Last-standing Blockbuster Video store in Bend, Ore.
Netflix to Stream ‘The Last Blockbuster’ Video Store Documentary
March 11, 2021
Netflix is set to stream documentary “The Last Blockbuster,” showcasing the last-standing Blockbuster Video store in the world located in Bend, Ore., the people who work there, still rent DVD movies, and industry people who supported the former 9,000-store franchise before it shuttered in 2014. The doc streams on Netflix, beginning March 15.
The license acquisition is not without irony as Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings in 1997 first launched the future SVOD titan as a ground-breaking by-mail DVD rental service after getting fed up paying Blockbuster late fees.
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Just three years later, Hastings and former CFO Barry McCarthy flew to Blockbuster’s corporate headquarters in Dallas hoping to sell the fiscally-challenged company for $50 million. They were laughed out of the company boardroom. And the rest is history.
“A lot of people know that Blockbuster had the chance to buy Netflix early on, and they passed on the opportunity,” reads the doc’s Facebook page. “In an ironic twist of fate, our movie The Last Blockbuster is coming to Netflix. We are beyond excited for people to get to see this tribute to an era of home video on the world’s largest streaming service. Just don’t forget to rewind it when you’re done watching it and bring it back by noon on Wednesday.”
The Last Blockbuster is currently available on Apple iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, FandangoNow, and Vudu, among other digital properties.