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Blockbuster’s Final Movie Rental Was Perfect

It may have been a pretty long time since you last saw a functioning Blockbuster in the US – as there are only a few hundred of them left in operation. Eh, were. You probably heard the news that...
Blockbuster’s Final Movie Rental Was Perfect
Written by Josh Wolford
  • It may have been a pretty long time since you last saw a functioning Blockbuster in the US – as there are only a few hundred of them left in operation. Eh, were. You probably heard the news that Blockbuster decided to cease prolonging the inevitable and announced that they would finally shutter the 300 remaining company-owned stores. In related news, I recently found my old Blockbuster card in an old wallet. It kind of made me sad – I mean, any end of an era kind of makes me sad. Like many of you, I have fond memories of taking trips to the local Blockbuster. I did drown my sorrows in a Sons of Anarchy Netflix binge, so there’s that.

    Anyway, Blockbuster went out in style. Check out the last Blockbuster movie rental ever, which occurred on Saturday. Well played, guys:

    This is indeed the end. Mostly. Blockbuster is closing all of its remaining company-owned stores, but franchised stores across the country (and abroad) will be able to remain open. Plus, the DVD-by-mail service will stay up and running for another month or so. Yeah…it’s kind of bleak.

    “This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment,” said Joseph P. Clayton, DISH president and chief executive officer. “Despite our closing of the physical distribution elements of the business, we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand, and we expect to leverage that brand as we continue to expand our digital offerings.”

    With that in mind, Blockbuster On-Demand will stay up and running.

    Aw. Now I’m sad again.

    Image via Blockbuster, Twitter

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