AfterDawn: News

Blockbuster drops DVD rentals to 99 cents

Blockbuster has announced that in January they will begin offering 99-cent DVD rentals to all customers.

The drop to under $1 USD will be the first time the large US rental company has ever done so, and CEO Jim Keyes believes the move should lure in cautious consumers scared for their economic futures.



"We do have plans in the month of January to more aggressively roll throughout the system a value offer that will include movies in the 99 cents price range," Keyes said.

"The 99 cents plan is targeted at the value-conscious consumer in this challenging economy," he noted.

New movies would not be priced at $1 but thousands of catalog titles would be. New titles will remain at the same price, $5 USD for a two-day rental.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 6 Dec 2008 21:24

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• 34 comments

• Pride1

  Oh something positive from this economic crisis besides low gas prices :)

  6.12.2008 22:29 #1

• ydkjman

  But this is the part I love.
  
  Quote:New titles will remain at the same price, $5 USD for a two-day rental.
  Hmm have they ever wondered why people don't rent from them. 2 days for $5 ? And the begining of that 1st day starts right when you rent it even if that's at 5 min. til they close the store.
  
  No wonder why Red Box and other rental stores do better. For $5 you could atleast get 5 days out of that $5 you're paying. Heck with codes your only going to have to pay for 4 of the 5 days even.

  7.12.2008 01:29 #2

• hikaricor

  Finally an affordable way to rip and distribute those hard to find titles on the internet. ^_^

  7.12.2008 01:58 #3

• cdman2005

  Quote:But this is the part I love.
  
  Quote:New titles will remain at the same price, $5 USD for a two-day rental.
  Hmm have they ever wondered why people don't rent from them. 2 days for $5 ? And the begining of that 1st day starts right when you rent it even if that's at 5 min. til they close the store.
  
  No wonder why Red Box and other rental stores do better. For $5 you could atleast get 5 days out of that $5 you're paying. Heck with codes your only going to have to pay for 4 of the 5 days even.if your gonna keep the movie for a day or 2 then the redbox is the better choice but if your gonna keep the movies for like 2 weeks then blockbuster is the better choice since you get a free 10 days past your due date to turn it in.

  7.12.2008 02:28 #4

• maxikaz

  positive news i like it
  

  
  

  7.12.2008 05:33 #5

• AuWolf

  lol in my rural town in Australia it will cost you $7.50 to rent one film or game for one night haha at Blockbuster.
  

  Respect is everything

  7.12.2008 07:35 #6

• ZippyDSM

  Its about time their rental model is horrendous.. but frankly….. 5$-2day for a new movie is just stupid 2$ is more realistic plus you’ll get more volume in and make money….but making them 5$ you slow volume…Hell I can buy a used new movie for 5$.
  
  Games should be 5$ a week(5 days) recurring, old videos 1$ new videos no more than 3$ every 2-3 days. Hell be inventive but reasonable 5$ a week or 1$ a day for either game or film after 4 weeks you get charged a 5$ processing fee.

  7.12.2008 11:23 #7

• Leningrad

  Originally posted by hikaricor: Finally an affordable way to rip and distribute those hard to find titles on the internet. ^_^
  arrr looks like someone wans' to be a pirate!

  7.12.2008 13:58 #8

• creaky

  Indeed, hikaricor - let's please keep the piracy comments out on the seven seas

  7.12.2008 14:01 #9

• embo22000

  Originally posted by creaky: Indeed, hikaricor - let's please keep the piracy comments out on the seven seasOh come on it seems that in this site everything you say bothers some moderator or administrator what the heck.

  7.12.2008 15:05 #10

• windsong

  Originally posted by hikaricor: Finally an affordable way to rip and distribute those hard to find titles on the internet. ^_^This.

  7.12.2008 15:15 #11

• ash4l

  Well my wife is a manager at Blockbuster and she was telling me that the company is very serious about bringing back late fees,so when this goes into effect I wouldn't doubt that they bring back late fees.

