A Documentary About the Last-Remaining Blockbuster in Bend, Ore., Will Finally Get Its World Premiere at a Drive-In This Weekend

As if a drive-in screening about Blockbuster isn't already retro enough, there'll be a VHS and DVD drive to benefit the last remaining outpost of the former video rental empire.

Bend Blockbuster (Elise Heimowitz)

A documentary about the Bend, Ore., Blockbuster—the last remaining Blockbuster on the planet—is finally getting its world premiere this weekend.

The aptly titled The Last Blockbuster will screen on July 25 as part of the Bend Film Festival, which will be a drive-in festival this year.

There'll be a Q&A with the cast, and—as if a drive-in screening about Blockbuster isn't already retro enough—there'll be a VHS and DVD drive to benefit the last remaining outpost of the former video rental empire.

Directed by Oregon filmmakers Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm, the documentary follows general manager Sandi Harding and her fight to keep the last location of the bankrupt video chain up and running. The movie was initially set to premiere at the Tower Theater in May, but was postponed due to the pandemic. 

Bend's Blockbuster became the only location in 2019, following the closure of a store in Perth, Australia. At the time, Harding told WW that she wasn't expecting her store to become the company's last surviving vestige.

"It just is what it is," she said. "We're excited to still be here, and hope that we last out a little longer."

Tickets for the premiere of The Last Blockbuster are available here. Those of us in Portland might want to wait until it goes to digital, though, considering the city of Bend is strongly discouraging tourism.

Related: We Visited the Last Blockbuster in America. Here's What We Found.

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