Blockbuster’s Last Movie Rental: ‘This Is the End’
The company rented out its final title on Saturday after announcing that it is closing its roughly 300 remaining stores by early 2014.
Blockbuster, which announced last week that it is closing its remaining 300 or so stores, has rented its final movie, and it’s a fitting title: This Is the End.
The Seth Rogen apocalyptic movie was rented Saturday at a store in Hawaii, according to a tweet sent out by the company.
Blockbuster had previously announced that Saturday would be the final days for rentals.
Owner Dish Network announced last week that the formerly dominant video rental retailer would close its 300 stores and distribution centers by early 2014 and end its DVD-by-mail service. The company said that franchised stores will stay open.
“This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment,” said Joseph P. Clayton, Dish president and CEO. “Despite our closing of the physical distribution elements of the business, we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand, and we expect to leverage that brand as we continue to expand our digital offerings.”
Dish, which acquired Blockbuster in 2011 with a $320 million auction bid, said that the brand will continue. Digital products include its streaming service Blockbuster On Demand and Blockbuster @Home TV package.