Blockbuster Rewinds The Clock With A Flurry Of Tweets And A Cryptic Comeback Message

The lone Blockbuster store in Bend, Oregon, may soon have some company, as the company's website recently changed for the first time in a decade. The dormant website updated to include the message "We are working on rewinding your movie" on a desktop browser.

The Blockbuster franchise was at one time the place to be on a Friday night, as families swarmed the aisles trying to pick up the latest movie titles. At its height, it had over 9,000 locations. But the ability to stream movies at home without having to go out took its toll. In 2010 the company filed for bankruptcy, and by 2014 all the corporate stores were closed. However, fans of Blockbuster have recently been given a sliver of hope that the beloved franchise might make a comeback of some sort.

The company, which is now owned by Dish Network, has been licensed in the recent past for board games, clothing, and a Netflix Blockbuster TV show. The website, however, has remained unchanged for the most part since 2014. Well, until now.

Visitors to the mobile site see the message, "Please be kind while we rewind," while desktop users see the message "We are working on rewinding your movie." Outside of the Blockbuster logo and cryptic messages, there is nothing to click on or to be seen. This begs the question, "Does it mean anything?"

The website is not the only Blockbuster murmuring. The official Blockbuster Twitter account has been active as well. It tweeted out a few days ago, "New business idea: We're going to come back as a bank and use VHS and DVDs as currency. Time to go visit your mom." Back in January, it issued a tweet saying its 2023 New Year's resolution was to reopen Blockbuster, but it seemed like too much work.

All of the recent activity may just be a bit of fun for the company. The lone Blockbuster store in Oregon teased that it was going to run a Super Bowl ad this year, but it turned out to be just a gimmick, saying it was released on VHS and YouTube on Super Bowl Sunday. Regardless of whether the iconic movie rental chain ever makes a comeback or not, always remember to be kind and rewind!