Amid the death of physical media, a TikToker has gone viral after sharing a life hack that allows you to get Redbox DVDs for free.
What’s the hack?
Standing in front of the infamous Redbox DVD dispenser, TikToker Matt Houchin (@hattmouchin) said, “Redbox went out of business this year, and now this machine is giving away free DVDs. These machines have been disappearing from everywhere, but for some reason, this one is still here at this Walgreens.”
He then went on to explain how he recently bought and rented two DVDs but didn’t get a receipt. He also claims that he didn’t get a charge on his card for the items.
“It’s been several days now; there’s been no charges,” he added. “So I’m assuming, since there’s not a company for my money to go to, they’re just spitting out DVDs.”
He concluded, “If you want to take home some physical media or just a fun souvenir from the 2010s I guess, check this out at your local Redbox if you can still find one.”
Viewers respond
Viewers expressed their disappointment over the closure of Rebox in the comments section. One described it as the “end of an era,” adding, “I remember getting hyped when my mom would rent a movie from the local Redbox.” Others shared that they had tried the life hack themselves and confirmed it worked. One wrote that the machine wouldn’t accept her Apple Pay, while another said, “Just tried it. So far, so good, We’ll see.”
Numerous others also compared Redbox’s closure to Blockbuster, saying things like, “It’s Blockbuster all over again.”
In an Instagram direct message to the Daily Dot, Houchin shared, “I’ve been in touch with Walgreens corporate about acquiring the entire machine. I think that’s the next logical step here.”
“Since Redbox has abandoned it, as a movie lover, I would like to give it a good home,” he added.
He also said he was “shocked” by the positive response to his video. “It’s exciting to see so many people still pumped about DVDs and physical media in the streaming era.”
“People are clearly feeling the burnout from streaming,” he concluded.
@hattmouchin Free DVDs at redbox right now (as far as I can tell…) #fyp #fy #f #fypシ #free #dvd#redbox #movies #tryit #surprise ♬ original sound – Matt Houchin
What happened to Redbox?
On June 29, Chicken Soup For The Soul, the company behind Redbox, filed for bankruptcy, with Redbox going into liquidation soon after. According to Fast Company, the company was over $1 billion in debt.
Following the rise of streaming services, this process was arguably inevitable, with Forbes reporting that 99 percent of households are subscribed to at least one streaming service.
Other netizens have also noted that some Redbox kiosks have already shut down, with some card machines being taped over. We can only assume that the kiosk near Houchin will meet the same fate, but for now, at least, it appears to still be in some kind of working order.
Chicken Soup For The Soul didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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