Once upon a time, Blockbuster was the entertainment king. Now you don’t have to rent a movie video to watch one, and there is just one Blockbuster left in the world.
That Blockbuster is making a bold statement with a commercial for one of the busiest sporting nights of the year. But true to its roots, it’s doing things a little differently.
With a nostalgic nod to the days of video rental stores, the World’s Last Blockbuster commercial, Until the Bitter End, will be released exclusively on the VHS format following a two-week social media teaser campaign.
The 30-second spot, which was created by independent creative agency, Atlantic New York, will be played on VHS by store manager, Sandi Harding, for those lucky enough to attend the store’s Super Bowl watch party in Bend, Oregon.
Here is its synopsis: Only two things will make it through an apocalypse on planet Earth: cockroaches and the world’s last Blockbuster. The ad shows a lowly cockroach making a journey through post-apocalyptic detritus. Buildings have been reduced to piles of rubble, the people are gone, and the internet cannot stream anymore. But the world’s last Blockbuster will still be standing. Open and ready to welcome the survivors.
Now something of a cult brand, the world’s last Blockbuster is the last standing bastion of a bygone era. The store has become an essential part of the Bend community and is much loved and supported by local patrons as well as its international fan base. Blockbuster devotees travel to the store from all over the world to live the now defunct experience of renting a movie, a past-time that was such a big part of the way the world experienced home entertainment, something younger generations will never understand. One fan travelled from as far as Spain, another family drove from the other side of the USA to rent a movie just so their kids could understand the experience. Since the fall of the rest of the Blockbuster empire, the store has welcomed over 5,000 new memberships and enjoys a healthy trade selling Blockbuster T-shirts, souvenirs and memorabilia.
Store manager, Sandi Harding, stated, “We know that the world as we know it may be coming to an end, but we refuse to go down without a fight. We want to remind everyone that there’s something special about the tangible experience of browsing the shelves and discovering something new. And honestly, if the world is ending, we want to go out with a bang.”
Dan Greener, creative director, Atlantic New York, added, “We figured that America loves rooting for the little guy so perhaps they might find it in their hearts to root for one of its littlest. And maybe in the process celebrate what the big game is all about: gathering around a screen with your friends and family to watch something special happen. An experience, Blockbuster happens to know a thing or two about.”
Fans who are unable to attend the Super Bowl watch party in person will be able to tune in to the live stream of the event on the World’s Last Blockbuster’s social media channels to catch a glimpse of the commercial.
The commercial was directed by Theodore Schaefer and Paul Gale, two award-winning NYC indie filmmakers, and co-produced by Dweck Productions and Having Changed Productions.
The VHS will also be available for rent afterward, for only 2 US dollars a day.
Retro Blockbuster memorabilia can be purchased here.
Credits
Client: Blockbuster
Agency: Atlantic New York
Co-Founders and CCOs: Joao Coutinho & Marco Pupo
Partner & Managing Director: Suzanne Barbosa
Creative Director: Daniel Greener
Art Directors: Elizabeth Cala & Jessica Morford
Copywriter: AO Baker
Senior Strategist: Gabriela Conci
Head of Production: Greg Jenkins
Directors: Theodore Schaefer and Paul Gale
Production Company: Dweck Productions & Having Changed Productions
Sound & Music: Max Phillips
VFX: Danny Behar
Color: Sam Gursky
Finishing: Irving Harvey
