Brian Morrison launched the Free Blockbuster movement in February 2019 in Los Angeles. There are now about 250 franchises around the United States, Canada and the U.K. (Free Blockbuster)
Blockbuster — the iconic and nostalgic movie rental franchise — is having a comeback of sorts. It’s because of a movement called Free Blockbuster, which offers movies free of charge through community sharing rather than a store.
Only one proper Blockbuster still stands, in Bend, Ore., where people can go to the brick-and-mortar store to pick up their weekend entertainment and snacks — much like the pilgrimage millions used to make in decades past, often on Fridays.
The ritual ended for most with the near-extinction of Blockbuster stores and other movie rental franchises (Blockbuster corporate filed for bankruptcy protection in 2010), as at-home streaming replaced it.)
Brian Morrison, a former Blockbuster employee-turned-film-and-TV-producer, had a hunch people might still want to watch DVD and VHS tapes. Plus, there remained a lot of physical copies of movies out there in the world that he wanted to prevent from ending up in landfills.
In 2018, Morrison noticed empty newspaper boxes in his neighborhood, and it inspired an idea. “A lot of people were saying, ‘we have to take these out,’ and my thought was, ‘what if we didn’t remove them, but repurposed them?” Morrison said.
Around the same time, a friend of Morrison’s was moving from Los Angeles and was looking to get rid of a large collection of DVDs. He thought about the Little Free Library concept, and a light bulb went on.
“I thought we could use the old newspaper boxes to share our movie collections we’ve been hoarding with our neighbors, and we could brand it in a way that makes it kind of fun and a throwback,” said Morrison, who decided to paint one newspaper box blue and yellow, and included Blockbuster’s movie ticket logo.
He called it a “Free Blockbuster.”
Charmed by the box, people quickly hopped on the bandwagon, and the Free Blockbuster movement was born.
Now, there are hundreds of Blockbuster-themed newspaper boxes across the country — and some in Canada and the U.K., too — filled with old flicks and TV series (in DVD and VHS form) that are free for the taking.
A Free Blockbuster in Edmonton, Alberta. (Free Blockbuster)
“I think of the whole thing as a big collective art installation,” Morrison said. “It’s kind of amazing how it has grown and evolved with each new person who contributes to it.”
Not long after launching Free Blockbuster, Morrison received a letter from a lawyer at DISH — which acquired the Blockbuster brand in 2011 — asking him to change the logo and name. Morrison changed the logo from the torn ticket to a rewound tape, and said he hasn’t heard of any issues since. DISH did not respond to several requests for comment from The Washington Post. Morrison wanted to use the Blockbuster name and colors for the movement, he said, because “it’s a great brand identity ... It would not have been as sticky any other way.” Free Blockbusters have recently popped up in San Francisco, Missouri, Iowa, Winnipeg and even Alaska. Morrison said there are about 250 of them, which he calls “franchises.”
A Free Blockbuster in El Paso. (Free Blockbuster)
“It is most fun when it’s free, when people find something in their community, either an old news rack or some other piece of furniture that outlived its original use and needs to be brought back to life in a new way,” he said, adding that he loves seeing people put their own spin on their Free Blockbusters. “I get so tickled by the beautiful stuff people come up with.”
In 2021, Ryan Daley set up three Free Blockbuster boxes in and around Washington— including two in Arlington, and one on Capitol Hill by Lincoln Park —to varying degrees of success.
“I think the movement is great for the community,” said Daley, who grew up on Capitol Hill and has fond memories visiting his local Blockbuster in the Eastern Market area with his father. “I still have his Blockbuster card.”
When he spotted a Free Blockbuster box in Philadelphia, “I was like, ‘this is right up my alley,’” said Daley, who runs an independent film company. “I was really big into cinema and nostalgic things in general, so when I saw this it was a no-brainer.” Daley scouted for empty newspaper boxes around his hometown and spray-painted them Blockbuster’s classic blue and yellow colors. He then went to several thrift stores to select some of his favorite films, including “The Matrix,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Inception.”
“People were loving it, and the feedback was great,” Daley said. Often, Morrison said, Free Blockbuster creators don’t need to replenish the movie supply, as locals help keep them stocked.
“You hear stories about people getting so many donations they don’t even know what to do with them ... Sometimes people will come and return their entire collection back into the public good,” he said, explaining that a surprising number of people still have VCRs as well as DVD players, and they remain available online and at thrift stores.
Sandi Harding — the general manager of the last remaining Blockbuster store on earth — said the Free Blockbuster movement “is great.”
Employee Dan Montgomery and general manager Sandi Harding at the last Blockbuster Video in Bend, Ore. on April 5. Harding said the Free Blockbuster movement “is great.” “Anything that draws attention to physical media is fantastic,” she said. “I just think that it’s a very positive thing, and it makes people talk about the brand.” (Isaac Wasserman/For The Washington Post)
“Anything that draws attention to physical media is fantastic,” she said. “I just think that it’s a very positive thing, and it makes people talk about the brand.” People who visit the store from out-of-town tell Harding how much they miss their local Blockbuster. She thinks people’s collective nostalgia for the brand is perhaps what has made the Free Blockbuster movement a success. “They just really miss going to Blockbuster on Friday nights,” she said.
When Morrison started the movement he wasn’t expecting others to get involved to the extent that they have. “I’ve been surprised by how many times I’ve just left my box kind of empty if it does get cleared out or the stock dwindles, and how often someone from the community shows up and refills it,” he said. Free Blockbusters have become particularly popular among children who never had a true Blockbuster experience.
Abby Berendt Lavoi, her husband Jeremey Lavoi and their daughter, Lily, 9, created their Free Blockbuster near their home in New Orleans in July.
Berendt Lavoi and her husband — both of whom work in video production — recently made a documentary, and they decided to put some copies of the film in their Free Blockbuster. To their delight, it was one of the first things people borrowed, “which I thought was cool,” Berendt Lavoi said. “We still love tangible media.”
Lily Lavoi, 9, of New Orleans with her finished Free Blockbuster. Her mom, Abby, and her dad, Jeremey, — both of whom work in video production — recently made a documentary, and they decided to put some copies of the film in their Free Blockbuster. To their delight, it was one of the first things people borrowed. (Abby Berendt Lavoi)
Morrison said the boxes appeal to people who are simply tired of streaming. “Streaming fatigue is real, and it strikes for many reasons,” he said. “It could be just that you don’t like the selection or the way the selection is presented, and it could just be that we don’t really want to sit in our houses and not interact with anyone.”
Morrison hopes this is just the beginning of the Free Blockbuster movement. His next goal is to raise funds for a brick-and-mortar Free Blockbuster store.
“I have been so lucky that so many cool people around the world find this thing interesting and want to participate and expand on the idea,” he said. “It’s inspiring.
