VHS: 2000 maybe? Although I do know kids who were born from 2001-2008 but still had a VHS player they used.

Blockbuster: 2004/2005. Kids born after about 2000 will remember their local Blockbuster getting closed down.

I think the last Hollywood movie to release on VHS was in 2006, but a bunch of movies in 2005 didn't get a VHS release if my memory serves me correctly.

Blockbuster went out in 2011 right?

I'd say 2000 for VHS and 2006 for Blockbuster.

I think the last Hollywood movie to release on VHS was in 2006, but a bunch of movies in 2005 didn't get a VHS release if my memory serves me correctly.

Blockbuster went out in 2011 right?

I'd say 2000 for VHS and 2006 for Blockbuster.
Yeah. Blockbuster started declining in 2010, then in 2011 it was almost completely dead. Here in 2016, there are still Blockbuster's in business but I doubt they're visited much excluding nostalgia trips.

For VHS, it's somewhere between 2000-2002. I could remember seeing VHS tapes in my elementary school up until my 4th grade year (2008-09). But I don't really think a lot of Kindergartners from that year remember that. So I suppose 2002 could be the last birth year when kids actually know the existence of VHS.

For Blockbuster, it's probably somewhere around the mid 2000s. I'm not really sure. It could be true that 2006 babies can possibly remember Blockbuster before it was closed, but I don't think they truly remember renting something from that place. I think if you were an early-mid 2000s kid, then you would probably be the last to rent your movies on a frequent basis.

VHS: 2000 maybe? Although I do know kids who were born from 2001-2008 but still had a VHS player they used.


There are late 2000s babies who actually know what a VCR is, and actually used one? I feel like they don't use it that much, since the technology is archaic compared to what they use today.

Some other cutoffs for tech:

Transistor radios: 1981 (You could still get them well into the '80s, but by then, Walkmans had replace their purpose)
8-track tapes: 1983 (I myself was born in 1985 and wasn't aware of one until they became used in '70s flashback jokes in the '90s).
Betamax tapes: 1986 (For me, I probably vaguely recall seeing one in a store, but not to far into the '90s, they were gone from mainstream video stores)
Rotary telephones: 1988 (yes, they were still sold well into the '90s, though mostly as a "retro novelty" item by then)
Floppy disks: 1995 (I last used one in 2000, and I doubt kids born after then are only aware of CD-ROMS or USB drives, but even CD-ROMs are sort of archaic in the app age).
Corded telephones: 1997 (Pretty much all landline phones made since the mid-2000s are cordless)

For Blockbuster/Video Stores in general, 2005. Remember, video games were still popular rentals until their end.

Yeah. Blockbuster started declining in 2010, then in 2011 it was almost completely dead. Here in 2016, there are still Blockbuster's in business but I doubt they're visited much excluding nostalgia trips.


Where I live some Blockbusters are around.

Some other cutoffs for tech:

Transistor radios: 1981 (You could still get them well into the '80s, but by then, Walkmans had replace their purpose)
8-track tapes: 1983 (I myself was born in 1985 and wasn't aware of one until they became used in '70s flashback jokes in the '90s).
Betamax tapes: 1986 (For me, I probably vaguely recall seeing one in a store, but not to far into the '90s, they were gone from mainstream video stores)
Rotary telephones: 1988 (yes, they were still sold well into the '90s, though mostly as a "retro novelty" item by then)
Floppy disks: 1995 (I last used one in 2000, and I doubt kids born after then are only aware of CD-ROMS or USB drives, but even CD-ROMs are sort of archaic in the app age).
Corded telephones: 1997 (Pretty much all landline phones made since the mid-2000s are cordless)

For Blockbuster/Video Stores in general, 2005. Remember, video games were still popular rentals until their end.


I felt like in the late 2000s, online rental services like Netflix and Gamefly took off. Although if we're talking about kids, they probably didn't hear about those services unless their parents were tech-savvy.

