This story on CNN Money details Blockbuster's plans to immediately offer a flat-rate rental program called "Movie Pass." Intially you will only be able to rent movies at the store, but they expect to be able to handle online reservations and DVD mailing by the end of the year. The 2-out program will cost $24.99 per month and the 3-out program costs $29.99. You will not be able to return the movies rented by mail to the stores until sometime next year.
Priced higher than Netflix and offering a fraction of the selection, it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out in the DVD rental war between Blockbuster and Netflix.
Thanks (again) to HackingNetflix reader Joe for tipping me off to this story.
I saw a HUGE poster for this at the BB in our neighborhood yesterday ..
Reading this now though I do remember that before we got Netflix we had a 'DVD Pass" at BB which offered us unlimited rentals ( 3 out at a time ) for $24.99 ( not sure anymore) .. this was in fall / winter 2002 ..
Posted by: Maarten Delanghe | May 28, 2004 at 05:41 PM
I think this new offer at blockbuster is wonderful.. best of both worlds.. a good offer and a reliable place for it. I hated netflix.. major rip-off.. have to depend on U.S postal services for proper enjoyment of offer. I would get the movies in almost a week due to slow mail and it wasn't worth my time in the end for what I payed a month.. not to mention I cancelled.. . and they charged me for an extra month. Blockbuster on the other hand, you pick up your movies and get two more right away and may do it unlimited for a month with more control.. Would reccommend it to anyone!!
Posted by: Luisa | June 05, 2004 at 09:50 PM
All of you make good points. However, I use netflix for the season sets, not just normal dvd's. With this blockbuster thing, I'll have the best of both worlds.
Posted by: Troy | June 22, 2004 at 09:15 PM
Well alot of Blockbusters movies are out of stock. Think about that too. ;)
Posted by: Sanlands | August 01, 2004 at 12:27 AM
The advantages/disadvantages:
Blockbuster - Out of stock problems. Many older movies aren't avail on DVD. The bright side is that you get them immediately and don't have to deal with shipping problems. Overall it's good if you just want newer releases but bad for oldies. Higher Price, less DVD's.
NetFlix - Shipping delays, lost movies, lack of customer support. The birght side is that you can get almost any movie on DVD, even full collections. Although they only ship collections one disc at a time which can take forever. Overall it's good for a movie collector. Lower price, more DVD's.
Once I've gotten all the old movies that I want from netflix, I'll cancel. Then I'll go over to blockbuster to keep up with new releases.
Posted by: Krehator | August 02, 2004 at 06:12 PM