www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005360766,00.html

Rental giant Blockbusted

By IAN KING
Business Editor

BLOCKBUSTER has crashed into the red — and the film rental chain blames Hollywood for a £98million loss.

Bosses said home viewers snubbed a lousy line-up of new American releases in the first six months of this year.

Many recent big budget flicks like Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow starring Jude Law, Russell Crowe’s Cinderella Man and Batman Begins failed to pack box offices.

The slump has led to fewer people watching the films when they are released for home rental.

Blockbuster also said piracy, the growth of online rivals and cut-price supermarket DVDs left many punters preferring to buy movies.

The US-owned chain — which employs more than 7,000 staff in over 700 British stores — saw a £98million half-year pre-tax loss.

Last year the firm made £112million PROFIT in the same period.

Chairman John Antioco admitted results for July, August and September would also be disappointing.

He said the downturn had been “faster than anyone expected”, adding: “Our results reflect the impact of the declining store-based video rental industry.”

Blockbuster said its decision to scrap late fees for customers returning DVDs and videos had also dented profits.

And the firm faced the extra cost of setting up an online rental site to claw back business from websites like Screen Select and Love Film.

A monthly subscription lets movie fans have an unlimited number of DVDs posted to their homes. Viewed films are posted back to the firm.

Blockbuster says it will be profitable by the end of the year.

My brother worked his way up from a lowly grunt to first assistant manager
at a blockbuster store.
He was an exemplary employee who busted his ass off for the store.
They did everything to him to try to get him to quit
because he was earning "too much money".

In the end, his store closed down because they were bleeding cash.
Fuck them.

Wonder if it had anything to do with them attempting false late charges, like they tried about half the time with me?

Quoted: Wonder if it had anything to do with them attempting false late charges, like they tried about half the time with me?

It is somewhat related, the late charges were a good source of income, when they did away it, they lost out on the money. The USA div of Blockbuster also lost money.

They're right, though. I went to Blockbuster a week ago, browsed the new release section, there was absolutely nothing of interest.  The single copy of that Korean war movie Tae Guk Gi (or whatever it's called) was checked out.

I can hear the MPAA getting ready to sue DVD copying companies and disc burning manufacturers to try to shift blame from their shitty movies to the "pirates - ARRRRRRRRRR - who are stealing all the movies," regardless of any evidence to the contrary.

Most of the movies I buy are older ones, not much new stuff interests me anymore.

ETA: Movies nowadays are working on special effects, and severely lacking in the script/story/acting/development parts.

Case-in-point: Star Wars I, II, III & Matrix II, III.

Quoted: They're right, though. I went to Blockbuster a week ago, browsed the new release section, there was absolutely nothing of interest.  The single copy of that Korean war movie Tae Guk Gi (or whatever it's called) was checked out.

I've got a *TON* of things on my "must buy" DVD list... all of it older films, TV shows and Anime.  There's nothing current that I can think of off the top of my head that was in theatrical release (except maybe Episode III - just to complete the series).

Hey, they could always get a film industry of their own.  Well, an economically viable one, anyway.  

my cable's On Demand feature (which is free with my service plan) has taken the place of Blockbuster.

TCM & AMC crush anything that Hollywood turns out.

Yep, the movies lately are just remakes.  I want to see a WarOnTerror movie.

I want to see one with US troops steamrolling terrorists and Saddam's military and then striking into Iran and Syria.  People around the world are so dumb and scared, they're probably going to believe the movie.  I would close the movie with a bunch of Marines planting the Stars and Stripes on top of a big mosque.  I betcha that kind of movie would fill the seats!

The in store movie pass has to be hurting the business as well.  For a flat fee you can rent as many movies per month as you want, taking 2 out at a time.  When they first started the program it was great but then they kept pushing everyone to get on it.  About 4 months into it if you didn't get to Blockbuster the minute they opened on Tuesday when the new releases came out it would take at least a month usually 2 to 3 months before a single copy of the new release would show back up on the shelf.  So not only did that frustrate all the movie pass people but that also means there were no new releases for the typical customer who would occassionally come in to rent a movie.

Hollywood is putting out crap? I would have never thought....

Hey screw those Mormon fucks! What do they care about profit anyway? If they really wanted to make money they sell porn like any true entreprenuer would do! Instead they pack the shelf with that "Book o' Indian Jews" shit . They basically shut down all the other rental stores around here so i could'nt get my porn no more, Something i'll never forgive them for! So now I have to down load all my porn for free on bittorrent!! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Damn you.................. blockbuster!




ETA: check out the newsgroup Alt.binaries.erotica.multimedia.traci-lords!!!!
she's back from the ban and better than ever! thank God for '80s geeks with VHS to Binary conversion cards

Quoted: Hey screw those Mormon fucks! What do they care about profit anyway? If they really wanted to make money they sell porn like any true entreprenuer would do! Instead they pack the shelf with that "Book o' Indian Jews" shit . They basically shut down all the other rental stores around here so i could'nt get my porn no more, Something i'll never forgive them for! So now I have to down load all my porn for free on bittorrent!! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Damn you.................. blockbuster!

This from the asshat that calls us racist in the "G-unit rolled up for weapons charges" thread.

Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

Quoted: Quoted: Hey screw those Mormon fucks! What do they care about profit anyway? If they really wanted to make money they sell porn like any true entreprenuer would do! Instead they pack the shelf with that "Book o' Indian Jews" shit . They basically shut down all the other rental stores around here so i could'nt get my porn no more, Something i'll never forgive them for! So now I have to down load all my porn for free on bittorrent!! NOOOOOOOOOOO! Damn you.................. blockbuster! This from the asshat that calls us racist in the "G-unit rolled up for weapons charges" thread. Pot, meet kettle. Kettle, meet pot.

UMMMMM, where exactly is the racism in the above statement?

all of it.

SGat1`r5

Quoted: all of it. SGat1`r5

please quantify? how else can i learn my lesson?

Quoted: Quoted: all of it. SGat1`r5 please quantify? how else can i learn my lesson?

No, it is obvious you are just a hater of christians, jews, black, and just about anyone else.

Plus you are poorly read.

Sgatr15

Quoted: Quoted: They're right, though. I went to Blockbuster a week ago, browsed the new release section, there was absolutely nothing of interest.  The single copy of that Korean war movie Tae Guk Gi (or whatever it's called) was checked out. I've got a *TON* of things on my "must buy" DVD list... all of it older films, TV shows and Anime.  There's nothing current that I can think of off the top of my head that was in theatrical release (except maybe Episode III - just to complete the series).

Your my kind of guy... (that was said in a completely heterosexual context.)