There are late 2000s babies who actually know what a VCR is, and actually used one? I feel like they don't use it that much, since the technology is archaic compared to what they use today.
I know a 12-13 year old (can't remember) who used a VCR in his early childhood (2005/6-2009/10). I think he had a DVD player at the time too but I'm not downright sure. Haven't seen him since I was 18.

I know a 12-13 year old (can't remember) who used a VCR in his early childhood (2005/6-2009/10). I think he had a DVD player at the time too but I'm not downright sure. Haven't seen him since I was 18.


He probably had one from his parents. But even then, I would think that he mostly used DVDs.

Some other cutoffs for tech:

Transistor radios: 1981 (You could still get them well into the '80s, but by then, Walkmans had replace their purpose)
8-track tapes: 1983 (I myself was born in 1985 and wasn't aware of one until they became used in '70s flashback jokes in the '90s).
Betamax tapes: 1986 (For me, I probably vaguely recall seeing one in a store, but not to far into the '90s, they were gone from mainstream video stores)
Rotary telephones: 1988 (yes, they were still sold well into the '90s, though mostly as a "retro novelty" item by then)
Floppy disks: 1995 (I last used one in 2000, and I doubt kids born after then are only aware of CD-ROMS or USB drives, but even CD-ROMs are sort of archaic in the app age).
Corded telephones: 1997 (Pretty much all landline phones made since the mid-2000s are cordless)

For Blockbuster/Video Stores in general, 2005. Remember, video games were still popular rentals until their end.


I don't remember any of those techs except for the Floppy disks which I last saw by 2001 or 2002. And Corded Telephones which I last saw in 2003 or 2004. As for VHS/VCRs the those didn't die until 2006 where Blu Rays took their place. As for Blockbusters/Video Stores and Video game rentals 2005 seems accurate. Not just with Video Game rentals, but also Video Game demo discs. 2005 was before the the 7th gen was in full swing so the idea of downloading a full game from the internet or downloading a demo wasn't really known/common by the public. Haven't seen a demo disc since 2006/7.


In terms of other tech such as CRT TVs I'd say 2000. By 2008 people mainly switched to LCDs.

I don't remember any of those techs except for the Floppy disks which I last saw by 2001 or 2002. And Corded Telephones which I last saw in 2003 or 2004. As for VHS/VCRs the those didn't die until 2006 where Blu Rays took their place. As for Blockbusters/Video Stores and Video game rentals 2005 seems accurate. Not just with Video Game rentals, but also Video Game demo discs. 2005 was before the the 7th gen was in full swing so the idea of downloading a full game from the internet or downloading a demo wasn't really known/common by the public. Haven't seen a demo disc since 2006/7.


In terms of other tech such as CRT TVs I'd say 2000. By 2008 people mainly switched to LCDs.


I still see CRTs in some public venues.

My friend bought an SD LCD TV to play 6th Gen games and before though, and it looks atrocious.  8-P CRT or bust there.

I still see CRTs in some public venues.

My friend bought an SD LCD TV to play 6th Gen games and before though, and it looks atrocious.  8-P CRT or bust there.


Yep, 6th gen consoles weren't made for HD TVs as they were built when CRTs were the norm. I remember trying to play Kingdom Hearts on my LCD TV and boy did I notice every pixel.  8-P SD console gens for SD TVs. HD console gens for HD TVs. Don't mix and match 'em.

I normally don't see CRTs in my area. Not in stores or the houses of people I know. Whatever CRT I see are usually in a garage and hasn't been used since the LCD came and replaced it.

Cutoff year for VHS I'd say would be 2002. My sister was born then, and she remembers it well, we used it regularly up until around 2007. Last time we used it was around 2010, it was thrown out that year.

I remember seeing Blockbuster, but we never rented stuff from there. It was 25 mins away and more expensive compared to our local movie store (which is still up and running), which was only 3 to 5 mins away, and $3.25 (for 3 days) for a movie or video game.

Just seen a blockbuster in a rural town(Geelong) I visited yesterday. So I guess 2016?

