Blockbuster Offers $700M for Hollywood Video

[MrChad]

Link

Blockbuster Inc., facing new attacks from big retailers and online operators, has offered $700 million for rival Hollywood Entertainment Corp. in a bid to combine the two biggest players in the movie-rental industry.

Blockbuster, the biggest in movie rentals, said Thursday that it had communicated its interest to No. 2 Hollywood Entertainment but that there have been no substantive talks on terms of a deal.

Hollywood Entertainment is already in a deal to let its chairman and chief executive and a buyout firm take the company private. The agreement, however, allowed Hollywood to solicit other bids, and the CEO said he welcomed Blockbuster's offer.

The deal would give Blockbuster, which already has 9,000 outlets worldwide, more than 1,920 Hollywood Video stores and 600 Game Crazy specialty stores. But it could also raise antitrust questions.

 

[richardycc]

you think the govt will let that happen?

 

[Deeko]

Good, there is a hollywood right down the block from me, whereas the nearest blockbuster is on the other side of the city.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

Hollywood>BB

Family Video > Hollywood

 

[Gibson486]

dear god no....Hollywood video is the only other decent place in Boston.....

 

[geno]

No

Hollywood is so much better than Blockbuster

 

[Modeps]

I heard about 2 years ago that Hollywood just wasnt doing very good at all... and they were supposed to be going under... of course, that was 2 years ago and they're still around.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: Modeps
I heard about 2 years ago that Hollywood just wasnt doing very good at all... and they were supposed to be going under... of course, that was 2 years ago and they're still around.

Many of the B&M companies have been having problems for a few years. Netflix and on-demand have been hurting them for some time.

Edit: Forgot DVD sales, which have been going through the roof for several years with the advent of dirt cheap players.

 

[MiniDoom]

Originally posted by: geno
No

Hollywood is so much better than Blockbuster

:beer:

 

[rh71]

competition is a good thing.

 

[five40]

both of these companies can go away....on demand/netflix are the way to go. With on demand I pay the exact same price that I pay at BB and I don't have to go fight traffic to get the movie or return it. Maybe if BB lowered their prices a TON I'd go rent from them.

 

[Triumph]

NO! I cannot stand CockBuster and their ripoff prices. What is it, something like 4 bucks for a catalogue rental at BankBuster? I refuse to shop there, and if they bought out Hollywood, well then I just wouldn't rent movies anymore, or find a mom & pop shop.

 

[PricklyPete]

Interesting. They have a 10yr old blockbuster and a brand new Hollywood nearly right next to each other. I wonder which one they would get rid of.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: rh71
competition is a good thing.

There is competition. Walmart, Netflix, possible Amazon soon, on demand rental, etc...

Blockbuster is trying to consolidate it's traditional strengh, B&M rental locations.

 

[MrChad]

I wish I could get widescreen movies via On Demand.

I rent from a nice local store across the street. Price isn't too bad ($35 gets me 10 rentals), and they always have the latest DVDs in stock. They deliver too I guess I'm spoiled by Manhattan.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: Triumph
NO! I cannot stand CockBuster and their ripoff prices. What is it, something like 4 bucks for a catalogue rental at BankBuster? I refuse to shop there, and if they bought out Hollywood, well then I just wouldn't rent movies anymore, or find a mom & pop shop.

but doesn't a rental cost more at Hollywood? It cost a $1 more where I live.....

 

[PanzerIV]

Nooo Lackluster Video needs competition to stabilize their absurd prices. I hope the combined one two punch of Netflix and Hollywood Video bring them to their knees even more so in the coming years.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV
Nooo Lackluster Video needs competition to stabilize their absurd prices. I hope the combined one two punch of Netflix and Hollywood Video bring them to their knees even more so in the coming years.

Blockbuster has already been getting it's ass kicked, that is why they finally started up their own mail service. In my town, the Family Videos kick the crap out of BB due to their much lower prices and larger selection.

BB has finally understands that they actually need to compete for customers these days.

 

[MetalMat]

Wouldn't blockbuster have a monopoly pretty much? Is this legal?

 

[dragonballgtz]

Hollywood>BB
Family Video > Hollywood

Movie Mania>Family Video

Netflix>Any of those stores.

 

[0roo0roo]

eck... i'd rather go to hollywood vid then evil blockbuster..

 

[PanzerIV]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: PanzerIV
Nooo Lackluster Video needs competition to stabilize their absurd prices. I hope the combined one two punch of Netflix and Hollywood Video bring them to their knees even more so in the coming years.

Blockbuster has already been getting it's ass kicked, that is why they finally started up their own mail service. In my town, the Family Videos kick the crap out of BB due to their much lower prices and larger selection.

BB has finally understands that they actually need to compete for customers these days.

I wish we had a place like that. I hate BB with a passion.

 

[aplefka]

Hollywood is so much better than Blockbuster. Prices are better, none of that two-day rental shit, and they're always a lot quicker at the checkout line. Plus they've almost always got the game or movie I want, so I've never had a problem. Blockbuster (at least near me) has also stopped carrying as many games and has very few now for PS2.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: PanzerIV

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: PanzerIV
Nooo Lackluster Video needs competition to stabilize their absurd prices. I hope the combined one two punch of Netflix and Hollywood Video bring them to their knees even more so in the coming years.

Blockbuster has already been getting it's ass kicked, that is why they finally started up their own mail service. In my town, the Family Videos kick the crap out of BB due to their much lower prices and larger selection.

BB has finally understands that they actually need to compete for customers these days.

I wish we had a place like that. I hate BB with a passion.

They are so popular here they keep building more and they appear to do much more business than either chain. I think we have five now total now. There are also two BB and two HV.

BB has their work cut out for them, especially with Walmart entering the fray.

 

[shopbruin]

NOOOOO. i love the MVP plan over at hollywood. 10 bucks a month and we rent 3 movies every five days. we don't always get new releases but we rent a lot of older random movies and not as recent new releases that are still 3.79 each.