40 years of Blockbuster Video

Blockbuster Video opened on the 19th October 1985.

The first Blockbuster Video store opened in Dallas, Texas, USA on this day in 1985.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 stores around the world. 500-plus of those were in the UK.

From 9,000 to 1.

There is now just one Blockbuster Video store left open. It's in Bend, Oregon, USA.

There has been a boom in nostalgia for the brand in recent years. The Bend store is now a destination for people wanting to rekindle some of that 90's spirit.

Blockbuster in the UK.

Blockbuster ceased operations in the UK in December 2013. At the start of that year there were 528 Blockbuster locations in the UK. The number dwindled until October when only 264 shops remained. The last stores closed on the 16th December.

Even now, there are still some clearly visible remnants of the brand on the high street and on retail parks. And we've been to most of them on our travels!

Blockbuster Video stores we've visited.

Check out these posts about other former Blockbuster Video stores we've been to in:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Lost brands.

Emily and I have spent the last few years reminiscing about 'the good old days'. One of our areas of interest is in old retail brands - we're both marketers by profession and two of my first jobs in the 1990's and the year 2000 were at Tandy and Toys R Us, while Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper shop. It's been fascinating to find remnants of these brands - and a number of other lost, dead and defunct brands - on the high street and at retail parks around the UK.

Blockbuster Video Crazy Golf at Golf Fang Nottingham

A look at the Blockbuster Video-themed Crazy Golf hole at Golf Fang Nottingham.

Did you know there are 'Blockbuster Video' themed minigolf holes in the UK?

They're part of the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf courses.

The first one we saw on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour was at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham back in 2017.

Playing minigolf at the Big Fang Collective in Nottingham.

We played the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf course in Nottingham on our recent trip to the city.

We timed our visit perfectly during a wander round the city centre as the doors opened just after we arrived so we were able to be the first players on the course on a Saturday morning - a nice bonus for us as minigolf courses can get very busy, especially on weekends!

Golf Fang crazy golf in Nottingham is a themed, 18-hole indoor minigolf layout where the journey through the 18 holes gives you a wild experience of obstacles, sights and sounds!

One of those holes is a playable Blockbuster Video shop!

Find out more.

Visit the Golf Fang website for more information on the Nottingham course and other venues.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Golf Fang indoor crazy golf course in Nottingham was the 1,088th course visited and 587th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Golf Fang was formerly known as Ghetto Golf, and we've previously been to their locations in Digbeth, Liverpool and Byker.

Video shop memories.

Growing up in the 80s and 90s I've got fond memories of visiting video shops with my family and picking out a film or two (generally one of the Police Academy films, action flicks, or horror movies as I got older!).

I found the preserved remains of a Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in 2019. And during the coronavirus pandemic my interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued. Since then we've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels!

There were some 'interesting' titles in the BARGAIN BIN at Golf Fang!

Visiting Blockbuster Video stores.

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland.

The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013.

Amazingly we've been able to find traces of the brand at 29 former store locations. This has ranged from QuikDrop boxes to parking signage to full shopfronts!

A QuikDrop on the Golf Fang course

Playing Blockbuster Crazy Golf.

It was brilliant to play the immersive Blockbuster Video-themed Crazy Golf hole at Golf Fang Nottingham.

Related blog posts:

• Blockbuster Video
• Crazy Golf
• Golf Fang
• Ghetto Golf
• Video shops
• Video rental shops in the UK (July 2025)
• Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Golf Fang indoor crazy golf in Nottingham

A blog post about Golf Fang indoor crazy golf in Nottingham.

Playing the Golf Fang indoor minigolf course at the Big Fang Collective venue in Nottingham.

We played the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf course in Nottingham on our recent trip to the city.

The Claw hole

Having a wander round we timed it perfectly as the doors opened just after we arrived so we were able to be the first on the course on a Saturday - a nice bonus as minigolf courses can get VERY busy, especially on weekends!

The first thing we noticed about the Golf Fang venue was how large and spacious it was.

The lighting, look and feel of the place is cool, and as well as the crazy golf course Golf Fang Nottingham also has a bar (and they serve food), large arcade, and options to do karaoke.

Golf Fang crazy golf in Nottingham is a themed, 18-hole indoor minigolf layout where the journey through the 18 holes gives you a wild experience of obstacles, sights and sounds!

There's a lot of pop culture references throughout the course, interactive elements (in addition to the actual putting), and plenty of fun photo opportunities.

There was one hole that - when you see it - was always going to be my favourite to see, however my favourite hole to play was the interactive rave hole!

Photos of the Golf Fang crazy golf course in Nottingham.

Redrum!

Emily playing The Claw hole

Grabbed by the claw!

