The Last Blockbuster | |
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Directed by | Taylor Morden |
Written by | Zeke Kamm |
Produced by | Zeke Kamm |
Starring | Lloyd Kaufman [1] Jamie Kennedy [2] |
Narrated by | Lauren Lapkus |
Edited by | Tim Skousen |
Production companies | Popmotion Pictures September Club |
Distributed by | 1091 Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Last Blockbuster is a 2020 documentary film about Blockbuster LLC's last store, located in Bend, Oregon. [3] It was released on December 15, 2020, by 1091 Pictures.
The documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of Blockbuster Video, a video rental business that was popular during the 1990s. The documentary explores how Blockbuster put independent video rental stores out of business by striking revenue-share deals with film studios (allowing Blockbuster to negotiate lower prices in exchange for a cut of the rental fees), and how Blockbuster itself collapsed as a result of poor management and the financial crisis of 2007–2008. The film also documents the business model and continued survival of the last remaining Blockbuster store, in Bend, Oregon. [3] [4] [5] [6]
The film follows Sandi Harding, the general manager of the last store over the course of a number of years. Actor and Clerks director Kevin Smith discusses the kind of businesses that Blockbuster put out of business and how they inspired his debut film. Other interviewees include Adam Brody, Samm Levine, Ron Funches, Paul Scheer, Doug Benson, James Arnold Taylor, Jamie Kennedy, and Brian Posehn. [3] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 68% based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The site's consensus reads, "Slight but entertaining, The Last Blockbuster doesn't add much to the saga of the fallen video rental store, but should satisfy nostalgic customers in the mood for a quick diversion." [14] Metacritic gave it a score of 59, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [15]
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Blockbuster LLC, formerly known as Blockbuster Video, was an American-based provider of home video and video game rental services. Services were offered primarily at video rental shops, but later alternatives included DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater. Previously operated by Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc., the company expanded internationally throughout the 1990s. At its peak in 2004, Blockbuster consisted of 9,094 stores and employed approximately 84,300 people: 58,500 in the United States and 25,800 in other countries.
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