Blockbuster Can't Brag About New Releases Anymore

[Thumper17]

See, as much as people think it's all going digital. It's not, and never will. There will always be a market for physical goods, and while maybe renting videos might see a sharp downturn. There will always be rental stores and there will always be theaters because, well, sometimes you just want to get out of the house. Even if it's to do the same thing you'd do at home. I still buy magazines, I still rent videos. I'll still go to the theaters if there's a movie I want to see.

But I've never once used netflix, sure maybe your cable provider has some free movies to check out, but I'm not going to pay for the privilege of having a movie digitally wired to my house for two or three days. No thanks.

 

[The Rockerfly]

BWA HA HA HA HEY SHAREHOLDERS, HOW DOES FAILURE FEEL?

/asshole to shareholders

Seriously I give blockbuster a year or 2 if they're lucky. Otherwise they are going to have to have a miracle to save them

 

[crepesack]

Who else is going to blockblockster and renting a ton of stuff and just holding it until they go out of business?

 

[Vohn_exel]

Soon Theatres will disappear, then everything will be digital.

I seriously doubt Movie Theaters are going anywhere. Until you can recreate that experience in your home anyway. (For most people impossible at the moment.)

As to 'Lack'luster. I have not been in one since the year 2000. No wonder they are having trouble.

Alright, think about it this way.

You hae Netflix. Suppose they decide to up the rate to the price of a movie ticket. But, you get to stay at home, eating your own food, pausing the movie whenever you like, and you odnt have to worry about your actions since you're in public. That also means that the public isnt going to bother you while you watch your movie.

If you have a big fancy entertainment system, its not that much of a stretch. Pretty much the only think a theatre is nowadays is a middle man. If things like Netflix got movies the day they came out, instead of going to a theatre, it would happen. Besides, most theatres are in the Red (I know the commerical chain i work at, wont say the name, is 400k in debt and its only growing) so its close. Drive ins were though to not go anywhere, and there's only something like under 1000 left I think, operating.

I'd still like them to be hanging around for a while. I mean I really do enjoy going out to a theater. Without them, my experience with Paranormal Activity would've been boring. Half the fun for me was watching everyone freak out, or when we realized something, that you could feel the collective shiver down everyone's spine. I mean seriously, I like just getting out of the house and seeing things on the big screen with people. There's just something about watching something with alot of people together, like it's a big event.

 

[thiosk]

Look on the bright side blockbuster-- you lasted longer than Hollywood Video.

The local hollywood video has been shuttered-- with its "the Mask" murals still intact-- for years.

 

[William Dickbringer]

I give it till september of next year

 

[Aurora Firestorm]

Blockbuster is a wounded animal. Someone out there needs to be kind -- take it out behind the barn and shoot it. It's not going to last much longer.

People don't rent movies in person anymore; if they're nice, they Netflix them or borrow someone's DVD; if they're not, they find other ways to get them.

The big problem I had with them dying was the video game rental problem -- no one rents video games. Except they do! Now I have GameFly, and my life is complete once more, and I'm totally cool with Blockbuster and their late fees dying.

 

[mr_rubino]

Time to go shopping for cheap video games

Good luck finding a still-living store.

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

No no noooooooo.

What do people have against getting mail-in movies and games and being able to go to the store and get more whenever they want?

Redbox has an atrocious lack of selections; it saddens me to find out how popular this is.

I can understand Netflix better, but I really do like the personal experience of a store. What do people dislike about it so much?
I guess its like how some people regard me as weird for actually using the library these days...

Option 1: Get up, get in your car. Drive to the store, meanwhile dealing with traffic (might be major or minor in your area). Skim around to look for the movie you wanted to rent. Grab movie, walk to counter, check it out. Drive back home, once again dealing with potential traffic problems. Get home, put movie in DVD player, start watching it.

Option 2: Fire-up your 360. Load-up Netflix. Browse around for the movie/show you were going to watch. Start watching it.

Yes, how could people prefer Netflix, indeed. Not to mention that it's cheaper. Say you watch one movie per week. With a rental place we're talking $3 a week for about $12 for the average month. Netflix costs about the same on a monthly basis, granted, but it's more convenient and let's you watch more than just the one movie per month. Heck, the more you watch movies and TV shows, the "cheaper" Netflix becomes when compared to the alternatives.

The one and only advantage that Blockbuster has over Netflix is that Blockbuster doesn't close and lock its doors when the internet goes out. However, that's a rare occurrence, and I'm sure most people would just find something else to do instead, or just watch one of their own movies for that night.

 

[Arehexes]

Time to go shopping for cheap video games

Good luck finding a still-living store.

We still have one, they have a buy one game for less then 14 bucks (USD) get one free. I'm going to do that .

 

[Canid117]

Maybe when they start closing I can pick up a shit ton of movies and games on the cheap.

 

[Towels]

Adapt or die. That's what you have to do. Blockbuster failed to do this, and now they're dying. No crying from me over it.

They are.

I just quoted you because I've not seen mention of this. Blockbuster took a cue from Redbox by having a bunch of different kiosks. Its a fairly new development though. I think I started seeing them in August. In my city, they are placed at gas stations, as opposed to the Redboxs at Wal-Marts, Walgreens and other retail outlets that sell groceries. Its the same price as Redbox.

I bet that the Blockbuster stores will be phased out by next summer, allowing a transition to these Kiosks. Its the way of the future.

 

[drbarno]

I haven't been to a Blockbuster in years. (I think there's still one open on the other side of town)

My money's on the end of next year after doing some drastic last-ditch method to try and gain money.

 

[Dexiro]

I'd actually quite like rental stores if the nearest one wasn't 3 miles away. And it's the store that's in the middle of nowhere, not me.

 

[ace_of_something]

I used to spend much time at blockbuster... like 14 years ago when I worked in a comic shop next to one and my twin brother worked in the video store. I think we rented video games WAAAAAY more than movies, with his discount. So it always makes me think of being a teenager whenever I see that sign.
I think the last half-dozen times in as many years I went in to one of those places was because it had a 'closing' sign and I wanted to buy clearance items. At one point there were something like 14 of them in our city.

 

[Geekosaurus]

It's too big to go down without a fight. It'll survive a while longer yet.

 

[Omega Pirate]

Time to go shopping for cheap video games

I do love when movie-rental places go bankrupt, cheap video games here we come.

 

[Rutskarn]

I feel kind of bad for them, but their commercials were dumb.

"You wouldn't wait 28 days for help if a rabid raccoon was biting your arm off, so why wait 28 days to see 'Vampires Suck'?"

Sure, Blockbuster. Sure.

No, actually, they are absolutely correct. There is no reason whatsoever to wait 28 days and then see 'Vampires Suck'.

 

[StriderShinryu]

While I have no real love for BB, I will miss the movie/game rental place. Maybe we'll be fortunate and the impending death of BB will actually mean something of a rebirth of the small mom and pop shop now that the big bully won't be hanging around the corner anymore. I know I'm old school that way, but I really do prefer the bricks and mortar experience to the digital storefront.. plus you can't really rent games online like you can movies.