Twenty Years After Blockbuster Turned Down the Chance to Buy Netflix, the Streaming Site Is Releasing a Documentary About the Bankrupt Rental Store

The filmmakers behind the documentary seem to be relishing the meta-humor.

By Shannon Gormley

On Monday, you can watch a documentary about how Netflix contributed to the fall of video stores on—wait for it—Netflix.

Directed by Oregon filmmakers Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm, The Last Blockbuster offers a look into the Bend, Ore., Blockbuster—the last outpost of the bankrupt video rental empire on the planet—and its fight to stay open.

The documentary premiered last summer at a Bend Film Festival drive-in screening. It's already available to rent or buy on streaming services like Amazon and iTunes. And, of course, it's available at Portland's own iconic rental store, Movie Madness. Or if you're in the Bend area, you can rent or buy a DVD of The Last Blockbuster from the last Blockbuster itself.

But the film's March 15 Netflix release has particular significance.

Blockbuster turned down the chance to buy Netflix in 2000, a bit of history covered in The Last Blockbuster. The irony is too obvious not to point out: Outlets from Hypebeast to BuzzFeed have covered the release.

The filmmakers behind the documentary seem to be relishing the meta-humor too. In fact, they were the first to point it out via Facebook.

"Just don't forget to rewind it when you're done watching it," reads the post. "And bring it back by noon on Wednesday."

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