Blockbuster comes to Alexandria ... sort of

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I saw the box in Del Ray on Friday evening. Yes, I was surprised. I hadn't noticed it before. I took some DVDs. I need to make a trip down there to return the ones I watched or decided against watching.

Blockbuster comes to Alexandria ... sort of

A movie fan in Alexandria has built "Blockbuster boxes" so others can watch free movies during the pandemic.

Author: Tom Dempsey (WUSA)
Published: 9:17 PM EDT August 2, 2020
Updated: 12:19 AM EDT August 3, 2020

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Anyone searching for a movie can now make it a "Blockbuster Night," thanks to one man who brought a community project believed to have started in California to the DMV.

As a self-proclaimed "movie nerd," Matt Scott repurposed old newspaper and pamphlet boxes by painting them blue and adorning them with the classic movie rental company's logo. ... "I saw some folks that I know in Richmond who started doing the boxes down there. That’s sort of where I got the idea," said Scott, who believes the project originated in Los Angeles. "I think I put the first one out in the first week of June."

Now, the "Blockbuster boxes" can be found in Old Town, Del Ray, and Carlyle. ... The idea behind them is simple: leave a movie, take a movie.

Anyone can donate to the cause and Scott hopes others join in on the fun. ... "People seemed to get the concept pretty quickly. They were bringing old movies and dropping off stuff," he said. "I want people to know it’s a community project. I would love if people saw this and then reached out wanting to donate movies.”

Saw the logo.

HAD to find the guy who did this.

Story coming soon to
@wusa9
TV/digital. #MakeItABlockbusterNight

Link to tweet

{snip}

[soothsayer]

1. That's neat

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I texted a friend who lives in Arlington and asked him if he had seen any.

He had not. They'll be showing up in Clarendon, I expect.

[soothsayer]

3. Yeah I live in Arlington. I'll keep an eye out too

[CaptainTruth]

4. The Blockbuster "torn ticket" logo is still a registered trademark...

... so I hope he cleared this with the IP dept at Blockbuster LLC (now part of DISH).

I hate to see folks do something nice like this & then get in trouble for trademark infringement & have to repaint all the boxes.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. I don't know. Good observation. Maybe the color combination too. NT

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. The rise and fall of the real Blockbuster

This is quite the video. They hit their peak in January 2005, with over 5,734 stores. Then they lost one or two. The one or two became four or five.

Thread of the day

Link to tweet