17 Aug Free Blockbusters Are Popping Up To Bring Back Physical Media [Popular Science]
By Andrew Paul
August 13, 2026| Blockbuster is a hollow VHS clamshell of its former glory. A cultural mainstay throughout the 90s, the home video rental empire reached its peak with over 9,000 locations in 2004. But thanks to the streaming revolution, the once-ubiquitous franchise has since shrunk to a single pilgrimage outpost in Bend, Oregon. However, Blockbuster’s legacy has lingered across the generations in the form of aesthetic odes to physical media, nostalgic callbacks, and even indie video games.
The rental chain is far from dead, thanks to one of its original clerks. In 2018, the unnamed “former Blockbuster employee and VHS collector” living in California decided to try their hand at reviving the spirit of the shared home movie experience in the form of Free Blockbuster. After painting an old Los Angeles Times newspaper dispenser with that instantly recognizable blue-and-yellow color scheme, the first stand debuted on February 27, 2019. About one month later, veteran screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker of Sleepy Hollow and Seven fame became the first person to return their checkouts to the same dispenser.
Read more at Popular Science.