Blockbuster
I’m a Former Video Store Clerk and I Think Netflix’s Blockbuster Deserves to Go Bankrupt
It’s not a good sign that Blockbuster, a workplace sitcom set inside a literal metaphor for late-stage capitalism, feels the need to call out the problem with its premise seven minutes into the pilot episode. “Isn’t it ironic that the small business taking a stand against the big corporation in this scenario is actually a franchise of a once-huge corporation, named after the exact type of big corporate movies that killed off smaller movies?” Blockbuster employee Eliza (Melissa Fumero) says, as her boss Tim (Randall Park) tries to rally his underdog staff. I’m admittedly coming to the show with a bias, as a former video store clerk who spent about two and a half years behind the counter of independent stores — stores that always struggled to compete with the Walmart of the industry. But des...
Randall Park Learns His Store Is “The Last One” in First Trailer for Blockbuster: Watch
Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for Blockbuster, a workplace sitcom about the last store in a once-mighty video rental empire. The preview opens with Timmy Yoon (Randall Park) learning that “seven more Blockbusters just closed. You’re officially the last one on earth.” Timmy has worked at Blockbuster since his teenage years, and he seems to live his life being kind and wishing everything would just rewind. “No one’s going anywhere,” he announces to his staff, “Because everything is under control.” His ragtag crew is made up of Eliza (Melissa Fumero), Connie (Olga Merediz), Carlos (Tyler Herrera), Hannah (Madeline Arthur), and Kala (Kamaia Fairburn). Never far from the action is strip mall owner Percy (J.B. Smoove), who serves Timmy an eviction notice. “I feel bad real bad ...
DAO aims to raise $5M to resurrect Blockbuster Video
A new decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) has been formed with the goal of buying the Blockbuster brand from Dish Network and turning it into a film studio and streaming platform. Blockbuster Video is an American video rental company founded in 1985 which once had 6,000 stores globally and was valued at over $8 billion, before it shuttered almost all of its operations in 2014. It is currently owned by Dish Network and operates just one store in Bend, Oregon. The DAO interested in “liberating” Blockbuster from Dish Network is the aptly named BlockbusterDAO. The DAO explained in a Dec. 26 tweet its plans on rallying a grassroots effort to buy Blockbuster by raising at least $5 million through a Blockbuster DAO NFT minting event. Each NFT will be valued at 0.13 ETH. BlockbusterDAO pla...
Netflix Orders Blockbuster Comedy Series Starring Randall Park
Blockbuster is coming to Netflix. The streaming giant has announced it’s given a series order to a new comedy set in the last remaining Blockbuster video store in America. The single-camera comedy will be led by Randall Park, serving as the Marvel Cinematic Universe vet’s return to comedy after six seasons on ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat and a stint stepping back into Agent Jimmy Woo’s shoes for Disney+’s WandaVision. Call it the ultimate twist of fate, but producers for the 10-episode Netflix series have even bought the rights to use the one-time video franchise’s logo and uniforms in the show — a far cry from the days when Blockbuster dismissed the offer from Netflix creators Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph to sell the then-fledgling DVD-focused startup to the video rental behemoth for $50 m...
Paris Saint-Germain wait for Neymar to sign contract extension
Paris Saint-Germain were revelling in the joy of knocking holders Bayern Munich out of the Champions League in midweek when Neymar offered more cause for celebration. In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster TNT Sports following PSG’s away-goals victory in the quarter-finals, Neymar dropped a clear hint that he would be staying at PSG beyond the end of his current contract. “For me there is no debate, it is obvious that I feel very comfortable here and at home at Paris Saint-Germain. I feel happier than I did before,” the world’s most expensive player said. His current contract, signed following his arrival from Barcelona for 222 million euros ($264m) in 2017, runs out at the end of next season, at the same time as Kylian Mbappe’s deal. It has been reported in France since the Bayern gam...
Anthony Joshua vs Kubrat Pulev bout confirmed for December 12
Getty Images Unified Heavyweight Champion of the World Anthony Joshua OBE will defend his IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO World Titles against Mandatory Challenger Kubrat Pulev at The O2 in London on Saturday December 12, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on DAZN in all of its nine markets including the U.S., on a show promoted by Matchroom Boxing in association with Top Rank and Epic Sports and Entertainment. Joshua (23-1, 21 KOs) recaptured his belts and position as the Unified Heavyweight World Champion with a masterful unanimous decision victory over Andy Ruiz Jr at the Diriyah Arena in Saudi Arabia on an historical night in December that saw the Heavyweight World Titles contested for the very first time in the Middle East. December 12 will be ‘AJ’s’ first fight on UK soil in over two ...
Apple overtakes Saudi Aramco as world’s most valuable public company
Apple’s stock hit a record high on Friday after reporting blockbuster quarterly results, helping the iPhone maker briefly overtake Saudi Aramco to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company. Apple’s stock surged to as high as $412.22 a share, putting its market capitalization at $1.762 trillion, according to the share count provided by Apple in a regulatory filing on Friday. Saudi Aramco, which has been the most valuable publicly listed company since going public last year, had a market capitalization of $1.760 trillion as of its last close, according to Refinitiv data. Last up 6.2% at $408.78 in midday trading, Apple’s market capitalization stood at $1.748 trillion. After Apple bought back $16 billion worth of shares in the June quarter, it had 4,275,634,000 outstanding shar...
The Last Blockbuster in the World Is Persisting Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
The world’s last Blockbuster store has already survived Netflix and the streaming wars, so what’s the worst pandemic in decades? As Vice reports, the Bend, Oregon franchise is still open even in the time of coronavirus, although it hasn’t been easy. Led by general manager Sandi Harding, the store became the last link in the global video rental chain about two years ago. It’s kept going this long through a mix of nostalgia, novelty, and what seems to be genuinely good leadership — but then, that’s true of many local institutions that have permanently closed during the COVID-19 crisis. The last Blockbuster is holding strong. It isn’t just relying on rentals — the store sells made-in-Oregon merch, such as a bumper sticker that reads “I SURVIVED ALONG WITH THE LAST BLOCKBUSTER”. Hard...