  7.12.2008 19:47 #12

• Globe08

  Originally posted by ash4l: Well my wife is a manager at Blockbuster and she was telling me that the company is very serious about bringing back late fees,so when this goes into effect I wouldn't doubt that they bring back late fees.
  Not to be too harsh but if she isnt already she should start looking elsewhere for a place of employment. Their late fees blow. Their pricing is even worse. Netflix and redbox blow Blockbuster out of the water.

  7.12.2008 21:03 #13

• ash4l

  Yeah she knows and also the company knows how bad Netflix and Redbox is hurting them. The CEO wants Blockbuster to be more like Best Buy,I guess that's why they was looking into buying Circuit City.

  7.12.2008 22:20 #14

• lamchops1

  Originally posted by hikaricor: Finally an affordable way to rip and distribute those hard to find titles on the internet. ^_^
  
  
  Hmmmmmmm !
  

  USC Trojans Rule Forever !!!
  
  

  7.12.2008 22:25 #15

• xdgen84

  Originally posted by ash4l: Well my wife is a manager at Blockbuster and she was telling me that the company is very serious about bringing back late fees,so when this goes into effect I wouldn't doubt that they bring back late fees.
  They've already brought back late fees where I am. $1 per day late fee...at least it's better than it used to be...

  8.12.2008 09:51 #16

• 7thsinger

  Decent news for a change.

  8.12.2008 10:08 #17

• Mez

  Yes, everything helps. I bet they will be a dollor/night. That is fine for me. I will probably drop my BB internet account. Rent new DVDs at Red Box and rent more 'core' movies at the store. If you get a screwed up DVD there isn't much you can do at the Red Box.

  8.12.2008 15:10 #18

• FredBun

  I don't have a problem with BB, I use both my internet account and the store, with coupons, freebies after so many rentals, the free older dvd's matching along with the new one's e.g. 5 new 5 free oldies, most of the time when I come in on tuesdays, I'll walk out with about 14 movies and I'll pay about 20 bucks give or take at times, thats not to bad.

  8.12.2008 18:31 #19

• lynchg0p

  BB dropping prices to 99 cents is a farce and pointless unless they drop the prices of new releases too. I mean, come on.........Family video has stolen so much from Blockbuster's ridiculous business plan that it's almost funny. They charge like 2.10 for a one day rental and like 2.60 for a five day. Who on GOD's green earth woul anyone be stupid enough to actually rent from BB on a regular basis and PAY NORMAL PRICES??
  
  
  "The world may never know"

  9.12.2008 10:31 #20

• Mez

  lynchg0p - Why ???
  Quote:BB dropping prices to 99 cents is a farce and pointless unless they drop the prices of new releases too. I mean, come onDo you not go into store that have a few things on sale? Do you refuse because you want either everything on sale or nothing on sale.
  
  Me, I just buy what is on sale.

  9.12.2008 13:38 #21

• Leningrad

  Originally posted by lynchg0p: BB dropping prices to 99 cents is a farce and pointless unless they drop the prices of new releases too. I mean, come on.........Family video has stolen so much from Blockbuster's ridiculous business plan that it's almost funny. They charge like 2.10 for a one day rental and like 2.60 for a five day. Who on GOD's green earth woul anyone be stupid enough to actually rent from BB on a regular basis and PAY NORMAL PRICES??
  
  
  "The world may never know"hehe great trolling of yours, as the previous guy said, there cant be everything on sale.

  9.12.2008 17:18 #22

• fandr78

  This is why i pay $29.99 a month( 2 out at a time) for a in store pass. $5.00 a movie,not cost efficient.

  10.12.2008 16:01 #23

• Mez

  fandr78, if you are really driven, you can do 100/ month. I have the 3 per + 4 for $18 a month. If you push that is $1/disk. I probably average $1.5/disk. I am getting lazy.

  11.12.2008 07:52 #24

• ydkjman

  Originally posted by Mez: If you get a screwed up DVD there isn't much you can do at the Red Box.I have always called them and they give me a code that's usually good for 45 days. I will go to another box that day and get a new disc before I return the bad one, just to make sure I don't get that one back when I rent with the new code.

