When I was younger, I remember being so excited for it to be Friday — family movie night. I remember being a grade school girl eager to be done with homework and softball practice.
I would find myself inside a Blockbuster with my parents every Friday, getting lost in the twists and turns of the many movie-lined isles.
With the advent of streaming services, my childhood faded away. According to AP News, there is only one Blockbuster left and it’s in Bend, Oregon.
Platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Redbox have their own benefits, but they aren’t the same as the experience of actually walking into a video store to select a film. This may seem small and insignificant to some people, but not to me.
My generation seems to be the last that focused on true, traditional family time growing up. In my childhood, many nights really did entail group Blockbuster trips. It was a chance for us to set aside a specific time, with a specific activity and specific goals to get out of the night.
We all made an effort to get out, get a movie and go home to watch it. Hearing the words “we are going to Blockbuster tonight to get a movie” meant a fun, kid friendly, family-oriented, planned event in my family.
It saddens me that from generation to generation video stores have faded away and are now completely out of the picture. Blockbuster was a store that, as a kid, brought me so much happiness.
The wide variety of movies interested me and made me excited for family night. It makes me sad to know that this will never be apart of the childhoods of future generations.
Even if the experience side out of this topic is disregarded and look at the money side of things, Blockbuster provided a more affordable way to enjoy a relaxing movie night in comparison to Netflix.
According to Los Angeles Times when renting a Blockbuster movie, older movies started at a small price $1.99 new movies for $2.99. Each day that went past the rental due date, the customer was charged a small amount of .99 cents.
Though Netflix is very convenient, the streaming service’s bill recently went from $9.99 a month to $12.99 a month. To some that may not seem like a lot, but I can attest to the group of college kids who consider school their full-time job, meaning that every dollar counts.
Millenials are a generation fond of having instantaneous access to things, but having that instant gratification impedes on important things.
It removes the nostalgia from childhood and leads us to dip into savings accounts that look more like a checking account.
Despite Netflix’s best efforts, not all movies that people want to watch are on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or at Redbox. This has me actively seeking out other ways to access the content I want and sometimes spending money on other platforms like YouTube.
I won’t pretend like the majority of people want Blockbuster to come back. And, I’m not going to say I hate streaming movies. I love Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
Having movies and T.V. shows ready to watch whenever and wherever is cool, but the principle of going out with family and friends and having that interaction of finding the perfect movie, buying the best candy and being out with loved ones is important thing too.
I too miss family Blockbuster nights!