Like a bad penny, Blockbuster keeps turning up. After the emotional goodbye Americans said to the last major video store franchise, Blockbuster is thriving in a place you would least expect: Mexico.
Before you scratch your head in confusion, it makes a lot of sense. In Mexico, the majority of DVDs are pirated and only 31% of households have Internet access. Cinema Blend reports that Dish Network sold their Mexican Blockbuster stores to Grupo Elektra SAB who are upgrading the stores and will add potential Blockbuster branded movie theaters south of the border. They will also offer a service for someone to come pick up your DVDs from your home for you.
It is easy to forget that other countries are not at the same technological level, infrastructure-wise, as the United States. We often take for granted how easily we have access to movies here to the point that people with standard Internet connections can download torrents of movies still in the theater in perfect quality while other countries have to wait forever and a day for a shitty copy of the same film. As a former Blockbuster employee, I feel the pain of those employees who have to wear the blue and yellow uniform, but as a movie fan I am happy another country has access to enjoy better quality cinema.