Be Kind Rewind… Deadpool 2 is Bringing Back Blockbuster Video
By Leigh Debbage on Monday, September 10, 2018
Blockbuster Video will make a spectacular return to the British high street next Monday thanks to Ryan Reynolds’ wisecracking superhero Deadpool.
A brand new Blockbuster Video store will open for two days only in Shoreditch on Monday 17th September to celebrate Deadpool 2 Digital Download, Blu-ray™ and DVD release.
The store will be a recreation of the original chain that first opened in 1989, but in true Deadpool style there’s only one movie gracing the shelves…. Deadpool 2.
With every shelf stacked full with copies of Deadpool 2 in Limited Edition VHS cases, the red-suited Merc will be giving away copies to any fan able to track down their original Blockbuster Video membership card, allowing them to queue jump and claim their piece of Deadpool-charged nostalgia containing a digital download code for the film.
So unless you possess Cable’s ability to time travel, you’d better take a deep dive into that man-drawer or start rooting around those track pants you haven’t worn since 1994.
There are 1989 free copies of Deadpool 2 up for grabs, recognising the year that the rental chain opened on the UK high street, on Walworth Road in Kennington, London.
But those unable to track down their blue and yellow laminated membership cards will have another chance to claim a copy, by displaying their superpower to the cashier, inspired by the film’s X Force audition scenes. This will entitle you to a Superhero Edition membership card and a copy of Deadpool 2. Other retro treats will also be up for grabs.
At its peak Blockbuster Video was a global behemoth with 9,000 stores worldwide and 528 in the UK alone but the change in the home entertainment landscape saw all stores shut from 2010 onwards, with the last UK store shutting in December 2013.
One sole Blockbuster Video remains in the world today in Bend, Oregon, a town in the USA where many residents struggle to get internet, with the store recently becoming something of a tourist attraction.
The temporary return of Blockbuster Video to London, brought to life by Premier, is expected to be welcomed with open arms by a nostalgia-loving generation, 61% of whom said they would love to see Blockbuster make a comeback.
Greater London in particular were supportive about a Blockbuster comeback, with 69% of the 1,900 surveyed saying they would welcome it. Perhaps surprisingly, the younger generation (16-24) were most excited by the prospect, with 8 out of 10 excited by the store’s return, a sign of how this generation is embracing the 80s and 90s like never before!
Time travel and nostalgia are core themes of Deadpool 2, which sees Cable travelling back in time for revenge, and ultimately Deadpool himself travelling back in time to right some wrongs.
Blockbuster will be open for two days from 17th September at 133 Bethnal Green Road.
