Everyone took Blockbuster for granted, but to be fair, it was a dying industry. The movie-consumption scene began to shift towards streaming services such as Netflix and made the idea of renting movies in the store both irrelevant and inconvenient. But despite the dying industry, the brand is still alive as it shared a post that targeted everyone that still remembers its name.
Over on Twitter, Blockbuster shared a sad photo of Keanu Reeves, with a caption that reads “when everyone owes you late fees but you’re out of business”. The tweet received over 17.8k likes and over 1.6k retweets, as well as a whole generation triggered by the post.
For those who have no idea what late fees are because they were born post-2010, they are essentially an extra fee you pay if you return the DVD late. Some stores were lenient as they’d give some wiggle room to the return time. However, most stores were very strict about it and demanded you return it on time, on the dot.
Fans replied to Blockbuster’s post, asking where and how they could pay off the late fees that they’ve been putting off for more than a decade.
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 31, 2022
Send your cashapp I want to pay my late fees lol
— PKK (@SuckyJob) July 31, 2022
can i pay you back in stolen NFT’s?
— POPO_bro (@Popo__bro) July 31, 2022
Others claimed that they either have no money to pay them back or still have their last Blockbuster rental item that they’ve kept for a long time. And of course, Blockbuster replied accordingly.
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 31, 2022
Some called out Blockbuster for known extra fees that just added more to the borrowing process. And to be completely fair, maybe those were other valid reasons as to why the business failed.
Just because the store is ‘dead’ doesn’t mean it’s forgotten as it was announced recently by Netflix that they’re producing a ‘Blockbuster’ comedy show.
As of right now, only one Blockbuster remains in America. Yes, everyone has moved to stream and digital platforms, but there is nothing better than an actual human recommending your next late-night flick, and they’re not going to interrupt mid-binge and ask you if you’re still watching.
