Could Blockbuster be Returning to Texas in a New Way?

Yes, Texas might be one of the states to see the return of Blockbuster in the United States, all thanks to the efforts of one nonprofit organization. The Dallas-based company closed all but one of its stores back in 2010 -- the only last remaining one is in Bend, Oregon.

While Blockbuster's official website still shows a teaser of them "working on rewinding our tapes," there's another new way to enjoy Blockbuster called FreeBlockbuster.

What is FreeBlockbuster and where is it in Texas?

Founded in 2018, the FreeBlockbuster organization was made to give people a chance to experience renting & watching PHYSICAL movies again. Around the country they've been taking old newspaper boxes, turning them blue (or other colors as we'll see later), and making them rental/drop-off locations for people to donate movies so someone can watch them.

The only thing is, you HAVE to leave a movie too (like a take a penny, leave a penny).

Currently, there are over 160 FreeBlockbuster boxes in the United States, 5 of which are located in Texas. The city of Austin has the most with 3 -- 1 near the University of Texas at Austin; 1 on a street in Austin (which has photos on Instagram); and 1 next to the Far Out Lounge at 8504 South Congress, Austin, Texas 78745.

There's a Houston location near the Grand Prize Bar at 1010 Banks St, Houston, TX 77006

There's even one location in El Paso, as noted by this Instagram story from FreeBlockbuster. (That was news to ME!)

The interesting thing is, according to FreeBlockbuster, people can actually create these themselves with the appropriate decorations. People are also encouraged to contact FreeBlockbuster to let them know of any boxes they’ve made themselves so they can share photos & the directions on their website and social media pages. That being said, it's quite possible more might be popping up around Texas as we speak, all because of YOUR efforts.

So until we get to enjoy Blockbuster's return, if you want to experience a movie night just as you did when you were younger, there's a way to feel that magic of renting at a video store again.

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