Just seen a blockbuster in a rural town(Geelong) I visited yesterday. So I guess 2016?


Albeit it was very small.

Just seen a blockbuster in a rural town(Geelong) I visited yesterday. So I guess 2016?


A 2000s revival.

Just seen a blockbuster in a rural town(Geelong) I visited yesterday. So I guess 2016?



A 2000s revival.


That seems more like a 90s revival, since there wasn't a lot of people who used Blockbuster at the time. Sure, the stores were still there, but it doesn't really ring a bell to me when somebody mentions Blockbuster as a 2000s thing.

That seems more like a 90s revival, since there wasn't a lot of people who used Blockbuster at the time. Sure, the stores were still there, but it doesn't really ring a bell to me when somebody mentions Blockbuster as a 2000s thing.


Oh...  It was definitely huge in the early 2000s. I think piracy killed it.

Oh...  It was definitely huge in the early 2000s. I think piracy killed it.


That too. To me, Netflix, Gamefly, and other mail-to-DVD services in the later mid 2000s killed it.

Albeit it was very small.



could you still rent from there?

That too. To me, Netflix, Gamefly, and other mail-to-DVD services in the later mid 2000s killed it.


I'm thinking the same thing.

Are we talking about in general or when it was common?

If it's the former, then what everyone else has stated. If it's the latter, then it would be 1997/98 for VHS and Blockbuster. I don't recall seeing many people still going to the establishment after 2003/04.


That too. To me, Netflix, Gamefly, and other mail-to-DVD services in the later mid 2000s killed it.
And those (except Redbox) are all dead as well. I haven't heard about Gamefly in the last 5/6 years.

Albeit it was very small.


As far as i'm aware, Blockbuster still exists here in Australia. There are a few Blockbuster stores (still in operation) in Sydney. A Blockbuster store used to operate only 15 minutes away from where I live, but it closed down about three years ago and now there are no stores in my local area.

Are we talking about in general or when it was common?

If it's the former, then what everyone else has stated. If it's the latter, then it would be 1997/98 for VHS and Blockbuster. I don't recall seeing many people still going to the establishment after 2003/04.
And those (except Redbox) are all dead as well. I haven't heard about Gamefly in the last 5/6 years.


I still hear about the Canadian equivalent (GameAccess) every now and then. Redbox went bankrupt here a few years ago.

Are we talking about in general or when it was common?

If it's the former, then what everyone else has stated. If it's the latter, then it would be 1997/98 for VHS and Blockbuster. I don't recall seeing many people still going to the establishment after 2003/04.
And those (except Redbox) are all dead as well. I haven't heard about Gamefly in the last 5/6 years.


Really? I saw a Gamefly commercial last year (I don't watch tv much, and when I do, it's recorded so I skip commercials, so that's why it was so long ago), and I have some friends who use it.

Really? I saw a Gamefly commercial last year (I don't watch tv much, and when I do, it's recorded so I skip commercials, so that's why it was so long ago), and I have some friends who use it.


I guess it's not that popular in New York. The last time that I saw a Gamefly commercial was three or four years ago. I could tell because it featured 3DS games on their commercials.

There's still a video store in our area, but it's a Video Warehouse as opposed to Blockbuster. I believe the last Blockbuster around here shut down sometime in the early '10s.

Kids born as late as 2007 or 2008 could theoretically be able to remember Blockbuster, as the company didn't actually go bankrupt until 2010, but realistically I'd say you need to have been born at least in the early '00s to truly remember a time where Blockbuster was really a household name. Video rental stores as a whole really started taking a dive in the late '00s, once a majority of households finally got high-speed internet and streaming sites like YouTube started exploding.

There's still a video store in our area, but it's a Video Warehouse as opposed to Blockbuster. I believe the last Blockbuster around here shut down sometime in the early '10s.

