Blockbuster
Store-Based Film and Game Rental Network
Forgotten Shops · 1985–2010
Archived on
Associated With
Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation - creator or operator, brand
Defining Feature
Physical stores renting and selling films and video games
Status
Defunct - Blockbuster Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection on 23 September 2010
Overview
Blockbuster turned choosing a film or game into a visit to a store lined with physical releases.
Customers browsed shelves, chose what to take home and returned it after the rental period. The network expanded through company-operated and franchised locations to serve home film and game audiences.
The company later added a monthly online service that mailed DVDs alongside its stores. Blockbuster Inc. and certain US subsidiaries entered Chapter 11 in September 2010, while foreign subsidiaries were excluded from that filing.
Why It Mattered
Before streaming made huge libraries instantly available, Blockbuster offered a local place to discover and borrow entertainment. Its stores made browsing part of the experience, while the company’s move into DVD-by-mail in 2004 showed that the way people accessed films was already changing.
Store Rental Service
- Stores rented and sold movie and game entertainment.
- Blockbuster’s 2005 filing dates its predecessor’s entry into movie rental to 1985.
- The 2004 prospectus records approximately 9,000 company-operated and franchised locations.
Changing Delivery
- Blockbuster launched an online DVD-rental service in August 2004.
- The monthly service mailed DVDs alongside the store business.
Chapter 11 Filing
- Blockbuster Inc. and certain US subsidiaries filed Chapter 11 petitions on 23 September 2010.
- Foreign subsidiaries were not included in that filing.
Sources & Records
- Blockbuster — Annual Report 2005 — Describes the store-based movie and game rental business and its online service.
- Blockbuster — Chapter 11 Filing, September 2010 — Identifies the US entities that filed and explicitly excludes the foreign subsidiaries.
- Blockbuster — Prospectus 2004 — Records the store network and the August 2004 DVD-by-mail launch.
Gallery
Credit
Photograph reproduced by The Scroller; original photographer not identified
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary, criticism, research and historical documentation where permitted by applicable law. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Blockbuster's shelves made choosing a film a physical browsing ritual, with rows of rental cases standing in for the menus and recommendations of later streaming services.