A Blockbuster Video themed mini golf hole at Golf Fang

A Blockbuster Video themed mini golf hole at Golf Fang

A Blockbuster Video themed mini golf hole at Golf Fang

Results of our game.

Unfortunately the scorecard app at the course crashed on the seventh hole, so we were unable to record the scores of our minigolf match.

We both tied for second in our game

A real shame there wasn't a hardcopy scorecard too - and it's also annoying as it's the first time when we've played a course that is app-only that we've also not kept score on a piece of paper too, just in case. Bah!

Videos of the Golf Fang crazy golf course in Nottingham.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Golf Fang indoor crazy golf course in Nottingham was the 1,088th course visited and 587th played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour since September 2006.

Golf Fang was formerly known as Ghetto Golf, and we've previously been to their locations in Digbeth, Liverpool and Byker.

Find out more.

Check out the Golf Fang website for more information.

Related blog posts:

• Golf Fang
• Nottingham
• Mini Golf in Nottingham

Blockbuster Golf & Games and Block Party

A look back at Blockbuster Golf & Games and Block Party venues in the USA.

With the news that the first Netflix House location will be home to a mini-golf course among the activities on offer, it's interesting to note how it's predecessor Blockbuster Video had some similar concepts back in the 1990s.

Blockbuster Golf & Games

Blockbuster Golf & Games was an entertainment centre that gathered together mini golf, batting cages, a giant arcade and more in one location. It didn't go as far as Netflix House in its use of popular brands and licences from the world of TV, film and entertainment though, with the Blockbuster branding being prominent.

Blockbuster Golf & Games was located in Sunrise, Florida, USA and opened in 1994. It closed in the year 2000.

Every so often old golf balls from Blockbuster Golf & Games appear for sale, however there isn't a lot of information or photos of the actual course available online.

Block Party

Also in 1994 Blockbuster Video opened two 'Block Party' locations - one in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and another in Indianapolis, Indiana. They closed in 2002.

Block Party was an indoor entertainment centre that brought together recreational activities in a retail environment including virtual reality games, laser tag, arcade games, indoor rides, 4D experiences and more.

Dead Mall Walking did a nice deep-dive into Block Party (and includes Blockbuster Golf & Games) and you can watch it at this link and the video below.

Did you ever visit Blockbuster Golf & Games or Block Party? Do you have memories of the place and the minigolf course at Blockbuster Golf & Games?

Blockbuster Video nostalgia

Nowadays there is nostalgia for the Blockbuster brand, and while there is still one solitary Blockbuster Video store still operating - in Bend, Oregon - you are more likely to see the Blockbuster name adorning pop-ups at events. One of the more recent was a collaboration with KitKat.

Blockbuster Crazy Golf

Interestingly there are 'Blockbuster' store-themed minigolf holes in the UK! They're part of the Golf Fang indoor crazy golf courses. This was the one at The Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham back in 2017.

Blockbuster Video crazy golf hole at Golf Fang in Digbeth, Birmingham (November 2017)

The remains of Blockbuster Video in the UK

I've enjoyed researching the lost brand and seeking out remnants of old Blockbuster stores over the last few years.

I found the preserved remains of a Blockbuster Video store in Fallowfield, Manchester in 2019. Sadly that location was demolished in January 2024. This is what it looked like shortly before it was lost forever.

During the pandemic my interest in lost brands and retail history was piqued and since then I've been to several former Blockbuster Video stores around the UK, as well as finding some other old, and some still open, video shops on our travels!

Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (May 2021)

At its peak in 2004 there were more than 9,000 Blockbuster Video stores around the world. 500+ of which were in England, Scotland and Wales. Interestingly in Northern Ireland the Xtra-Vision brand was used by the owners in-line with the Republic of Ireland. The last Blockbuster Video shop ceased trading in the UK in December 2013.

A 'Blockbuster Video' shop in Croydon, South London

A look at a 'Blockbuster Video' store in Croydon, South London.

I recently saw a post on LinkedIn that there was a 'Blockbuster Video' shopfront in Croydon! Luckily a friend of ours was down that way recently and managed to take a couple of snaps of it.

It's intriguing to see the shopfront (and what's in the window) in 2025!

You don't see red telephone boxes that often anymore either!

Blockbuster Entertainment postcards

A look at some old Blockbuster Video promo postcards.

I managed to find these nice Blockbuster Entertainment postcards by Boomerang back in 2020

I've enjoyed researching the lost brand and seeking out remnants of old Blockbuster stores over the last few years.

Check out my guest post about Blockbuster Video on the Picture Postcard Magic blog from Reflections of a Bygone Age back in 2020.

Picture Postcard Magic 31st October 2020 with Richard Gottfried What have you been watching during lockdown? With 2020...

Posted by Reflections of a Bygone Age on Saturday, 31 October 2020