A familiar sight in the community will soon be a thing of the past.
Redbox, the DVD rental company with recognizable red kiosks across greater Gardner, announced that it was going out of business and would sell off its entire inventory.
The company had three of its 34,000 nationwide rental kiosks in Gardner. The locations included Walmart, CVS and Price Chopper. There were also boxes in Templeton, Winchendon, Leominster and Fitchburg. Customers could rent DVDs and Blu-Ray discs for $2.25 per day.
The kiosks still appeared to be operating in Gardner on Friday afternoon. It is unclear when they will stop operating.
What does the Redbox bankruptcy mean
Redbox parent company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which also owns the streaming service Crackle, had filed for bankruptcy on June 29 but reportedly changed from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 on Wednesday and will liquidate all its assets, Deadline reported.
The company will begin laying off staff and liquidating its assets soon, according to northjersey.com .
After Blockbuster closed and Netflix ceased its DVD-by-mail business, Redbox was the last of the physical media rental services. The popularity of streaming video services such as Netflix and Amazon has all but put an end to the physical media market.
Redbox was founded in 2002, and at the height of its success was adding new kiosks by the hour to keep up with retailer interest and customer demand, according to the company's website. In 2010, Redbox rented its 1 billionth disc and also started renting Blu-Ray discs.
In 2018, the company launched Redbox On Demand online and also began Redbox Entertainment in 2019 to produce original content.
What should I do with my Redbox DVD/Blu-ray
It appears the company can still collect fees if a DVD or Blu-ray is returned late. The company has not disclosed if customers will be able to buy the discs.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Redbox video kiosks to shutter nationwide. Here's what's left in North Central Mass.
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