Kids born as late as 2007 or 2008 could theoretically be able to remember Blockbuster, as the company didn't actually go bankrupt until 2010, but realistically I'd say you need to have been born at least in the early '00s to truly remember a time where Blockbuster was really a household name. Video rental stores as a whole really started taking a dive in the late '00s, once a majority of households finally got high-speed internet and streaming sites like YouTube started exploding.


I think if you want to truly remember Blockbuster, with barely any alternatives, I saw that you might have to be born around the late 80s to mid 90s. Late 90s and early 2000s babies don't really remember a lot about renting Blockbuster, unless they didn't use the Internet or digital cable in their early childhood. As for myself, my parents usually rent movies from Netflix since 2001, according to their renting history. So, I never really got to see the true Blockbuster experience, despite having a Blockbuster where I live.

There's still a video store in our area, but it's a Video Warehouse as opposed to Blockbuster. I believe the last Blockbuster around here shut down sometime in the early '10s.

Kids born as late as 2007 or 2008 could theoretically be able to remember Blockbuster, as the company didn't actually go bankrupt until 2010, but realistically I'd say you need to have been born at least in the early '00s to truly remember a time where Blockbuster was really a household name. Video rental stores as a whole really started taking a dive in the late '00s, once a majority of households finally got high-speed internet and streaming sites like YouTube started exploding.


people started streaming after Blockbuster shut it's doors.

people started streaming after Blockbuster shut it's doors.


I think they started online streaming since the very late 2000s, which was when Blockbuster was still around.

I think they started online streaming since the very late 2000s, which was when Blockbuster was still around.


and then you had streaming services.

1995 or 1996 http://boards.theforce.net/xentemp/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/old/51.gif

1995 or 1996 http://boards.theforce.net/xentemp/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/old/51.gif


I think it's perfect for Blockbuster, but not for VHS.

I think it's perfect for Blockbuster, but not for VHS.
I agree with him if we're talking about when they were still common. I'm sure people your age don't truly recall VHS or BlockBuster being popular to where everyone knew about it and went there to rent movies, games, etc.

I honestly don't remember BlockBuster still being in demand anymore after 2003.

I agree with him if we're talking about when they were still common. I'm sure people your age don't truly recall VHS or BlockBuster being popular to where everyone knew about it and went there to rent movies, games, etc.


Actually, VHS was still popular where I lived during the mid-late 2000s. In fact, my elementary school had a VCR hooked up to a TV when I was in Kindergarten to 4th grade. Same with my preschool (between late 2002-mid 2004, when I attended). Even though I think a lot of late 90s babies (including myself), don't remember going to Blockbuster that much. Where I live, there was a Blockbuster that was open until the early 2010s. I heard of it, but I never went inside of it.

I agree with him if we're talking about when they were still common. I'm sure people your age don't truly recall VHS or BlockBuster being popular to where everyone knew about it and went there to rent movies, games, etc.

I honestly don't remember BlockBuster still being in demand anymore after 2003.


I used to mainly watch VHS as a kid, we rented some from our local movie store as well (they actually still let you rent VHS, but there aren't many anymore.). I feel like the cutoff year for VHS would be people born around 2003.

When exactly did VHS become obsolete in the US? From what I've read, VHS declined in popularity in the US sometime around 2003 and was largely obsolete by the Mid 2000s.

That's really interesting, because when I was 7 (in 2006), most of the movies/tv shows at my local DVD/video store, which were available to rent, were still on VHS. In fact, apart from a small row at the end of the isle (which were DVDs), the shows/movies in the kids isle were all on video. I know I have mentioned it before, but you could still buy brand new VHS tapes in stores as recently as 2008, even though by that stage, they were only on the one shelf/row. VHS only became obsolete in 2010. I still used it on a regular basis until Early 2010.

When exactly did VHS become obsolete in the US? From what I've read, VHS declined in popularity in the US sometime around 2003 and was largely obsolete by the Mid 2000s.


In the U.S, VHS became obsolete during the mid 2000s when people bought DVDs more than VHS tapes and VCRs. Even though they didn't stop using them until the late 2000s.

