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Travel back in time for a moment: It's a Friday night. The long week is over. You and your best friend, significant other or family are on the way to your local Blockbuster to pick up a couple of movies. Maybe it's a scary movie. Maybe it's a classic rom-com. Maybe it's an action film. Once you bicker and argue and decide what movie you're watching, it's time to pick out a few snacks. M&Ms? Popcorn? Sour Patch Kids? That's not nearly enough food though, so you order in a pizza — by ordering it over the phone (crazy, right?). Sounds like an ideal weekend, as long as you don't forget to return the movie.
If you're feeling a bit of nostalgia for this era, here's some good news: Blockbuster might be making a comeback? Wait, what?!
The rental video chain's website was quietly revived over the weekend, prompting many to believe Blockbuster is coming back. If you visit the website, you'll be greeted with a message in the brand's iconic blue and yellow font: "Be kind while we rewind." Other news outlets have reported different cryptic messages, like "We're working on rewinding your movie." It's the first update to Blockbuster's website in nearly a decade, Cord Cutters News reports. While it's the only website update in recent years, Blockbuster's Twitter account has been alive and well — sometimes, even, pitching new ideas for business.
"Our 2023 New Year's resolution was to reopen Blockbuster but it seemed like a lot of work so we quit. Should we start going to the gym instead?" the brand tweeted in January.
"New business idea: We're going to come back as a bank and use VHS and DVDs as currency. Time to go visit your mom," they said last week.
Why is this happening? Some are speculating it has something to do with Blockbuster's parent company, satellite TV provider Dish Network, and the possibility of them bringing back some sort of streaming service using the Blockbuster brand. Blockbuster was founded in 1985 and hit its peak in 2004 with nearly 10,000 stores across the U.S. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with the rise of Netflix and other on-demand movie services. Dish purchased the remaining 1,700 stores a year later, and it took only three years for the remaining 300 stores to close its doors. As of 2019, only one Blockbuster location stands in Bend, Oregon, which recently had a resurgence thanks to a Super Bowl ad.