“I’ve had calls from people saying my mum and dad have got this old tape and we don’t know what is on it, so they are hiring the VHS players to watch home movies for the first time. "A lot of people tell me how powerful it is, just holding the physical films. “In times of distress, it’s good to take solace in what seems like the simpler days of the past. We drop them off and they get their grandkids or nephews and nieces to set up the equipment and away they go. He adds: “They like the simplicity of a VHS machine.
#Are there any movie rental stores left free#
So now he offers free delivery to them across the region in lockdown. People have rented VHS machines to re-watch old family movies and wedding videos. There was a real feeling of hunting things down.”Īnd the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has had people craving the security a bit of nostalgia brings. I remember trying to get a copy of Terminator 2 for about four weeks. "If a new film came out you might have to go on a waiting list. "If you loved the film it was a rush to watch it as many times as possible before you had to take it back after the weekend. “In the 80s you would have to go to the video shop, pick a film and watch it together as a family. They are both in Anchorage, Alaska, not in College and Debarr.‘By watching things on tape it is like you are in a little nostalgic bubble.
The original version of this story misstated the location of the two Blockbuster locations in Alaska. Now, the managers told the Anchorage Daily News the memorabilia will likely go back to its owner, and residents will have to find their movies another way. And the Anchorage location had recently gotten national attention when Last Week Tonight host John Oliver sent the store a collection of Russell Crowe memorabilia, including the actor’s jockstrap from his 2005 film “Cinderella Man.” In 2017 it was reported that about 86 of 15,300 video stores that were open in the US in 2007 were closed, bringing the number down to about 2,140 remaining stores. While most states lost their Blockbuster locations years ago, Alaska had held onto the brand. Also, how many movie rental stores are left In 2000, there were 27,882 stores left, and in late 2015 it was 4,445. Now, the lone remaining Blockbuster store is in Oregon, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The company’s North Pole location closed in March, leaving only five locations left at that time. The closings come after a number of other Blockbuster stores have shuttered in recent months. What a great time to build your media library and share some Blockbuster memories with us.” We hope to see you at our stores during the closing, even if it’s just to say ‘Hello’. Family Video is shutting down all of its 248 video-rental locations across the U.S.
I can’t tell you how much it means to us. “Thank you for sticking by us throughout all these years. Currently, it’s estimated there are less than 500 videos stores left in Australia but numbers are hard to gauge as AVRRA folded in late 2016. We have thought of you as family for the past 28 years,” wrote District Manager Kelli Vey and General Manager Kevin Daymude in the Facebook post. According to the Australian Video Rental Retailers Association (AVRRA), in 2001 there were about 2,600 video stores around the country. “These are the last two Blockbuster stores in Alaska that survived and it is sad to say goodbye to our dedicated customers.