Actually, VHS was still popular where I lived during the mid-late 2000s. In fact, my elementary school had a VCR hooked up to a TV when I was in Kindergarten to 4th grade. Same with my preschool (between late 2002-mid 2004, when I attended). Even though I think a lot of late 90s babies (including myself), don't remember going to Blockbuster that much. Where I live, there was a Blockbuster that was open until the early 2010s. I heard of it, but I never went inside of it.



I used to mainly watch VHS as a kid, we rented some from our local movie store as well (they actually still let you rent VHS, but there aren't many anymore.). I feel like the cutoff year for VHS would be people born around 2003.
I understand both of your positions, but I'm talking about in general. I still don't remember seeing folks with blockbuster items after 2003.

I understand both of your positions, but I'm talking about in general. I still don't remember seeing folks with blockbuster items after 2003.


But we're talking about VHS, not Blockbuster.

I agree with him if we're talking about when they were still common. I'm sure people your age don't truly recall VHS or BlockBuster being popular to where everyone knew about it and went there to rent movies, games, etc.

I honestly don't remember BlockBuster still being in demand anymore after 2003.


The mid 2000's was the last time my family went to BlockBuster regularly. The late 2000's is when we started using Netflix and On Demand regularly. Now of course, Netflix is a lot bigger today especially with binge watching and catching up with TV series, but back in the late 2000's we used Netflix for renting DVD movies in our mailbox and sending those back for more movies. VHS was completely dead before BlockBuster actually when you think about it. VHS started declining big time in 2003 when DVD's became the norm, and it was completely dead by 2006, especially by the time Blu-Ray had debuted. While Blockbuster in the mid 2000's and even early 2000's wasn't the same as it was in the 90's, the stores still remained around places throughout most of the 2000's. I remember BlockBuster still being common throughout the entire 6th gen gaming era. By 7th gen gaming though Blockbuster was dying. I think the last time I went to BlockBuster in my hometown was early 2008. VHS on the other hand, while my family still used it in the house for old movies throughout the 2000's, by 2002/03 we weren't buying VHS tapes to own movies anymore, we started buying DVD's from that point onwards.

But we're talking about VHS, not Blockbuster.
Ohh. Well then, it would still be around the same time. I stopper seeing people with VHS tapes after 2002/03.

Ohh. Well then, it would still be around the same time. I stopped seeing people with VHS tapes after 2002/03.


Man, I guess your location transitioned very fast with DVDs.

I think that what the cutoff year for Blockbuster VHS rentals, sales of used tapes was may vary depending on one's region.

The last time I went to Blockbuster Video while we still had a membership was sometime between 1999-2002 and I remember seeing a tiny section of VHS tapes for rent that time.  I didn't visit a Blockbuster again until the early 2010's when I walked in out of nostalgia.  It was very different and by then it was DVD's and some video games on CD.

I can't say with certainty when Blockbuster stopped renting tapes altogether because I switched over to Hollywood Video (HV).  HV was a lot closer to my home and the last VHS I rented from them was in 2003 or 04 (can't remember which, but I remember the range because it coincided with a certain time in my life).  Even then, the VHS section of HV was larger than what I had seen at Blockbuster Video a few years prior. 

Blockbuster was still somewhat popular in my region until the very end.  The Blockbusters around here in general survived the periods of downsizing.  The last Blockbuster around here didn't close until the company went out of business completely a few years ago. 

I think that what the cutoff year for Blockbuster VHS rentals, sales of used tapes was may vary depending on one's region.

The last time I went to Blockbuster Video while we still had a membership was sometime between 1999-2002 and I remember seeing a tiny section of VHS tapes for rent that time.  I didn't visit a Blockbuster again until the early 2010's when I walked in out of nostalgia.  It was very different and by then it was DVD's and some video games on CD.

