End of an Era

#1
VolinMichigan

VolinMichigan

Lifelong member of the Good Guys Club
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#1
Yes, the day has come at last. Blockbuster is closing all remaining stores starting in 2014. This is the culmination of a years long death rattle of the movie rental industry and it's kind of bittersweet. I love netflix and other streaming content for its convenience and I avidly use it. But I also have fond memories of going to Blockbuster, Hollywood video or what have you, for years and renting movies/video games. It was kind of a weekend ritual. Sadly (or not so sadly) those days of packing up in the car and heading to the movie store are gone and never coming back.

Blockbuster Closing All Of Its Remaining Retail Stores
 
#2
#2
This actually makes me want to cry.

Whether it was with my siblings, my cousin, or my best friend, I went to the video store (usually Blockbuster) once or twice a week. It was always so fun and exciting. I have such strong memories, like picking out Ace Ventura when it was a new release (I was 12) and that night must've been the hardest I ever laughed. I think we watched it 3 times in a row. I think Willow was the first movie I ever selected to rent. Watched it probably like 5 times before my Dad took it back.
 
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#3
#3
More so for video games, but the days of calling every video store in a 20-mile radius to see if they had the new release in stock -- and if they could hold it -- are gone.

I would like to see a "rent" option available for on-demand console games. Pay like $4.99 for 48 hours of game time.
 
#5
#5
Wow, this is a sad day! :cray:

Like others have said, I have such fond memories of going to Blockbuster video and renting the lastest soft-core por....uh...I mean block buster release! :blush:
 
#6
#6
VolinMichigan said:
Yes, the day has come at last. Blockbuster is closing all remaining stores starting in 2014. This is the culmination of a years long death rattle of the movie rental industry and it's kind of bittersweet. I love netflix and other streaming content for its convenience and I avidly use it. But I also have fond memories of going to Blockbuster, Hollywood video or what have you, for years and renting movies/video games. It was kind of a weekend ritual. Sadly (or not so sadly) those days of packing up in the car and heading to the movie store are gone and never coming back.

Blockbuster Closing All Of Its Remaining Retail Stores
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I have never used Blockbuster but it bothers me when people continue to use things like Netflix and other streaming services. With the invention of Blu-ray and the continued development of Blu-ray 3D and 4k Resolution the inferiority of those streaming services in picture quality & resolution and audio quality continues to amaze me that people are still using them.

Its like the folks who continue to go to Walmart and continue to buy DVD when if you have the right TV and your Blu-ray player connected properly it blows the DVD away in audio & picture.
 
#8
#8
CagleMtnVol said:
I have never used Blockbuster but it bothers me when people continue to use things like Netflix and other streaming services. With the invention of Blu-ray and the continued development of Blu-ray 3D and 4k Resolution the inferiority of those streaming services in picture quality & resolution and audio quality continues to amaze me that people are still using them.

Its like the folks who continue to go to Walmart and continue to buy DVD when if you have the right TV and your Blu-ray player connected properly it blows the DVD away in audio & picture.
Click to expand...

I use both. I love Blu Ray and buy them quite often. However you can't own everything, which is where Red Box/Netflix comes in. Plus if you have a small child like me, Netflix is absolutely invaluable because it's children's/education selection is phenominal!
 
#9
#9
I always like going to the brick & mortar Blockbuster stores. I would actually get to know the employees and have them recommend movies based on my taste. I know amazon does the same thing, with a more complex matrix and larger database of reviews, but it's not personal.

I had a movie pass up until 2011 when they closed my local Blockbuster.

RIP BB :sad:
 
#10
#10
CagleMtnVol said:
I have never used Blockbuster but it bothers me when people continue to use things like Netflix and other streaming services. With the invention of Blu-ray and the continued development of Blu-ray 3D and 4k Resolution the inferiority of those streaming services in picture quality & resolution and audio quality continues to amaze me that people are still using them.

Its like the folks who continue to go to Walmart and continue to buy DVD when if you have the right TV and your Blu-ray player connected properly it blows the DVD away in audio & picture.
Click to expand...

I'll preface by saying I buy Blurays of movies I WANT to own. I'll stream stuff I only want to watch once or twice. Or I'll hunt down a BR from a Redbox.

The streaming services are good enough for most people. And most people don't realize how much better a picture can look from a Bluray. To be honest, I don't think Blurays were mainstream long enough before streaming took off for the majority of people. I mean, people still rent DVDs from Redbox -- DVD quality isn't any better than the quality I stream through Netflix.

Convenience >>> Quality.
 
#11
#11
Sad. I remember those days of growing up and riding my bike to the nearest blockbuster. I wasn't always renting but I always loved going in there and looking at movies. I'd always go in there on the first day of a game release before I started buying games.
 
#12
#12
I remember going and renting Madden at BB when I'd go visit my uncle. Crazy to think that it's completely going away.
 
