Blockbuster drops huge hint it could be making a comeback with cryptic message… so what does it have in store?
ONCE-legendary video rental store Blockbuster might be headed for a comeback, fans claim.
The internet is abuzz with rumours of the defunct chain’s return after its website quietly came back online last weekend with the cryptic clue: “We are working on rewinding your movie.”
It’s certainly a rewind after the chain officially rented its last-ever movie in November, 2013.
Aptly, the movie choice was apocalyptic comedy “This Is The End”.
But, wild speculation is currently spreading among fans that this piece of history will make a return in some form.
In 1989, Blockbuster was allegedly opening a store every 17 hours and by 2004 it had over 9,000 stores across the US and employed 84,000 people worldwide.
A decade later and the movie rental empire had crumbled. Its rusting shop fronts despairingly lined suburban streets, reminding its users of a bygone era before the rise of Netflix and other streaming platforms.
The company filed for bankruptcy in the US in 2010 and 2013 in the UK.
However, one privately-owned Blockbuster store is still standing in the small city of Bend, Oregon and it’s amazingly still renting out and selling DVDs.
The last Blockbuster has become a tourist attraction, with fans trudging up and down the country to visit the nostalgic blue and yellow store.
Now the throwback company’s website has been resurrected, and its Twitter has been reactivated – stoking fanfare that the legendary store might once again open its doors.
The rumours started cooking last November when Dish Network – which bought the bankrupt chain back in 2011 and still owns its trademark – filed for a new trademark application for the Blockbuster logo.
However, other reports allege that it could be a marketing ploy to coincide with the Netflix sitcom series about the employees of Blockbuster’s last store.
The show aired in November but failed to top the viewing charts and was cancelled by December.
If the video store does return, it will likely not be to rent out physical VHS tapes or DVDs, but something else more suited to current habits such as streaming.
Nonetheless, users rushed to Twitter to bask in the possibility of good news.
One said: “Whaaaaat is happening?! ls this the return of @blockbuster?! Oh how we’ve missed you!”
Another asked: “Is Blockbuster coming back? I hope so, but it could just be some kind of streaming service. I would rather see the return of brick-and-mortar stores!”
A third wrote: “Something is going on with the @blockbuster website… Do we get a little piece of our high school lives back? Is it just a tease? What’s the plan? Does anyone know?”