If you’ve always dreamed of owning a giant gumball machine, a movie ticket-shaped “OPEN” sign, or hundreds of empty DVD cases, you’re in luck. While it’s sad that Blockbuster Video locations are finally shutting down, this is a boon to anyone who wants to pay strange prices for the equipment to open their own DVD rental store. [More]
blockbuster death watch
Dish Network Keeps 1,500 Blockbusters On Life Support
By 7.22.11
New Blockbuster owner Dish Network believes in its near-obsolete movie rental chain so much that it’s keeping 1,500 of the stores open. This means more than 15,000 employees will get to keep their jobs. The optimistic move runs counter to previous reports that Dish would keep only 500 Blockbusters open. [More]
Use Up Your Blockbuster Gift Cards Before April 7, 2011
By 3.30.11
Do you have any Blockbuster Video gift cards lying around the house? Better find them and use them up soon, assuming that you can find a Blockbuster outlet. Multiple sources inside the company have let us know that those gift cards won’t be accepted after April 6, 2011 due to the company’s bankruptcy. [More]
Judge Says Blockbuster Can Go Ahead And Sell Itself
By 3.11.11
Mired in $1 billion of debt, Blockbuster asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to let it auction itself off. After restructuring its plan to better suit creditors who were calling for liquidation, Blockbuster has been granted verbal approval by the court to go ahead and put itself on the market. The judge still has to put his decision in writing to make it official. [More]
Blockbuster Tries To Sell Itself
By 2.22.11
Deposed video rental king Blockbuster filed a motion in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to put itself up for sale, starting an auction in which it already says it has a bidder. [More]
Blockbuster To Close 182 Stores… Wait, There Are Still Blockbusters?
By 12.20.10
It’s hard to believe that Blockbuster’s $20 million TV ad campaign hasn’t been able to save the sinking ship. Alas, the once-great video chain will soon say farewell to 182 stores over the coming months. [More]
Blockbuster Kiosks Trying To Distance Themselves From Bankrupt Chain
By 9.24.10
While many of you have probably seen the Blockbuster DVD rental kiosks, what a lot of people aren’t aware of is that these Redbox-like devices have virtually nothing to do with their bankrupt namesake. But now that the once-great video chain is in the headlines for its Chapter 11 filings, the owners of the Blockbuster kiosks are making sure users know about the difference. [More]
Report: Blockbuster To File For Bankruptcy Tomorrow Morning
By 9.22.10
About a month ago, we wrote about reports that Blockbuster Video would be filing for bankruptcy in mid-September. So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that Bloomberg News is reporting that the video chain will be making the filing official on Thursday morning. [More]
Blockbuster CFO Has Left The Building
By 9.13.10
With the countdown clock still ticking on what many see as Blockbuster Video’s inevitable bankruptcy filing, comes news that the once-great movie rental company’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President (one guy, two titles) stepped down over the weekend. [More]
More People Getting DVDs From Library Than From Netflix Or Redbox
By 7.29.10
Why rent the cow when you can borrow the milk for free? That seems to be the mindset of many Americans, as a new study claims that more DVDs are borrowed from libraries each day than are rented via Netflix, Redbox or Blockbuster. [More]
Blockbuster Won't Refund My Money Because They Screwed Up Yesterday
By 7.15.10
Even when it was the biggest bully on the playground, Blockbuster Video was never really known for its amazing customer service. And now that the company’s death rattle is growing louder, the idea that “the customer is always right” has apparently become “you’re wrong because yeah, whatever.” [More]
Report: Blockbuster Exploring Bankruptcy Options
By 6.13.10
Hear that rattling sound? It’s coming from the chest of Blockbuster Video. A new report claims that the once-mammoth video rental chain, which admitted only months ago that bankruptcy might be in the offing, is now prepping for the harsh reality of Chapter 11 protection. [More]
Blockbuster Refuses To Die
By 4.20.10
In spite of massive amounts of negative PR, losses of major investors and customers, and its near-bankruptcy financial situation, Blockbuster Video — like some sort of corporate zombie — continues to lurch forward. In fact, in just the last week, its stock price has almost doubled. [More]
Analyst: Blockbuster Losing Customers At Unprecedented Rate
By 4.19.10
In spite of its recent moves to remain competitive, video rental dinosaur Blockbuster continues to lose ground to newer services like Netflix and Redbox. And a new report from analyst Michael Pachter with Wedbush Morgan Securities makes the scenario look even more bleak. [More]
Blockbuster CEO Slams Netflix Streaming Selection
By 4.15.10
With one foot in the grave already, Blockbuster is doing everything it can to keep from being dragged down into bankruptcy hell. From making risky deals with studios to get a 4-week head start on new titles to considering getting into the video game biz, they’re throwing everything against the wall in the hopes that something sticks. And in a new interview, the company’s CEO takes aim at the video-streaming service offered by Netflix. [More]
Blockbuster Considering Adding Games-By-Mail Service
By 4.9.10
Flailing video vendor Blockbuster, which has gone so far as to gamble all its Canadian assets to sidestep the bankruptcy train, also has another potential trick up its sleeve — video games by mail. [More]
Blockbuster Uses Canadian Stores As Collateral To Make Deal With Fox & Sony
By 4.8.10
Never you mind Blockbuster has admitted they might need to declare bankruptcy, or that it’s in danger of being thrown off the NYSE, or that its single biggest investor dumped his stock in a 3-day fire sale… the once-majestic video rental giant is still gripping onto life with both of its arthritic hands, having signed deals with two more studios — Fox and Sony — that will allow Blockbuster to make new movies available across multiple platforms on the day of release. [More]
Billionaire Carl Icahn Dumps 78% Of His Blockbuster Stock In One Week
By 3.31.10
Things continue to look bleak for once-great video rental chain Blockbuster as it was revealed today that billionaire Carl Icahn, once the biggest single shareholder in the company, has unloaded around 78% of his Blockbuster stock in the last week. [More]
