California Woman Creates “Free Blockbuster” Movie Exchange to Share Love for Films

A California woman has come up with a unique way to bring back the nostalgia of Blockbuster Video by creating a “Free Blockbuster” movie exchange in her neighborhood. Inspired by the concept of “Little Free Library,” where people donate and borrow books, Alyssa Kollgaard decided to do the same with movies. The box is painted in Blockbuster’s classic blue and yellow colors and filled with DVDs from Kollgaard’s extensive movie collection.

A Sentimental Project

Alyssa Kollgaard, a video game developer in Los Angeles, wanted to share her love for films through a creative and sentimental project. She had previously set up a free food pantry outside her home and realized she had an extra box that could be used for a Blockbuster movie library. With the help of her husband, a professional fabricator for film and TV, they built the perfect blue and yellow movie exchange box.

Bringing Back the In-Person Movie Browsing Experience

Kollgaard believes that the increase in streaming platforms has led to the demise of physical movie rentals and the loss of the in-person experience of browsing movies. She wanted to recreate that experience for her neighbors by providing them with a Blockbuster-like movie exchange. The branding of Blockbuster is visually strong and carries a lot of nostalgia, making it the perfect inspiration for this project.

A Growing Collection

Kollgaard’s “Free Blockbuster” box is filled with DVDs from her personal collection, which she has been growing for the past 10 years. She has also included some science fiction films and avant-garde movies with a cult following. Neighbors can borrow and return movies or even exchange movies to help the collection grow. Kollgaard has already seen some interesting exchanges, such as someone taking Kill Bill 2 and leaving Kill Bill 1 because it wasn’t part of her collection.

Creating a Sense of Community

This unique movie exchange has brought Kollgaard’s neighborhood together and created a sense of community. People have expressed their gratitude and even shed tears over the shared memory of Blockbuster. Kollgaard enjoys getting to know her neighbors based on the movies they rent and leave in the exchange box.

Blockbuster Video, once a popular American movie rental chain, closed its doors in 2014 due to the rise of mail-in DVDs and streaming services. However, Kollgaard’s “Free Blockbuster” is keeping the spirit of Blockbuster alive in her neighborhood.