Canada since 1993 and they outlasted the Target stores they had up here about five years ago. All the Targets are now gone from Canada because the incompetent asshole they put in charge of Canadian operations mishandled everything.
We still have two Family Videos in my town and they are both successful. The primary reason being that each is attached to a Marco's Pizza. When people come in to pick up a pizza they go wander around the video store while they wait. If they call to have one delivered they can order a movie to come with it. The delivery guy will even take the previous weeks movie back. I haven't been to Family video in a while but last time I was a few years ago it was packed and this was after the fall of Blockbuster. When I drive by them now they seem pretty busy. So I think a video store can still work but it has to be creative.
Blockbusters and Hollywood Video have been closed for years here. Family Video is a nice walk away, maybe a mile, and as you said about your local FV, it seems to be doing pretty well. I always thought their (school report card) "A Club" was a nice touch; a free movie or game for a week for each A and a month free upon graduation.
Also depends on the area. There are still people that like the "occasion" of going to get movies, specially for their kids. If its cheap enough and convenient enough, why not?
indy_go_blue60 Another reason Family Video has survived, besides being the last video rental store in many places, is they own their buildings. They can lease unnecessary floor space to a chiropractor or pizza store. Or just close and sell it all. It gives them flexibility Blockbuster never had.
Get a pizza, rent a couple of movies, you have your family movie night in one fell swoop courtesy of Family Video and Marco’s Pizza.
The Fibler vhs tapes do work
I'm so glad I was part of the last generation to experience Blockbuster
Man I miss Blockbuster. Going was an event in itself. Remember those Friday evenings/nights begging my big sister to take me to Blockbuster to rent games on the N64 to play with my cousins who would come stay over on some weekends. I miss those days deeply. Great times. Great memories.
Had a teacher that was related to the guy that started Block Buster in Dallas. We would have Movie-Wednesdays during 7th period. She got the newest releases before they were technically supposed to be on sale or rent. But the thing I remember most she was a cute fiery red head and I was just hitting puberty so the movies weren't the main reason I was excited for Movie-Wednesday.
DeVstatrOmga redheads are disgusting
Unless they're female.
DeVstatrOmga lucky
DeVstatrOmga hahaha
DeVstatrOmga ii
be kind, please rewind!!
I use to get so mad when the movie wasn't rewinded lol 😂 😂
My hometown never had a Blockbuster, but the charm and fun you describe was still the same at my local stores. Renting movies and video games was a highlight of my younger years.
I remember movie gallery being the biggest thing in middle school and high school, and then about a year after i graduated the place was closed. Things changed so quickly.