A California woman is reminding her neighbors of fond memories of Blockbuster Video through a “Free Blockbuster” movie exchange.
It's a twist on “Little Free Libraries,” a nonprofit book-sharing initiative where people donate or borrow books. “Free Blockbuster” is the same idea, but the box is filled with film and painted in Blockbuster's classic colors of blue and yellow.
Los Angeles video game developer Alyssa Colgaard wanted to share her love of movies through a creative and sentimental project.
Colgaard told Fox News Digital that he has been setting up a free food pantry outside his home for the past two years and noticed he had extra boxes that could be used for Blockbuster boxes.
Alyssa Colgado of Los Angeles, California, shares her love of movies through a Blockbuster-themed “library” where she and her neighbors can borrow and return DVDs and VHS tapes. They can be exchanged voluntarily. (Alyssa Colgaard)
Her husband, Christian Colgaard, is a professional film and television producer who helped her build the perfect blue and yellow movie library.
The “Free Blockbuster” box is packed with DVDs. Colgaard said you can also “rent” VHS tapes, but you can't leave them in a box because they will melt in the California heat.
Colgard has a huge collection of movies that he has amassed over the past 10 years. She and her husband also run a movie theater with a post-apocalyptic film festival called Wasteland Weekend.
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Colgaard pointed out how the rise of streaming platforms contributed to the death of DVD and people missing out on the “hands-on experience” of renting movies.
“There's definitely a lot of nostalgia around Blockbuster, and visually I think the branding is very strong,” Colgaard said.
Blockbuster Video is an American movie rental chain founded in 1985. Approximately 9,000 stores were open across the United States. DVD mailing Then the popularity of streaming skyrocketed, making physical movie rentals obsolete and Blockbuster went out of business in 2014.
There is one remaining Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon. The store is privately run.
Colgaard said some people find streaming overwhelming, but her Blockbuster box helps them.
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“It's been really popular because it recreates the experience of going into a store, browsing and checking out something, going home and looking at it, coming back and doing it again to see what's new. ” she explained.
Alyssa Colgaard has built “free masterpieces” in her neighborhood, and neighbors have already rented some of the masterpieces. The last Blockbuster Video Store is located in Bend, Oregon and is privately owned. (Alyssa Colgaard)
Colgaard packs several cult favorite sci-fi films, including “The Lord of the Rings'' and “Reefer Madness,'' as well as some slightly more avant-garde films into “Free Blockbusters.''
Her neighbors can also “rent” selected movies and return them, or trade movies to grow their collection.
“Someone picked up “Kill Bill 2'' and left “Kill Bill 1'' alone because it wasn't part of my collection,'' Colgaard said.
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The “Free Blockbuster” redemption box is filled with movies from Colgaard's personal collection, which he spent more than a decade amassing. Her neighbors also borrow, return, and deposit movies from their own collections. (Alyssa Colgaard)
Colgaard said he found a real sense of community through this new hobby.
“Several people have said they were moved to tears. I think it's pretty amazing that we all have this common memory of something,” she said. .
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Colgado, a Los Angeles video game developer, shares his love of movies with his neighbors through the Free Blockbuster exchange, which offers DVD and VHS rentals. (Alyssa Colgaard)
“It's so fun to know who's in your neighborhood based on what movies they're renting and what movies they're leaving.”
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