People fill old newspaper boxes with movies and call it “Free Blockbuster.”

Blockbuster – the iconic and nostalgic rental film franchise – is making a comeback of sorts. The reason for this is a movement called Free Blockbuster, which offers films for free through the community and not through a store.

In Bend, Oregon, there is only one actual Blockbuster store left, where people can walk to a brick-and-mortar store to get their weekend entertainment and snacks — similar to the pilgrimage that millions often made on Fridays in decades past.

The ritual ended for most with the near extinction of Blockbuster stores and other movie rental franchises (Blockbuster Company filed for bankruptcy in 2010) as they were replaced by home streaming.

Brian Morrison, a former Blockbuster employee and later film and television producer, had an inkling that people might still want to watch DVD and VHS tapes. Additionally, there were still many physical copies of films in the world that he wanted to prevent from ending up in landfills.

In 2018, Morrison noticed empty newspaper boxes in his neighborhood and that inspired an idea.

“A lot of people said, ‘We need to get these out,’ and I thought, ‘What if instead of removing them, we put them to another use?'” Morrison said.

Around the same time, a friend of Morrison’s was moving from Los Angeles and wanted to get rid of a large DVD collection. He thought about the concept of the Little Free Library and a light bulb went on.

“I thought we could use the old newspaper boxes to share our hoarded film collections with our neighbors and we could brand them in a way that was fun and throwback,” said Morrison, who decided to paint one Newspaper box in blue and yellow and with the Blockbuster movie ticket logo.

He called it a “free blockbuster.”

Inspired by the box, people quickly jumped on the bandwagon and the free blockbuster movement was born.

There are now hundreds of Blockbuster newspaper boxes across the country – and some in Canada and the UK as well – filled with old movies and TV series (in DVD and VHS form) that you can pick up for free.

“I look at the whole thing as a big collective art installation,” Morrison said. “It’s kind of amazing how it has grown and evolved with every new person that contributes.”

Not long after launching Free Blockbuster, Morrison received a letter from an attorney for DISH — which acquired the Blockbuster brand in 2011 — asking him to change the logo and name. Morrison changed the logo from the torn ticket to a rewound tape and said he hasn’t heard of any problems since then. DISH did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Washington Post.

Morrison wanted to use the Blockbuster name and colors for the movement, he said, because “it’s a great brand identity… It wouldn’t have been as memorable otherwise.”

Free Blockbusters have recently popped up in San Francisco, Missouri, Iowa, Winnipeg and even Alaska. Morrison said there are about 250 of them, which he calls “franchises.”

“The most fun thing when it’s free is when people find something in their community, either an old magazine rack or some other piece of furniture that has outlived its original purpose and needs to be brought back to life in a new way,” he said . He adds that he loves seeing people put their own spin on their free blockbusters. “I’m so amazed by the beautiful things people come up with.”

In 2021, Ryan Daley set up three Free Blockbuster Boxes in and around Washington, DC – including two in Arlington and one on Capitol Hill at Lincoln Park – with varying degrees of success.

“I think the movement is great for the community,” said Daley, who grew up on Capitol Hill and has fond memories of visiting his local Blockbuster in the Eastern Market area with his father. “I still have his Blockbuster card.”

When he spotted a free Blockbuster box set in Philadelphia, “I thought, ‘This is right up my alley,'” said Daley, who runs an independent film company. “I really liked cinema and nostalgic things in general, and when I saw this, it was a no-brainer for me.”

Daley searched for empty newspaper boxes in his hometown and spray-painted them with the classic Blockbuster colors of blue and yellow. He then went to several thrift stores to select some of his favorite films, including “The Matrix,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Inception.”

“People loved it and the feedback was great,” Daley said.

Often, Morrison said, Free Blockbuster creators don’t need to replenish the film stock because locals help maintain the supply.

“You hear stories about people who receive so many donations that they don’t even know what to do with them… Sometimes people come and give their entire collection back to the public good,” he said, explaining that a surprising number of people always do VCRs and DVD players are still available online and in thrift stores.

Sandi Harding – the chief executive of the world’s last remaining Blockbuster store – said the Free Blockbuster movement was “great”.

“Anything that draws attention to physical media is fantastic,” she said. “I just think it’s a very positive thing and gets people talking about the brand.”

People who visit the store from out of town tell Harding how much they miss their local Blockbuster. She believes that people’s collective nostalgia for the brand may be the reason for the success of the free blockbuster movement.

“They just really miss going to Blockbuster on Friday nights,” she said.

When Morrison founded the movement, he did not expect others to become involved to the extent that they have.

“I was surprised at how often I somehow left my box empty when it sold out or ran out of stock, and how often someone from the community would show up and refill it,” he said.

Free blockbusters are particularly popular with children who have never had a real blockbuster experience.

Abby Berendt Lavoi, her husband Jeremey Lavoi and their daughter Lily, 9, created their free blockbuster near their New Orleans home in July.

Berendt Lavoi and her husband – both of whom work in video production – recently filmed a documentary and decided to include some copies of the film in their free blockbuster. To her delight, it was one of the first things people borrowed, “which I thought was cool,” Berendt Lavoi said. “We still love tangible media.”

Morrison said the boxes would appeal to people who are simply tired of streaming.

“Streaming fatigue is real and has many reasons,” he said. “It could just be that you don’t like the selection or the way it’s presented, and it could just be that we don’t really want to sit in our houses and interact with anyone.”

Morrison hopes this is just the beginning of the free blockbuster movement. His next goal is to raise money for a brick-and-mortar Free Blockbuster store.

“I’ve been very lucky that so many cool people around the world find this thing interesting and want to get involved and develop the idea further,” he said. “It’s inspiring.”

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