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A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

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Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#41

Post by scarface74 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #18
beamatronic wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oddly one of the big San Jose malls (Valley Fair) is currently undergoing a huge renovation and expansion.

Only the malls around rich people are doing okay. You can spot these by searching for Apple and Nordstrom’s, also where you will find the wealthier side of any urban area.

Even those traditional closed in malls are being upended by pedestrian friendly upscale mixed uses communities with stores and townhomes.

The local Apple Store just moved from the local mall to one of those communities. It also has the standard cliched collection of yuppie stores - a Tesla showroom, Whole Foods, Gap, Bonobos, Container Store, Pottery Barn, a Pilates Studio, etc....

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#42

Post by scarface74 »

wnissen wrote: post #7

Blockbuster was also servicing US$1 billion in debt after being spun off from Viacom.

Netflix currently has $4.8 billion in debt and another $15 billion of streaming content obligations. (https://www.polygon.com/2017/8/15/16151944/netflix-disney-de...)

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#43

Post by phobosdeimos »

Video rental stores and physical media was destined to go the way of the dodo as soon as uncapped broadband hit in the early 2000s. And now there's unlimited data over 4G networks. I am 30+ too but lets not overindulge in nostalgia. I have access to a vast library of entertainment 24/7.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#44

Post by pmoriarty »

gdulli wrote: post #39
pmoriarty wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All I can say is that I've watched movies that I got from Blockbuster which were missing scenes (often graphic or explicit scenes) that I'd seen in other versions of the film. Now, this was decades ago, so I don't remember which films they were, much less which scenes were cut. But I have talked to other people who've echoed my experience. I've also read articles in the past which admit this censorship happened. A cu…

Blockbuster never "censored" or "cut" videos as you said. Blockbuster chose not to carry NC-17 or x-rated movies. There are alternate cuts of just about all movies and TV shows for different venues. I see people complain about Netflix having a different version than the one they remember. Some SNL episodes on Netflix run only about 30 minutes. It's not Netflix or Blockbuster doing any editing, they just buy what's av…

Even with films that were originally R-rated, the Blockbuster versions had scenes that were missing. I don't know if Blockbuster did the editing themselves or just bought alternate versions, but the fact is that they had cuts, while the versions in other, independent video stores did not.

I watched almost no X-rated or NC-17 movies at all, so the movies that I saw that had cuts were R-rated.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#45

Post by chiph »

pmoriarty wrote: post #5

Blockbuster used to have a really crappy selection of mostly mainstream movies, but often it was one of the closest video rental stores around, as they seemed to be everywhere. They also censored and cut their movies, which was really annoying. I don't know what their agenda was on that front, and why they couldn't just let mature adults watch the full films. My friends and I used to much prefer going to independent…

I'm still on the disc-by-mail plan because I get the full quality the disc has. No dropouts, no (additional) compression artifacts, no reduced resolution because of network congestion.[1]

I will say that their long-tail catalog isn't as long as it used to be. About a third of my queue is titles that they recognize, but do not have in stock -- presumably they used to have them but don't anymore. Still better than the streaming catalog, though.

[1] Most people likely don't get any of those artifacts. But it only has to happen once during a showing and I get pissed off. Not worth the chance of it happening.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#46

Post by dwd »

RandallBrown wrote: post #14
jackconnor wrote: post #12

"Antioco was, in fact, a very competent executive—many considered him a retail genius"...yet he made incredibly obvious mistakes to prop up a business with a flawed business model. I fail to see any of the genius, he seems like another corporate idiot in a suit, to me.

Antioco tried launching a dvd by mail and streaming service around the same time Netflix did. They were behind, but not that far. The problem seems to be this > While he convinced the board to back his plan, one of his lieutenants, Jim Keyes, led a rear guard action. Had they actually listened to Antioco, they may have survived. I subscribed to Blockbuster Online because I could return things to the store and get mov…

>> While he convinced the board to back his plan, one of his lieutenants, Jim Keyes, led a rear guard action.

> Had they actually listened to Antioco, they may have survived.

The article seemed to ignore that and put the blame on Antioco. His only failing was not getting rid of Jim Keyes.

Worth considering this in light of the recent purges and executive departures at companies such as Tesla.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#47

Post by BLKNSLVR »

pmoriarty wrote: post #5

Blockbuster used to have a really crappy selection of mostly mainstream movies, but often it was one of the closest video rental stores around, as they seemed to be everywhere. They also censored and cut their movies, which was really annoying. I don't know what their agenda was on that front, and why they couldn't just let mature adults watch the full films. My friends and I used to much prefer going to independent…

Just recently I've had the inclination to have an occasional "obscure movie night" to see how popular such a thing could become. Start with just inviting a few friends, see if they know anyone else who'd be interested in such things, see how much it could expand.

It's very nature would mean it wouldn't be a profitable undertaking. It'd be a labour of love, just pushing at the edges of people's known worlds to expand them a bit, show them that the boundaries of possibility are wider then they imagined; help other people to find enjoyment in the unfamiliar. A gateway drug.

And take the opposite-to-AT&T approach in order to retain peoples interest: occasional and quality.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#48

Post by byproxy »

pmoriarty wrote: post #5

Blockbuster used to have a really crappy selection of mostly mainstream movies, but often it was one of the closest video rental stores around, as they seemed to be everywhere. They also censored and cut their movies, which was really annoying. I don't know what their agenda was on that front, and why they couldn't just let mature adults watch the full films. My friends and I used to much prefer going to independent…

Check out Kanopy, which you can use for free with library card. Has a lot of Criterion movies and a bunch of other interesting things.

https://www.kanopy.com/

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#49

Post by porsupah »

pmoriarty wrote: post #44
gdulli wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blockbuster never "censored" or "cut" videos as you said. Blockbuster chose not to carry NC-17 or x-rated movies. There are alternate cuts of just about all movies and TV shows for different venues. I see people complain about Netflix having a different version than the one they remember. Some SNL episodes on Netflix run only about 30 minutes. It's not Netflix or Blockbuster doing any editing, they just buy what's av…

Even with films that were originally R-rated, the Blockbuster versions had scenes that were missing. I don't know if Blockbuster did the editing themselves or just bought alternate versions, but the fact is that they had cuts, while the versions in other, independent video stores did not. I watched almost no X-rated or NC-17 movies at all, so the movies that I saw that had cuts were R-rated.

Indeed. The one example I recall was in Tank Girl, R rated - the copy I rented from Blockbuster had one line blanked out, just as she discovers where exactly the Rippers are hiding out. The normal release has a voiceover line "See hell, go to hell." - in the Blockbuster copy, this line was missing.

There may have been other edits, but that's the one which tripped my memory when watching the laserdisc copy I bought soon afterward.

Re: A Look Back at Why Blockbuster Really Failed and Why It Didn't Have To (2014)

#50

Post by filmgirlcw »

martinald wrote: post #40
mjcl wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea of “Enron Broadband” seemed ridiculous to me at the time.

Enron didn't have any last mile broadband capability. How did this deal get done?

The same way all of Enron's deals got done. Lies about capabilities/offerings and then shady accounting to cover up reality.
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