Blockbuster video took to Twitter to chide its old rival Netflix over the streaming service’s crackdown on password-sharing users.
In late May, Netflix established a new policy that charges a fee to subscribers who share their passwords to allow others who aren’t from their household to access the streaming service. Adding an extra member to a Netflix account costs an additional $7.99 per month, $2 less than the basic subscription cost but $1 more than the standard subscription with advertisements.
In response to news Netflix is launching a pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles that will feature a lineup of star chefs, the Blockbuster account tweeted, "As with password sharing @Netflix will kick you out of the restaurant if you share anything from your plate."
Blockbuster then tweeted a GIF from the TV show Seinfeld of the "Soup Nazi" telling one of the show’s main characters, "No soup for you!"
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Blockbuster video, which was founded in 1985 and had more than 9,000 locations in the U.S. at its peak in 2004, offered movie and video game rentals at its brick-and-mortar locations around the country.
The company struggled amid the rise in video-on-demand and competition from Netflix, which it once had an opportunity to acquire, and Redbox. Blockbuster entered bankruptcy in 2010 and was acquired by satellite TV provider Dish Network the following year.
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Dish retained some franchise agreements, allowing the remaining privately owned Blockbuster video stores to operate under the brand name. After a series of closures in 2019, only one Blockbuster franchise store remains open today, located in Bend, Oregon.
The Bend Blockbuster has become a tourist attraction in Central Oregon and was featured in a 2020 documentary film called "The Last Blockbuster" which began its streaming run on Netflix.
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Despite being down to its last store, activity on Blockbuster’s Twitter account and website continues to stir intrigue among nostalgic fans of the brand.
Updates to the Blockbuster website over the last year have featured GIFs of actors like Wayne Knight and John Travolta in addition to messages encouraging visitors to "Please be kind while we rewind."
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On Twitter, the Blockbuster account has been relatively active over the last year after a nearly two-year hiatus that began in August 2020. The account’s posts regularly poke fun at Blockbuster’s demise and other defunct or struggling brands.
Amid the banking crisis in March, Blockbuster tweeted, "New business idea: We’re going to come back as a bank and use VHS and DVDs as currency. Time to go visit your mom."
