Blockbuster closings

Dish Network who recently bought Blockbuster Video has announced they will soon be closing about 500 of the Blockbuster Video stores:

http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/di ... mers-35653

It doesn't sound very well for Blockbuster Video.

Ouch, that's a lot of stores to close. It's nearly a third of their US locations. I guess Netflix and similar services are really making a killing and taking away a lot of Blockbuster's business.

I can't help but think this is just simply the wave of the future. Sure, it's sad, but I think the movie/game rental store is a relic of the past.

I'm actually surprised they're not all closed yet. I suppose in some areas people are still resistant to changing over to Netflix and other streaming video services, possibly due to lack of up-to-date technology or poor broadband capability. I live in an economically depressed area, but we still lost our Hollywood Video at least a couple of years ago. People seem to really like the Blockbuster and Redbox kiosks.

Before, in France, there was some stores where you were able to rent video games (don't know if it's the same in other countries but I'm sure !!) but know they all disappeared....the same will happen to the movie rental with all the VOD and other ways to watch movies or series...here is a proof.

Those Redbox kiosks are all over the place in my town. I know there's got to be nearly a dozen of them. I don't recall seeing a single Blockbuster kiosk, but that's probably to keep the store alive in such a relatively small town.

myau56 wrote:

Before, in France, there was some stores where you were able to rent video games (don't know if it's the same in other countries but I'm sure !!) but know they all disappeared

In the USA, our movie rental stores also rent video games. Most of the national store chains have closed now, so game rental is disappearing here too. I think Blockbuster is the only national chain with brick and mortar stores we have left.

Yes, some rental stores were for the two media ! But now the Movie rental stores aren't very numerous anymore (but as I'm not really watching movies...even at the cinema...)

Now, about a year later, Blockbuster is closing another 300 stores. This is going to leave them with about 500 remaining stores in the US.
http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=786476

This wave of closures is claiming my local store, too. It was the last video or game rental store in the area. The only options for rental now are one of the mail services or those Redbox kiosks that are everywhere.

They have signs up saying everything is on sale, so I dropped by, but it was a sad sight. They only had one shelf of games - less than two dozen titles, most of them new rather than items that had been rented previously. Nearly all the movies were $9.99. Considering most of them had been available for rent a $.99 a month ago, I wasn't about to pay that much for any of them. So yeah, I left empty handed and I doubt I'll go back.

That was the same in France some weeks ago : all the stores from the GAME chain have been closed Sad news for video games retailers ....

Really hate to hear this about Blockbuster. I was hoping they would be able to make it but looks like that did not happen. Sign of the times I suppose. Years ago movie rental places were doing terrific business in our area but alas there are none here now either. Surprising to me especially since movies are a number one form of entertainment.