Best Christmas Present Ever - Man Receives A Free Blockbuster Box From His Wife
Nostalgia kicking in.
A 28-year-old woman refused to let her husband miss out on the joy of hunting down movies the old-school way, so she pulled off a Christmas surprise that feels straight out of a retro time capsule.
Ryan P (@comedyryan1) was expecting a normal gift, then his wife handed him a free Blockbuster box. The twist? It was not something she just found online and bought, it was part of FreeBlockBuster.org, a project that sends out free movie boxes like libraries send out books.
And once Ryan’s neighbors realized the movies were there for the taking, the whole neighborhood basically became the new Blockbuster.
Ryan P (@comedyryan1) was surprised to receive a free Blockbuster box as a Christmas gift from his wife.
@comedyryan1Ryan said the group sent his wife a kit, and she did the rest.
@comedyryan1This box was created by the group FreeBlockBuster.org, which aims to provide free movies to people in the same way that free libraries distribute books. The idea for these boxes came from a former Blockbuster employee who repurposed unused newspaper dispensers.
@freeblockbuster
The concept of a free Blockbuster box was extremely popular on the internet, sparking many creative ideas from people on how to enhance the experience.
@comedyryan1
Sharing is the key
@comedyryan1
Ryan mentioned that nobody had taken any movies yet when asked if anyone had done so.
@comedyryan1
His wife got Ryan a Blockbuster box, but it started when the group sent her the kit first, not when she picked it off a shelf.
That “once-in-a-lifetime concert” rent-money fight is similar to asking a friend to return $90 after they spent it on the show.
The whole thing traces back to a former Blockbuster employee repurposing unused newspaper dispensers, which is wild considering how the chain died.
Ryan even checked in to see if anyone had grabbed a movie yet, and for a moment, nobody had taken anything.
Now that dozens of these boxes are popping up across the country, Ryan is basically rolling into a brand-new neighborhood Blockbuster era.
Blockbuster was a chain of video rental stores that operated from 1985 to 2013. It was one of the world's largest movie and game rental companies, with over 9,000 stores at its peak.
Customers could rent movies and other media either online or in-store. The company also offered a mail-order DVD and Blu-ray rental service.
Blockbuster went bankrupt and closed its final stores in 2013. Back in the '90s, Blockbuster was a well-known brand, but it could not compete with streaming services like Netflix, which led to the closure of most of its stores in 2013.
However, there is still one operating Blockbuster store located in Oregon. And now, there are dozens more across the country thanks to this group.
We wish Ryan the best of luck on his new retro adventure! We hope he and his neighbors have a blast.
Ryan’s retro adventure is off to a great start, and the real question is whether his neighbors will keep it stocked.
For another “gift with a catch” meltdown, read what happened after her Disney voucher came with terms. This Redditor’s “Free” Holiday Gift Came With A Catch.
