The crimson kiosks read “the smarter way to watch and play.” The accuracy of that statement largely depended on how one defined “smart.”
Launched in the early 2000s, Redbox offered something of a hybrid: Blockbuster-style DVD and game rentals in a small stall that could sit in the corner of a gas station or fast-food joint. On another timeline, one where Netflix wasn’t offering to send you discs in the mail and streaming was not looming on the horizon, it would have been a slick idea. On the timeline in which you and I currently live, Redbox was all but doomed.
Which is to say, that doom prophecy has been fulfilled. On Wednesday, the judge handling bankruptcy proceedings for Redbox parent Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (yes, really) approved a motion to move the company’s bankruptcy from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7, effectively calling for the company to liquidate. As a result, Redbox will reportedly shut down some 24,000 kiosks and its streaming service. Another physical-media business bites the dust.
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