Many people feel nostalgia for Blockbuster , and more generally for the era of video stores.
The ritual of physically going to a shop to buy or rent a film, surrounded by merchandise, hardcover, posters and more or less experienced salesmen, has now been lost over time, replaced by the immediate availability of films and TV series on online platforms. line (where, however, the “consumption” is often more inattentive, and lacks social interaction). Also for this reason, the sudden return of the famous chain on Twitter after almost two years of silence arouses some curiosity .
In fact, the last tweets of Blockbuster dated back to August 2020, when the only store still open in the USA – in Bend, Oregon – offered the possibility to stay overnight in its premises with Airbnb . Well, the profile was reactivated on July 22 with a gif taken from Hocus Pocus , followed by two ironic tweets about NFTs and Gigli . For the uninitiated, the latter is the well-known commercial disaster with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez , a “cinematic masterpiece” that no one would ever have delivered late after the rental.
We’re back from the grave… pic.twitter.com/CT3yHr9EKA
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 22, 2022
#TBT. Thanks @netflix. #Blockbuster #BackontheBlock pic.twitter.com/U4AENXOTZi
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 28, 2022
A strategy?
It is inevitable to wonder if there is something behind it. The most likely hypothesis is that it is a strategy to prepare the ground for the infamous Netflix sitcom set right in the last US Blockbuster , with Melissa Fumero and Randall Park : last May we saw the first photo of it .
The streaming giant has always been very smart at making fun of himself, also capitalizing on his contradictions, so it wouldn’t be absurd if this were the plan to promote the series. Blockbuster plays with the same irony: not surprisingly, the most recent tweet uses Sad Keanu to joke about fines for latecomers, which the chain will never be able to obtain as “out of business”.
When everyone owes you late fees but you’re out of
business… pic.twitter.com/5jWKBOoSve— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 31, 2022
In the coming weeks we will see if the old emperor of the videostore will discover his cards. We will keep you posted.