Blockbuster franchise in Porto, Portugal

Tippett ad for Blockbuster

Blockbuster Video, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, is the name of the largest chain of video tape, video game and DVD rental shops in North America, with shops in countries like Canada, the US, the UK, Australia, and Taiwan. Blockbuster logo source: http://www. ... Blockbuster Video franchise in Porto, Portugal. ... Blockbuster Video franchise in Porto, Portugal. ... Download high resolution version (2324x1764, 2287 KB)Blockbuster ad promo This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (2324x1764, 2287 KB)Blockbuster ad promo This work is copyrighted. ... Downtown Dallas City nickname: Big D Location Location in the state of Texas Political Charateristics Counties Dallas County Collin County Denton County Mayor Laura Miller Physical Characteristics Area      Land      Water 385. ... Chain stores are a range of retail outlets which share a brand and central management, usually with standardised business methods and practices. ... Top view VHS cassette with US Quarter for scale Bottom view of VHS cassette with magnetic tape exposed The Video Home System, better known by its acronym VHS, is a recording and playing standard for video cassette recorders (VCRs), developed by JVC (with some of its critical technology under lucrative... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ... A rental shop is a store where a consumer can borrow reusable products for a fee for a certain period of time before returning them. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west... ...

Blockbuster's first store opened on October 19, 1985, and was grown into a multi-billion dollar company by Wayne Huizenga, until it was sold to Viacom in 1994. Blockbuster left Viacom at Viacom's request on October 13, 2004 and continued on its own. October 19 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... H. Wayne Huizenga (born Harry Wayne Huizenga on December 29, 1937), has built several companies into multi-billion dollar enterprises, mostly through an aggressive process of acquisitions. ... Viacom (short for Video & Audio Communications) [pronunciation: pre-Redstone/pre-1987: vee-a-com; post-Redstone acquisition: vi-a-com] (NYSE: VIA), (NYSE: VIAB) is an international media conglomerate. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

At the end of 2004, Blockbusters annual report put the number of US stores at 5,803 (4,708 company-operated and 1,095 franchised). International stores (both Blockbuster and other owned brands) totalled 3,291, including 426 in Canada, 897 in Britain, and 408 in Australia. It has been claimed their are more than 43 million U.S. households with Blockbuster memberships. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

As of 2004, Blockbuster decided to withdraw from Hong Kong, where it cannot compete with VCD shops, both local ones and those across the border within Shenzhen. On May 19, 2004, Blockbuster acquired Rhino Video Games in an effort to compete with GameStop. Video CD or VCD is a standard format for storing video on a Compact Disc. ... Evening skyline of Shenzhen. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... GameStop Corp. ...

In 2004, Blockbuster introduced their DVD rental service by mail in the US to compete with other online DVD rental providers such as Netflix (it also does mail rentals in the UK). In addition, Blockbuster rolled out Blockbuster Movie and Game Passes, which allow customers to watch all the movies or games they can for a monthly fee (although they limit the number of movies or games a customer can have out at any one time). A British pillar box The postal system is a system by which written documents typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages containing other matter, are delivered to destinations around the world. ... Online DVD rentals allow a person to rent DVDs by mail. ... Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) is the first and largest major online DVD rental service, offering flat-rate rental-by-mail to customers in the United States. ...

At the end of 2004, Blockbuster publicly stated that it plans to acquire its competitor, Hollywood Video, in a hostile takeover. According to press releases, they plan to offer $11.50 per share for Hollywood Video stock directly to shareholders. On March 25, 2005, Blockbuster announced that its offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Hollywood Entertainment Corporation expired in accordance with their terms at midnight, New York City time, of that date. Movie Gallery, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the second largest movie and game rental company in the United States, behind Blockbuster Video. ... A takeover in commerce refers to one company (the acquirer) purchasing another (the target). ... Movie Gallery, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is the second largest movie and game rental company in the United States, behind Blockbuster Video. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

"Our decision not to extend our offers was reached after a careful review of all of the available facts and circumstances. Among those things that played prominently for us were Hollywood’s recent public filings and the unlikely resolution of our request for regulatory clearance on an acceptable timetable. Given the current circumstances, in our judgment it is not in Blockbuster’s best interest to continue to pursue the acquisition," said John Antioco, Blockbuster Chairman and CEO. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ...

