Opening gala of Blockbuster's first store in Hollywood, California in December of 1990. Lots of business executives and some celebrity sightings. Ribbon cutting, etc...
Today’s kids will never know the beauty of walking into Blockbuster or Hollywood Video and running around to find your favorite movie if it was available. Childhood memories. 90’s were a dream.
except the hundereds of non corporate video stores opened across the country that lasted until around 2015, its not a all at once thing, like architecture, we didin't all just start building modern architecture at once it just gradually happened, if you mean gen alpha yes they probably never saw a video store but gen z especially in rural areas with worse internet probably have been to a video store in the late 2000s/early 2010s, DVDs were still relevant and in my opinion are better than streaming
@@circleinforthecube5170 Gen z and alpha most likely I guess I’m speaking more of a California pov. My mistake. I say this because I have cousins who are born post millennium and they’ve never set foot in a video store. Don’t know remember watching vhs tapes. DVD for sure but a video store like the one in this video.
Oh how I miss Blockbuster!!! So many awesome Friday and Saturday nights were spent there. I still remember browsing through the horror aisle (my favorite) and seeing all of the cool and unique VHS cover art. Streaming is great, technically better than any video store in terms of selection and variety and ease of access. BUT....there's something that's been lost with the demise of the video store. That anticipation, that feeling of excitement, a communal experience surrounding the love of movies and entertainment. This vid brings me back to my 90s childhood in an awesome way. :)
The experience of move-hunting is lost on streaming. Making a big deal of watching a movie has been destroyed. A little scarcity is a good thing to experience sometimes.
@RETROGEMS there was nothing like going to the horror section and BAM! In your hand you had that 1978 Classic Halloween 😢 oh how I miss those days. Then heading over and getting that fresh 🍕
I loved Hollywood Video too! They had a HUGE selection of classic movies/horror movies that I couldn't find at Blockbuster. I also loved the place's theming. Wonderful store.
i use my cellphone all the time but i will admit cellphones i think are part of whats ruining people, if you agree with me just reply back with a yessssssssssssssssssssssss
The movies we stream we do not own, and they can alter those streaming versions of movies to fit modern social standards. I'm waiting to see if they'll cut the Einhorn strip scene from Ace Ventura (1994). Do not discard physical media. I found trash bags full of dvd movies at the landfill recently.
Love seeing those foreign and classics sections. I'm sure I would've browsed this place for hours if I had ever gotten to go. Thanks for preserving it for future generations.
Only issue you might have had was that only the Big cities had foreign films sections. I live in a average sized town and I never saw a classic or foreign sections and I use to go to like 3-4 different blockbusters. It still a great time though. How I miss the 80’s-90’s.
I lived in Hollywood from 2005 to 2009. Used to go to this exact Blockbuster. They showed the front stairs area quite a bit that goes to the upper level but didn't show the back stairs which is another way down on the other side. There would usually be large cardboard standup advertisements behind the rail on the way down. A little small carpeted area that was behind the rail and likely built that way so small kids wouldn't fall through the rail to the lower area. Just kind of closed off in general. Anyways, my kid used to climb back there and hide behind the rail and the carboard displays that were there. I would always have to go fish him out of there. Was fun times for sure.
I would kill to experience this. Seriously. I'm jealous of y'all that got to do this. I only gone to a blockbuster twice my entire life. Now the same building has become a weed dispensary. 😂😂😂. Can't complain.
some of my fondest memories were at video stores. some even as late as 2015 like at hastings before they shut down. Feels like a fever dream just thinking about it.but man those corporate stooges sure know how to throw a shindig
I worked in this exact store about 8 years after this was filmed. Those 8 years weren’t kind on it…it was pretty run down by then. But it was a very high traffic store so I’m sure it was lots of wear and tear!
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that bro I’m from the 80s and not Mid90s Matt remember one you know running a video and a video game that was kind of like a thing that you had to be good and at least have like a week of school with no you no bad grades no fighting with anybody that kind of thing man you know I have never wow I just I’ve never do you know like exactly what state this was a nurse just wanted to know because I’m new to this chat. I just saw this a cosplayer dress like RoboCop and I was just wondering I’ve never seen a blockbuster like this before.
Many of the guests at the party were the franchise investors who were drinking up champagne saying "Best investment ever, we're gonna be rich. Nothing can stop us now" Little did they know !
I think they knew to some extent. I worked at Blockbuster in 1996 and a corporate bigwig stopped in. We were chatting and I said, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a Blockbuster service connected to our cable system, where we could choose any movie from home?” And he said, “That’s coming, but we’re a ways off from that.” So, I do think they had an idea that streaming services would eventually be available. Maybe they didn’t realize they would completely take over?
This particular Blockbuster was near the Sunset strip. It was located at 7833 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046. If you click on "see more dates", you can see the transition of the building. 😢
My favorite video store memories are from the local chain in my hometown, not Blockbuster. I only remember going to BB as a last resort when I couldn't find anything at the other stores.
People talk about blockbuster like it fucking rules, when it was expensive and the late fees would compound exponentially to absurd prices. They honestly killed themselves with unfriendly business practices and not adapting to the times fast enough after killing so many mom and pop stores.
I grew up in the 80’s and 90’s…I have no nostalgia for them nor do I mourn the loss of them. These artifacts are amusing and they serve as a reminder to a dead age
Ah yes the late 80's and early 90's of neon everywhere and turning to bright colors rather than the earth colors that you saw in the 70's and early 80's.
Back at there start of the era when the The Video Privacy Protection Act applied. Only camera there that this one could tell was the one filming this video. Maybe a second one on the tape ribbon cutting or maybe they was holding the second mic to a PA system.
A 1990 Blockbuster grand opening … and ZERO balloons? 🤦♂️ but seriously this is one of the most beautiful things I ever saw. We were truly lucky to have gotten to have Blockbuster. With actual physical media. If it wasn’t available then oh well! And long before people were buried in their stupid phones, wearing their stupid pussy masks, (omg I can’t EVER get a sniffle EVER again, I’m a victim!!!!!!!) and making Tiktoks 🤮
This place almost looks like a accounting or like a business office or something this is different. I’ve never seen a video store like this before. It’s almost got like stairs like a shopping mall or something I wanna wear this is that😮
I miss these days... back before youtube and streaming the only way to watch certain scenes from a movie was to hire it out and watch the entire movie... I used to watch movies 3 to 5 times back in those days. Now days I'll only watch them once and just youtube the best scenes.....
It's the Hollywood branch of Blockbuster, their flagship store, which also the presenter said in the video it's their first store. Blockbuster was the Netflix of it's day.
![Opening of Blockbuster Video store in Hollywood [1990]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
