Open Post: Hosted By Blockbuster Announcing Its Return On Twitter
Delete your Netflix password, cancel that HBO Max account, and continue to not buy Paramount+, because Blockbuster is back, baby! The place where the latest features were constantly sold out, but always had multiple copies of features like A Murder of Crows or Double Jeopardy is coming back from the dead. Are you excited?! …Look, nostalgia marketing isn’t going anywhere, so we all gotta get comfortable with the constant reminders of the transient nature of life and our mortality.
I should caveat that it’s not Blockbuster stores that have come back, but the official Twitter account. People are worried that the business may have been taken over by some NFT-related venture (shudder!), however, that might not actually be the case. via Vulture:
“We’re back from the grave …” the Blockbuster social-media manager tweeted alongside a GIF of a zombie rising from the grave. But why is the ’90s relic back, and what does it want? The comments suggested that BB could soon be embroiled in the NFT scam business based on a December 2021 report about a crypto DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) attempting to buy the IP rights to Blockbuster. What the commenters failed to realize is Dish Network, the owner of Blockbuster’s IP, refused to sell the video store’s rights to the BlockbusterDAO earlier this month. The crypto theory is no good (so far)!
Whew! The last time the account tweeted was in 2020 when it peaced out by saying, “Ok, we’ve seen enough. Checking out.” So, this new tweet is big news.
We're back from the grave… pic.twitter.com/CT3yHr9EKA
— Blockbuster (@blockbuster) July 22, 2022
From a steady stream of news about the Last Blockbuster to the documentary about said Blockbuster, there’s been a lot of chat about the shuttered video store over the last few years. Who knew we’d miss a behemoth corporation that charged us $150 for returning Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion two days too late? Having been burnt by other resurrected brands (I’m looking at you Radioshack!), Twitter users flooded the account with comments begging that they not sell NFTs or do any crypto nonsense. While no one knows the exact plan, there’s speculation this has something to do with Netflix’s soon-to-be-released Blockbuster comedy series featuring Randall Park. Restarting a beloved brand’s Twitter account is not a bad way to create buzz, so I’m putting my money on this.
With the viral success of this resurrection, I think we should just roll out the social media presence of all our favorite dead brands. Mervyn’s, Borders, Netscape, Pets.com. That way if they come back, we know it won’t be because of crypto!
Pic: Wikimedia