#13
#13
There was a certain thrill of going to rent a movie or game back in the day. Some of my fondest memories were going with my wife when we were dating and spending an hour or so just browsing. By my mid 20s I was kind of over it though. Sort of became a hassle to go there and then return it a few days later.

Personally I love streaming services. Netflix and Amazon pump out HD quality that suites my standards. I've got a blue-ray player that gets very little use as a disc player. I quit owning movies a few years ago (in fact I just sold off my whole collection to Mr. K's a couple of weeks ago). I don't really use Redbox either for the whole return thing.

Anyway.... Farewell Blockbuster. May you find a second life in the digital world.
 
#14
#14
I hate that a company closes and people lose their jobs, but I hated Blockbuster.

Tried to sign up for a rental account at the store on Western Avenue, they wanted 2 forms of ID, utility bills, phone bills and references. For a rental account.

Their late fees structure earned them the ire of my bro-in-law, who called them "ballbuster".
 
#15
#15
CagleMtnVol said:
I have never used Blockbuster but it bothers me when people continue to use things like Netflix and other streaming services. With the invention of Blu-ray and the continued development of Blu-ray 3D and 4k Resolution the inferiority of those streaming services in picture quality & resolution and audio quality continues to amaze me that people are still using them.

Its like the folks who continue to go to Walmart and continue to buy DVD when if you have the right TV and your Blu-ray player connected properly it blows the DVD away in audio & picture.
Click to expand...
Streaming is cheap. Plus I personally don't have any desire to own movies, as i rarely watch anything more than once.
 
#17
#17
SWIL said:
RIP.

Theaters aren't far behind.
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I think those and GameStop. Both will hang on a good while but they're on the clock.

Especially GameStop, as gaming because more and more digital, they'll end up like music stores and the now tiny music section at Best Buy.
 
#19
#19
PotS said:
More so for video games, but the days of calling every video store in a 20-mile radius to see if they had the new release in stock -- and if they could hold it -- are gone.

I would like to see a "rent" option available for on-demand console games. Pay like $4.99 for 48 hours of game time.
Click to expand...

Same here, my biggest memories are from renting games, though I really never used Blockbuster very much. I still have very vivid memories of my friend and I every Friday going to the local video store and getting a NES game. Which is funny, back then we'd have the game for 3 days, and if the game was terrible, you were stuck. But we'd play it no matter how bad, how difficult, etc.; we'd play it from Friday night through Sunday afternoon.
 
#20
#20
n_huffhines said:
What makes you think theaters are leaving anytime soon?
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The same reason arcades went away; the customer can have an experience at home that's just as good (now better) yet much more convenient. And is a reason attendance at sporting events continues to drop.

I think it will be more gradual, but I can see in 10 years theaters as we know it being a thing of the past. I believe the IMAX type experiences will be the only thing left.
 
#21
#21
VolsSportsFan said:
The same reason arcades went away; the customer can have an experience at home that's just as good (now better) yet much more convenient. And is a reason attendance at sporting events continues to drop.

I think it will be more gradual, but I can see in 10 years theaters as we know it being a thing of the past. I believe the IMAX type experiences will be the only thing left.
Click to expand...

I approve this message :peace2:
 
#22
#22
VolsSportsFan said:
The same reason arcades went away; the customer can have an experience at home that's just as good (now better) yet much more convenient. And is a reason attendance at sporting events continues to drop.

I think it will be more gradual, but I can see in 10 years theaters as we know it being a thing of the past. I believe the IMAX type experiences will be the only thing left.
Click to expand...

The problem with theaters is the cost! A night out at the movies for 2 people can easily run you 50.00 and if you have kids, fuhgetaboutit!!!
 
#23
#23
Brave Volunteer said:
The problem with theaters is the cost! A night out at the movies for 2 people can easily run you 50.00 and if you have kids, fuhgetaboutit!!!
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Exactly, which is another parallel with sports. The cost isn't justifying the experience for a growing number of families. The same type thing happened to arcades; as they lost users, the prices went up and in attempts to create experiences you could only get at arcades, bigger machines were made like Jurassic Park and and all the shooters. The problem was these games went from $.25 a game to $2:00 a game.

Why go to a theater where I have to pay the price of a meal for a coke and popcorn, sit with a bunch of strangers, and have no way to pause the movie if you need a break, when you can stay at home and watch it in HD on your 55 inch TV with surround sound, spend significantly cheaper on food, sit in your own seats/couch, and if you need a break, stop it anytime?

There's a reason more and more movies are being released to On Demand services the same time they are released in theaters.
 
#24
#24
I agree with the IMAX experience being the only viable option for movie theaters. The Carmike here in JC has tiny screens that aren't worth the $10 ($12 for 3D) tix. I used to see 5-6 movies a year. I'm down to 1-2 now. They need to offer something more than just the opportunity to watch it 4 months before it's released on home video.
 
#25
#25
I liked blockbuster. The one on Broadway at Tazwell Pike had the pseudo-porno Pirates on the shelf with the Pirates of the Caribbean movies..it was always humorous.
 
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