  11.12.2008 09:20 #25

• fandr78

  Originally posted by Mez: fandr78, if you are really driven, you can do 100/ month. I have the 3 per + 4 for $18 a month. If you push that is $1/disk. I probably average $1.5/disk. I am getting lazy.Yeah,that would be the best and cheapest.I also have the online plan for $19.99(3 out at a time and unlimited in store returns). You really cant beat,returning your online rental in store for any movie you like.

  11.12.2008 16:07 #26

• ash4l

  The only thing I didn't like about BB's online service is that it would take 4-6 days to recieve the movies once they mailed it out. The shipping facility is only an hour away from my house. But Netflix, I can send dvds back in one day and the next day I can have a new one in the mail box.

  11.12.2008 16:20 #27

• fandr78

  Originally posted by ash4l: The only thing I didn't like about BB's online service is that it would take 4-6 days to recieve the movies once they mailed it out. The shipping facility is only an hour away from my house. But Netflix, I can send dvds back in one day and the next day I can have a new one in the mail box.I really cant say anything bad about BB online..I get them within a day or two.

  11.12.2008 16:26 #28

• FredBun

  I have been with BB online since they opened up, I joined after dropping netfix cause they got to big for thier britches.
  
  Here is what I have learned about getting yours late, My zoned PO which is actually furhter away than 2 others closer by, so when my mail gets picked up from my mail box it takes twice as long to get back movies versus when I drop off movies to the other 2 PO in person, why, they just have better personel, mine unfortunatly suck. So its not BB that does this, it's that damn PO.
  
  And to show you it's not just a fluke, I have friends that live in the other two PO zones, and they always get thiers within 2 days and 3 at the most. I did go personally to complain to my PO, of course thier answer is OH NOT US, its the people at BB, YEAH RIGHT.

  11.12.2008 17:19 #29

• ash4l

  I liked having both of them,because blockbuster would carry something netflix didn't and vice versa. I might sign back up with Blockbuster,I recently changed email address' and I have a free month trial so I might use it. :-)

  11.12.2008 18:10 #30

• handsom

  They're not saying ALL movies, they're saying some. I'm in one of their pilot areas, and they have been testing it here. It's only for certain movies (Older flicks, nothing under a year old).
  
  SO, while it's not horrible, it's not spectacular either. In some stores, it was literally only SOME of the favorites movies, but not all. -.-

  11.12.2008 20:02 #31

• FredBun

  handsom, thats also very true. the other guy says he might rejoin blockbuster, hey, whatever works out best I say do it, cause if you do not take advantage of the deals that are offered than yes you are getting screwed, cause without any of those deals, they both suck.

  12.12.2008 01:42 #32

• Mez

  ash4l, if you are getting disks in a timely mannor from Netflix you are still in the honny moon era or they changed polacy. I used to average a week and a half to get a disk and both BB and Netfix are in my town not an hour away. BB set up its first center in the same town as NF probably to get past employess from NF. I drop off my disks at the post office that services both companies. It is only a couple miles from my house. The problem is thier weighted delivery system. They give faster the turn around to persons far from their centers and delay processing members that have faster mail. The worst case was I sent 2 disks in the same envelope. One they claimed the revieved a day or 2 later(I know they got it the same day). The other in the same envelope they did not claim to get for a week and a half. When you quit NF they alway stick you for an extra month that you pay for but don't get service. They do not take complaints over the phone. You can only email. I have never gotten a reply in the 5 year I used them. I will NEVER use them again. They are one of the sleziest companies I have ever delt with.

  12.12.2008 09:44 #33

• FredBun

  Mez, you are absolutly right, it's exactly why I left NF years ago, when they first started everything was great, you could get them on the phone for anything, than the tech phone calls stopped, than even support e-mails were never returned, movies started to come in late, thats when I had enough.
  
  Like I said, look for the best deals cause both have problems, but at least I can still call BB for questions or support, and support to me is more important than another guy bieng a couple bucks cheaper if thier support sucks or none at all.
  
  Plus at least with BB you can finagle good deals if you have both internet and store access, like also I mentioned before, many times I have walked out the store with 14 movies give or take for around 20 bucks with coupons frebbies etc., of course half of those would be new and old, but so what, if I havent seen it before it's still a movie, try and make a deal like that with NF, or any other company that rents.

  12.12.2008 14:21 #34