Thanks To People Getting Sick of Streaming Apps, Blockbuster-Like Libraries Are On the Rise 

First there were free book huts, now people are sharing actual DVDs and Blu-Rays to help others step away from streaming apps

All streaming apps became more and more expensive. The great Netflix password sharing crackdown proved a hassle to most subscribers. Good content seems to disappear from catalogs and you can’t find anything to watch on any streaming app. Everyone’s wallets hurt nowadays and you can’t afford streaming apps.

All these are reasons why people are coming back to physical media, and setting up free, Blockbuster-style libraries to help others move away from streaming apps as well.

A SeattleTimes report talks about a heart-warming trend:

The Free Blockbuster movement slowly gained traction, and eventually more than 200 other community boxes had opened from Louisiana to Canada and even Britain — though it is unclear how many of them remain operational.

“We are social animals; we want to go out into the world and engage with each other,” said Morrison, who keeps a lending library outside his home. He often refills it with DVDs and VHS tapes of TV series, horror movies and, on occasion, signed independent films, and said that it had encouraged interaction with his neighbors.

Andrew Kevin Walker, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter, said he had visited secondhand stores especially to seek out films to leave in the boxes, including two sealed James Bond box sets and a copy of “Cobra,” a 1986 film written by Sylvester Stallone.

“It’s an opportunity for people to really share their love of cinema, whether it be their favorite guilty pleasure or their favorite movie of all time,” he said.

Here’s a man who set up three free Blockbuster libraries in his area.

What movie or box set would you share with your community? I have about a dozen DVDs with Morgan Freeman movies lying around, all of them found while thrifting – and all of them are awesome 80s and 90s style action movies that are amazing if you want to turn off your brain for a bit. 

Also read: If You’re Nostalgic About LAN Parties, This Book Will Hit You Right In The Feels