I can't say with certainty when Blockbuster stopped renting tapes altogether because I switched over to Hollywood Video (HV).  HV was a lot closer to my home and the last VHS I rented from them was in 2003 or 04 (can't remember which, but I remember the range because it coincided with a certain time in my life).  Even then, the VHS section of HV was larger than what I had seen at Blockbuster Video a few years prior. 

Blockbuster was still somewhat popular in my region until the very end.  The Blockbusters around here in general survived the periods of downsizing.  The last Blockbuster around here didn't close until the company went out of business completely a few years ago.


I don't remember the last time I visited a Blockbuster.

I don't remember the last time I visited a Blockbuster.


When did you last visit a video store?

When did you last visit a video store?


maybe 12 years ago.

In Canada, of the years I have living memory of

1996 - VHS dominant
1997 - VHS, DVD available to the public
1998 - VHS
1999 - VHS

2000 - VHS, with DVDs exploding in popularity
2001 - VHS/DVD hybrid year
2002 - DVD/VHS hybrid year, piracy begins in infancy
2003 - DVD dominant, VHS on death bed, piracy explodes

2004 - DVD rising, piracy continues exploding, first wave of rental stores go out of business.
2005 - Peak year for DVDs, piracy becoming a huge threat
2006 - DVDs in decline, piracy growing, Blu-ray launches and barely registers on the map

2007 - Piracy dominant, DVDs in decline, digital download stores take off, Blu-ray barely exists, a lot of video stores go out of business or post massive losses.
2008 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs declining, Blu-ray barely exists, video stores continue to go out of business
2009 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs declining, Blu-ray maybe somewhat relevant, the recession is death blow to most video stores.

2010 - Piracy dominant, digital download stores a lot more prominent, DVDs/Blu-ray on their deathbed, Blockbuster has liquidation sales.
2011 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs/Blu-ray essentially become collector's items, Blockbuster closes its last stores.
2012 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, Netflix launches

2013 - Netflix is an instant hit, digital downloads and renting becoming common, piracy takes huge hit after it becomes explicitly illegal (before that it was legal to download, illegal to upload, neither of which was really enforced)
2014 - Netflix dominant, other streaming services launch, digital downloads/renting become more common thanks to smart TV and smart device integration, piracy still somewhat relevant.
2015 - Streaming, digital downloads/renting, piracy.
2016 - Streaming, digital downloads/renting, piracy. Canadians used 40% more bandwidth in 2016 than 2015!

----

Redbox launched in Canada in 2012, but went out of business just two years later in 2014, which showed the market had no appetite for physical media!

I never was a Blockbuster girl. I know my Daddy had a card but I used it rarely. Mainly because this place called WC's Video had Moonwalker and Michael Jackson the Legend  Continues (blame them for my strong as steel devotion to MJ now) and I lost track of how many times I rented from them But my mom had memberships to three different ones--WC's Video (now a nail salon) , the Village (now a chicken shack) and Hollywood (now a parking lot) They all had MJ VHS so I knew the lay of the land back in the day.

The last one I remember going to is Hollywood, maybe in 2007? I remember I rented an anime something like Sailor Moon, and I brought it back. It was next door to a KFC (also gone now) and the following week we went for chicken and it was an empty lot next to it where Hollywood had been. So...it really has been a long time since I had been to one. (Mom got tired of me renting MJ and just ordered the DVDs from the mall)  ::) And since I like classic film I just wait for TCM to show what I want to see. It's simple now.

In Canada, of the years I have living memory of

1996 - VHS dominant
1997 - VHS, DVD available to the public
1998 - VHS
1999 - VHS

2000 - VHS, with DVDs exploding in popularity
2001 - VHS/DVD hybrid year
2002 - DVD/VHS hybrid year, piracy begins in infancy
2003 - DVD dominant, VHS on death bed, piracy explodes

2004 - DVD rising, piracy continues exploding, first wave of rental stores go out of business.
2005 - Peak year for DVDs, piracy becoming a huge threat
2006 - DVDs in decline, piracy growing, Blu-ray launches and barely registers on the map

2007 - Piracy dominant, DVDs in decline, digital download stores take off, Blu-ray barely exists, a lot of video stores go out of business or post massive losses.
2008 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs declining, Blu-ray barely exists, video stores continue to go out of business
2009 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs declining, Blu-ray maybe somewhat relevant, the recession is death blow to most video stores.