Blockbuster also rolled out in-store Game Rush locations that provide a wide variety of games and systems, from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the modern PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube systems. Game Rush locations tend to offer special deals on game trading that seem to be focused on improving their inventory of used games rather than trying to actually cut a profit. The Nintendo Entertainment System (North America, Europe, and Australia) The Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, is an 8-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ... The Xbox was Microsofts first game console, released on November 15, 2001. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ...

The company has a large Irish subsidiary, Xtravision, which has never changed to using Blockbuster brand. Xtra-vision Limited is Irelands largest chain of video rental stores, founded in 1979. ...

Elimination of Late Fees

On January 1, 2005 Blockbuster introduced[1] their "End of Late Fees" program[2]. Instead of late fees, there is a seven day period after the due date when the item may be returned without charge. After this point, Blockbuster automatically charges the renter for the selling price of the unreturned item (less the rental fee). Customers may return the item with 30 days to have this charge reversed, less a "restocking fee" of $1.25 (which may be higher in particpating franchised stores). A late fee, also known as a late fine, is a charge levied against a client by an organization for not returning a rented or borrowed item by its due date. ... Franchising (from the French for free) is a method of doing business wherein a franchisor licenses trademarks and methods of doing business to a franchisee in exchange for a recurring royalty fee. ...

The loss of late fees eliminated a significant revenue stream for Blockbuster, and along with online rentals, has been dismissed by its main competitor, Movie Gallery[3]. Movie Gallery (NASDAQ: MOVI) based in Dothan Alabama, is the second largest movie and game rental company in the United States, behind Blockbuster Video. ...

On February 18, 2005 the Attorney General of New Jersey filed suit[4] against Blockbuster, alleging that it had failed to clearly disclose the terms of the new policy, and that some franchisees were not participating in the program, had shorter grace periods, or charged higher restocking fees. Other states began looking into the program as well. On March 29 Blockbuster signed an "Assurance of Voluntary Compliance"[5] with 46 states and the District of Columbia (but not including New Jersey) in which it agreed to more clearly inform customers of the terms and limitations of the program. A refund program was set up for those affected by the purchase charges or restocking fees, and rental coupons offered to compensate for late fees paid in non-participating stores prior to the agreement. Blockbuster also paid $630,000 to the states involved to cover the costs of the investigation. In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (D)Acting Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... ...

The "End of Late Fees" progam is a corporate policy and is not binding on franchised stores in the US (approximated 18% of the total). Blockbuster's 2004 annual report claimed that approximately half of the franchisees were participating, but that could leave a few hundred (less than 10% of all US stores) which have opted not to participate in said policy. These franchisees continue to charge late fees as usual, and it's best to confirm with the store(s) in your area.

The "End of Late Fees" policy was extended to Canada (where all stores are operated by the corporation) as of March 31, 2005 (See [6]). March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Online Operations

United States

In August 2004 [7], Blockbuster introduced an online DVD rental service in the US, in competition with the established market leader, Netflix. The initial price of the standard 3-disc plan was $19.95, which was below the Netflix price (which they had just raised from $19.95 to $21.99 in June [8]. In October Netflix changed course and reduced its own 3-disc price to $17.99, and Blockbuster responded by reducing to $17.49 [9]. It made a further reduction to $14.99 in December, and apparently has guaranteed this price to existing customers until January 2006 [10]. However, in August 2005, Blockbuster raised their prices for new customers to match the Netflix level of $17.99 [11]. Online DVD rentals allow a person to rent DVDs by mail. ... Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) is the first and largest major online DVD rental service, offering flat-rate rental-by-mail to customers in the United States. ...

Blockbuster's US online operation started with around 10 warehouses; further expansions [12][13] have brought that number to 30 [14]. The company had 1 million customers by August 2005, and has a stated target of 2 million by the end of the first quarter 2006 [15].

United Kingdom

In the UK, Blockbuster has been providing a version of online rentals since October 2002 [16] with its "Pay Per Rent" [17] service. This is more like a postal version of store rentals than the traditional online DVD rental subscription model, with per-rental prices of £3.50-£4.50, with a rental period of 5 nights (not including postal delivery times), and late fees (£0.70-0.90 per disc) [18].

In May 2004, they also introduced [19] a conventional online subscription service [20]. The unlimited 3-disc plan is £14.99/month.

Canada

Although Blockbuster has a large presence in Canada [21], there has been no indication as of yet of any plans to introduce an online rental option in Canada.

