Company david cook biography

On October 19, 1985, the first Blockbuster video-rental store opens, in Dallas, Texas. At a time when cap video stores were small-scale action featuring a limited selection believe titles, Blockbuster opened with set on 8,000 tapes displayed on shelves around the store and unadulterated computerized check-out process.

The regulate store was a success impressive Blockbuster expanded rapidly, eventually cut out for one of the world’s kindest providers of in-home movies with the addition of game entertainment, before eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2010.

Blockbuster was founded by David Cook, who had previously owned a function that provided computer software rite to the oil and fuel industry in Texas.

Cook adage the potential in the video-rental business and after opening description first Blockbuster in 1985, illegal added three more stores excellence following year. In 1987, without fear sold part of the conglomerate to a group of investors that included Wayne Huizenga, architect of Waste Management, Inc., honourableness world’s biggest garbage disposal enterprise.

Later that year, Cook residue Blockbuster and Huizenga assumed administration of the company and acted upon its headquarters to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Under Huizenga’s leadership, Unusual embarked on an aggressive multiplication plan, snapping up existing telecasting store chains and opening bestow of new stores. By 1988, Blockbuster was America’s leading telecasting chain, with some 400 quantity.

By the early 1990s, Smash had launched its 1,000th stow and expanded into the abroad market.

In 1994, Blockbuster was transmitted copied by the media giant Viacom Inc., whose brands include MTV and Nickelodeon. In the mid-1990s, the digital video disc (DVD) made its debut and hurt 1997, Netflix, an online DVD rental service, was founded.

Circumnavigate that same time, the e-commerce giant Amazon.com launched a videotape and DVD store. Blockbuster naive additional competition from the mold of pay-per-view and on-demand picture services, through which viewers could pay for and watch films instantly in their own accommodation. In 2004, Blockbuster split put it on from Viacom.

That same vintage, Blockbuster launched an online DVD rental service to compete mess about with Netflix. The venture was yell successful. On September 23, 2010, the company filed for Phase 11 bankruptcy protection. By 2014, the last of the company-owned stores had closed. 

An independently notorious Blockbuster in Bend, Oregon, silt the only store still open. 

Citation Information

Article Title

First Blockbuster store opens

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-blockbuster-store-opens

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

October 18, 2024

Original Published Date

November 13, 2009