Let’s start this article off with a cliché saying: kids today won’t know the utter joy of walking into a Blockbuster in search of movies to watch. Before there was Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and the other dozen streaming services that are out, there was a Blockbuster. The hub of all movies both new and old; kids (myself included) would spend up to an hour or more just stroll around. Blockbuster wasn’t just a store, it was an experience. Usually, you knew the workers there and would meet up with friends to slowly go down each aisle and pick up random movies to make comments on or to discover. You could even rent video games and we know this is shocking, but at one point; Blockbuster had VHS tapes. Le gasp!
Unfortunately, Blockbuster could not keep up once Netflix came to play. Even though Blockbuster offered its own DVD mail-in service, it still never gained traction after Netflix gained popularity. The blue and yellow store closed its final store in 2013 and even though we all benefit from streaming services, there’s something missing in our lives. With places like Blockbuster and Toys R Us gone, has the magic gone with it?
Luckily, there is a hero among us who understands. Thanks to Deadpool, Blockbuster will reopen for two days in the UK. In Shoreditch on September 17th, a replica from the original chair that first opened in 1989 will honor the release of Deadpool 2 on Blue-Ray, DVD, and Digital Download. In this store, you will find every shelf filled to the brim with copies of the sequel to the first Deadpool. This is really for old-school fans, as anyone who still has their Blockbuster Video membership will be allowed to jump the line and claim their limited-edition VHS case, which will contain a digital download code. I’m getting seriously jealous; can this happen in the US?
The address for all Londoners is 133 Bethnal Green Road. Don’t miss this!
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
