Please be kind and rewind yourselves to an era where Blockbuster Video ruled suburbia — because the movie-rental giant might be making a comeback.
The business quietly relaunched its online presence with little information this week. Its website currently features Blockbuster’s blue and yellow logo, with text below the logo reading: “We are working on rewinding your movie.”
Those born during the era of physical media will remember the “Be kind, rewind” phrase from stickers on Blockbuster’s VHS cassettes. The slogan reminded renters to be courteous to the next customer by rewinding tapes before returning them — or be hit with a fine.
Fans of the 20th-century chain have since taken to Twitter to wax nostalgic about its potential return.
“BLOCKBUSTER IS COMING BACK? SIGN ME UP!” wrote one fan.
“THIS IS NOT A DRILL!” exclaimed another, alongside a screenshot of the new Blockbuster website.
One fan proudly declared: “If Blockbuster ever made a comeback I would happily cancel my Netflix subscription.”
Blockbuster opened in 1985 with a selection of just 8,000 VHS tapes, according to Insider. The chain exploded to 6,000 stores around the world by the late ’90s. With the advent of streaming services like Netflix, however, Blockbuster’s days were numbered.
The company was simply incapable of competing with its digital adversaries (despite offering delivery services similar to Netflix) and lost 75% of its market value between 2003 and 2005, according to Forbes. Blockbuster ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 2010.
The last Blockbuster store, located in Bend, Oregon, still operates — and in 2020 became a limited-time Airbnb for nostalgic millennials. Since then, the business has ironically spawned content on the very platforms that led to its demise.
“The Last Blockbuster,” a 2020 documentary, and a scripted 2022 series titled “Blockbuster” both appeared on Netflix.
Dish Network, the parent company for Blockbuster, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
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