2010 - Piracy dominant, digital download stores a lot more prominent, DVDs/Blu-ray on their deathbed, Blockbuster has liquidation sales.
2011 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, DVDs/Blu-ray essentially become collector's items, Blockbuster closes its last stores.
2012 - Piracy dominant, digital downloads rising, Netflix launches

2013 - Netflix is an instant hit, digital downloads and renting becoming common, piracy takes huge hit after it becomes explicitly illegal (before that it was legal to download, illegal to upload, neither of which was really enforced)
2014 - Netflix dominant, other streaming services launch, digital downloads/renting become more common thanks to smart TV and smart device integration, piracy still somewhat relevant.
2015 - Streaming, digital downloads/renting, piracy.
2016 - Streaming, digital downloads/renting, piracy. Canadians used 40% more bandwidth in 2016 than 2015!

----

Redbox launched in Canada in 2012, but went out of business just two years later in 2014, which showed the market had no appetite for physical media!


Don't forget HD DVD's brief appearance around 2006-2007 before Blu-Ray killed it. As it is today, Blu-Ray is a lot like CDs for music, they still exist, but take a big backseat to Ultraviolet and streaming codes. Plus, piracy has been around virtually since the launch of VHS/Beta, where simply having multiple VCRs with a blank tape allowed this initial wave of pirated tapes, and this lasted right up until DVDs launched. You could go further by saying that Betamax was put on the deathbed around 1991 and VHS became dominant over it starting around 1987 after being a close competitor.

In terms of Blockbuster and video stores in general, remember that when it launched in 1985, it was seen as just another local/region  video store. But before long, it soon overtook many of these smaller video chains (Erols, Wherehouse, Music Plus and Video Universe for example), which eventually closed due to Blockbuster, and you could say around 1990 is when Blockbuster emerged as the dominant video store chain, with Hollywood Video being the only real competitor. It even had opened 23 stores in the UK by the summer of 1990. It also helped by prohibiting the adult section in 1991 found in many small chains/independents, making it a family-friendly destination to take their kids. Also, having a multi-night rental term compared to one night only for most video stores made it more appealing for a visit. The early-to-mid 90s was also the point of the chain's greatest growth in terms of quantity of store openings: in early 1991, Blockbuster had over 1600 stores. In the fall of 1992, Blockbuster opened its 3000th store. By the end of 1995, there were over 4300 stores in North America and sold itself to Viacom. In essence, the '90s were truly the decade of Blockbuster.

However, that same 1995 article did warn about future forms of video-on-demand replacing Blockbuster, and that includes Netflix and other streaming services, so in essence, the mid-90s was the peak of the chain. The problem was Blockbuster failed to incorporate a mail-ordering service like Netflix did and introduced its "Blue Box" well after Redbox became popular. While Blockbuster did continue to grow somewhat for a bit while longer, opening its 6000th store in 1998 and opened its to 9000th in 2004, weak earnings reports started to come in so that by 2005, the emergence of Netflix (as just a mail-order serivce), Redbox, the lowering price of DVDs and the emergence of online video meant that the chain's terminal decline had begun. Outside of a brief pitch in 2010, Blockbuster ended its nationwide advertising campaigns in 2007. In 2009, the number of Blockbusters in America had dropped to less than 4500, and although Dish Network pruchased the chain as another 1000 stores closed in 2010 as the chain declared bankruptcy. By late 2013, all but 300 stores remained as the company announced its plans to close the remaining stores. So generally speaking, I'd give 2007 as the cutoff for remembering Blockbuster, though it could be as late as 2009 or as early as 2004 depending on memories and where/when the nearest store in your area closed.