'Could This Be True?': Blockbuster Might Be Teasing a Surprise Comeback
The company has shuttered all of its locations except for one in Bend, Oregon.
By Emily Rella •
Could it be true?
Blockbuster is mostly a memory since the company shuttered all its locations — except one in Bend, Oregon. But eagle-eyed fans of the the famed video rental chain of the 90s noticed something change on the company's official website and quickly took to social media to discuss their findings.
Related: There's Only One Blockbuster Left in the World – And Here's Why Business Is Booming
Upon visiting Blockbuster.com, a screen with the company's logo appears with the phrase, "We are working on rewinding your movie."
Blockbuster's official website homepage
Though the chain didn't explain why it chose to reactivate its website (which had been dormant before) with the cryptic message, Blockbuster joked about making a comeback and rebranding as a bank on March 15.
New business idea: We're going to come back as a bank and use VHS and DVDs as currency. Time to go visit your mom.
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) March 15, 2023
Many took to social media to express that there might be a reason to believe something big is in the works for the video rental chain.
— 8bitblood (@8BitBlood) March 23, 2023
Are we turning back time?#Blockbuster #vhs
https://t.co/zXqKjpjBmlWhaaaaat is happening?! ls this the return of @blockbuster?! Oh how we've missed you! pic.twitter.com/uzwG1UH3Xn
— Somebody (@HauntinglyHere) March 19, 2023I managed a @blockbuster for years. Now that https://t.co/6nBFEjbouW has gone live again, if they're opening stores I may have to apply.
— White Devil (@geauxbluse) March 23, 2023Could this be true? Is @blockbuster coming back? Unless it's just another streaming service, Fridays evenings will be lit. Something about going to a brick and mortar on a weekend evening browsing their film selection. pic.twitter.com/ZiV9BbZjXQ
— Oscar (@HydeTheCatalyst) March 21, 2023One Twitter user even asked the chain if it planned to come back as a "nimble retail franchise" to which the chain sadly replied "No," though the chain has been replying to thousands of Tweets asking about what was going on with various unrelated movie gifs.
At its height, Blockbuster operated over 9,000 stores and generated more than $5.9 billion in revenue. The last remaining stores shuttered in 2014 — albeit one.
In 2020, Netflix premiered a documentary about the Bend, Oregon location aptly named "The Last Blockbuster," which shed light on the herds of tourists that visit the store to take a wall down memory lane each year.
Last month, the last remaining store ran an advertisement during the Super Bowl that quickly went viral, and according to store manager Sandi Harding, helped boost sales by 200%.
