Featured Image Credit: Buddy Mays / Alamy Stan Pritchard/Alamy
Topics: TV and Film, US News, Twitter
Katherine Sidnell
Topics: TV and Film, US News, Twitter
Thought Blockbuster was gone forever? Think again.
Everyone's favourite childhood staple is dropping some serious hints it may be returning to the high street and fans can’t wait.
The high street chain was a must for all movie fans from the early eighties onwards, with the nostalgic yellow and blue shops holding the promise of a good night in with your favourite flick.
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While its motto might have been 'be kind, rewind', time has been anything but kind to the now-defunct VHS shop which closed in 2013, breaking the hearts of movie buffs everywhere.
Just like a Hollywood action hero though, the film store has teased its return.
The much-loved US store began trading in 1987 and quickly grew to become one of the biggest brands in America, gaining over $1 billion (£812m) in late fees alone.
As well as VHSs and DVDs, customers could also rent video games and buy sweets in the one-stop-shop which was a must for all movie fans.
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Like your favourite film though, things came to an end with the emergence of streaming sites such as Netflix, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer.
The company declared bankruptcy back in 2010, with all UK stores closing shortly after this.
However, one branch continues to serve the film buffs in the small US city of Bend, Oregon with the nostalgic blue and yellow shop becoming a tourist attraction.
However, the video rental store is possibly returning with fans speculating about the nostalgic store after it posted a cryptic message.
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On the mobile version of the website, there's a mysterious message saying ‘be kind while we rewind’ – in a nod to the brand's famous slogan.
With no official word from owners Dish Network, it’s unclear whether the store will rent physical DVDs or offer a streaming service similar to Netflix.
However, others have theorised that this could be a gorilla marketing campaign for an upcoming Netflix series about the last branch.
While many things remain unclear, fans have been delighted by the news and taken to Twitter to share their excitement.
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One wrote: “Whaaaaat is happening?! ls this the return of @blockbuster?! Oh how we’ve missed you!”
Others quickly followed, adding that they were frustrated by the lack of information about the nostalgic store.
They wrote: “Something is going on with the @blockbuster website… Do we get a little piece of our high school lives back? Is it just a tease? What’s the plan? Does anyone know?”
However, not everyone was so thrilled, with many former fans hesitant about a possible on-demand service replacing the physical shop.
One user even tweeted: “Is Blockbuster coming back? I hope so, but it could just be some kind of streaming service. I would rather see the return of brick-and-mortar stores!”