Concerns and Censorship

Blockbuster's massive international permeation and domination of the video market has placed certain business practices under scrutiny. Critics of the chain, including Naomi Klein in her anti-globalization book No Logo, say that they use their power to enact censorship - this accusation stemming from the fact that Blockbuster are reputed to edit videos for release beyond the standard retail cut, or at the very least use their significant market share to influence studios to edit in order to lower their certification and reach a wider market. Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born 1970) is a Canadian journalist, author and activist. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, a controversial book written by Canadian journalist Naomi Klein, first appeared in January 2000. ... Censorship is the use of governmental power to control speech and other forms of human expression. ...

Also on the subject of censorship, on November 27, 1990, the MPAA introduced the NC-17 rating in order to distinguish non-pornographic adult material from 'X-rated' materials. Under pressure from the Christian organisation the American Family Association, headed by Rev. Donald Wildmon, Blockbuster decided not to stock NC-17 titles. The AFA also successfully campaigned against films such as The Last Temptation of Christ. November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ... X-rated, X certificate, X classification or similar terms are labels for movies implying strong adult content, typically pornography or violence. ... The American Family Association (AFA) is a conservative, fundamentalist Christian non-profit organization founded in 1977 by Rev. ... Donald Wildmon, born 18 January 1938 in Dumas, Mississippi, is the founder and head of the fundamentalist Christian organisation, the American Family Association. ... The Last Temptation of Christ is a novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in December 1960. ...

Further criticism is that their business model has led to a dilution of availability. The standard model for video rental stores was that they would pay a large flat fee per video, approximately US$65, and have unlimited rentals from the lifetime of the cassette itself. The new system, controlled by the distribution company Rentrak, and perhaps influenced by the studios due to the smaller space constraints and longer shelf-life of the DVD format, is based on royalties. Blockbuster obtain videos for little or no cost, and takes approximately half of the rental fee, paying the other half back to the studio and to Rentrak. Under this model, there is little incentive to purchase movies that have enduring interest for fewer people. Riding on the hype generated by the vast marketing campaigns of Hollywood blockbusters, they fill their shelves with multiple copies of the same brand-new film, which may have a shelf life of only 2-3 months, and combine this with a promise that the video will be in stock or you rent it for free the following time. This often leads to shelf-saturation, where there may be 50 copies of the latest hyped movie available, yet little, if any, older or foreign movies. The Rentrak Corporation, founded in 1984, is an entertainment industry information management company that provides services to Movie studios and Video Rental Shops. ... Royalty may refer to either: the royal family of a country with a monarchy the payment made to the owner of a copyright, patent, or trademark, for the use thereof This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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Advertising

Tippett-produced television commercial for Blockbuster, with Carl and Ray.

One of Blockbuster's most well known advertising campaigns was launched during the 2002 Superbowl. It starred the voices of Jim Belushi and James Woods, as a rabbit and a guinea pig in a pet shop, located across the road from a Blockbuster store. Download high resolution version (2324x1765, 2737 KB)Blockbuster ad promo This work is copyrighted. ... Download high resolution version (2324x1765, 2737 KB)Blockbuster ad promo This work is copyrighted. ... Advertising campaign is series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). ... The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League, the pinnacle of American football. ... James Belushi (also known as Jim Belushi) (born June 15, 1954) is an American film and television actor. ... James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an American actor. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus The bane of Australian farmers - the wild rabbit An old rabbit trap Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae, found in many parts of the world. ... Species Cavia porcellus Cavia aperea Cavia tschudii Cavia guianae Cavia anolaimae Cavia nana Cavia fulgida Cavia magna Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. ...

Slogans

• "Wow! What a difference!"
• "Make it a Blockbuster Night."
• "Let the good times roll!"
• "Go home happy."
• "Bringing entertainment home."
• "The end of late fees. The start of more." (Note that FRANCHISE Blockbuster locations are NOT all taking part in this promotion, despite the presence of television advertisements.)
• "Feel The Rush" (Note: Only applies to special "Game Rush" stores)
• "Renting is BETTER Than Ever."

See also: Blockbuster (general meaning of the word) ...

External links

• Blockbuster Video website
• IHateBlockbuster.com Forums for (ex)employees
• Blockbuster or Netflix DVD Rental Comparison
• Blockbuster DVD Rental Review
• Rentrak, Blockbuster's distribution company, controlling industry revenue sharing
• Frequently Asked Questions about the "No Late Fees" program