Blockbuster and Blackpool off-licences: 24 retro pictures which rewind to the 90s and 00s in the days of video rental and the 'offie'

The chain video rental store had the monopoly, it was where everyone went for the latest movie releases and it was the 1990s answer to Netflix.

Stores fell like dominoes when the age of online streaming channels firmed their grip but it’s website was reactivated this week with a cryptic message heightening speculation that it might make a comeback. It read: “We are working on rewinding your movie”. In the meantime, these pictures are a reminder of how we did Friday nights in back in the day, Blockbuster, the independent video rental places we remember and the off-licences all make for a nostalgic look at a lost era.

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