The Netflix DVD era is over after 25 years. Here are the 5 most-rented discs

Sep 29, 2023

Simone Del Rosario Business Correspondent

By Simone Del Rosario (Business Correspondent), Emma Stoltzfus (Editor), Brent Jabbour (Producer)

Friday, Sept. 29, marks the end of Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service after 25 years and the delivery of more than 5 billion disks. At its peak, customers were inundating the United States Postal Service by returning more than 1.6 million disks daily. It’s the end of an era; let’s take a trip down memory lane with the five most-rented DVDs from Netflix in this week’s Five For Friday:

#5: The Bucket List

“The Bucket List” is a 2007 comedy-drama starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson as two terminally-ill men living out their dreams before they kick the bucket. According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, audiences felt mostly positive about the film. But famed critic Roger Ebert, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2002, gave it a one-star review. At the time, Ebert wrote that the film “thinks dying of cancer is a laff riot followed by a dime-store epiphany.”

“The Bucket List” isn’t free on any streaming service, but you can buy or rent it digitally at your online marketplace of choice. Streaming really took off around 2010-2011, so the films on this list were released at the height of Netflix’s DVD dominance, which led to Blockbuster filing bankruptcy in 2010.

#4: The Departed

Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson again and Mark Wahlberg: That’s a surefire recipe for a box office hit and critical acclaim, and “The Departed” didn’t disappoint.

It’s well known that Nicholson’s role was based on Boston gangster Whitey Bulger. It’s less known that the movie is a remake of the Hong Kong film, “Infernal Affairs.” Audiences and critics loved “The Departed.” It secured four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Director. If you are looking to watch this masterpiece, you can stream it on Netflix for a few more days.

#3: The Hurt Locker

Future Avengers Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie starred alongside each other in 2008’s “The Hurt Locker.” The thriller features Renner as part of an explosive ordnance disposal team during the Iraq war. It’s a heavy film and was rewarded for its handling of the subject matter.

“The Hurt Locker” won three Oscars, including Best Picture and Director for Katheryn Bigelow, who also directed “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Point Break.” It has solid reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to stream on MAX.

#2: Crash (2005)

The 2005 movie “Crash” is a hard drama featuring an ensemble cast of Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Terrence Howard and rapper Ludacris. IMDB describes the film as “Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss, and redemption.”

“Crash” took home three Academy Awards — including Best Picture — and has better-than-average reviews. It can be streamed with ads on Prime Video’s Freevee.

#1: The Blind Side

America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock also stars in Netflix’s most-rented DVD of all time. “The Blind Side” follows the supposed real-life story of the Tuohy family bringing struggling future NFL player Michael Oher into their home.

Fourteen years after the film’s 2009 release, Oher filed a lawsuit claiming the family never adopted him but tricked him into signing a document making them conservators to make money off his story. Oher claims the Tuohys made millions off the rights to the film while he took home nothing.

None of that has to do with the performances in the film, and Bullock received a Best Actress Oscar for her contributions. It has a decent showing on Rotten Tomatoes but is not currently available to stream for free as part of any subscription service.

Tags: movies, Netflix, Streaming, U.S. Postal Service

SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:

NO NEED TO RETURN THOSE RED ENVELOPES. FRIDAY’S THE LONG-OVERDUE END OF NETFLIX DVD-BY-MAIL AFTER 25 YEARS OF SERVICE AND 5 BILLION DISCS. AT ITS PEAK CUSTOMERS WERE RETURNING 1.6 MILLION DISKS EVERY DAY AND BLOCKBUSTER WENT BANKRUPT. LET’S TAKE A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE. HERE ARE THE 5 MOST-RENTED DVDS FROM NETFLIX IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.

THE BUCKET LIST COMES IN AT NUMBER FIVE. THE 2007 DRAMEDY FOLLOWS TWO TERMINALLY ILL FELLAS, PLAYED BY MORGAN FREEMAN AND JACK NICHOLSON, LIVING OUT THEIR DREAMS BEFORE THEY KICK THE BUCKET. AUDIENCES LIKED IT, ACCORDING TO REVIEW AGGREGATOR ROTTEN TOMATOES, BUT FAMED CRITIC ROGER EBERT, WHO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THYROID CANCER IN 2002, GAVE IT ONE STAR, SAYING, “THE BUCKET LIST” THINKS DYING OF CANCER IS A LAFF RIOT FOLLOWED BY A DIME-STORE EPIPHANY.” IF YA WANNA WATCH IT TODAY, LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY TO RENT IT FROM A STREAMING SERVICE.

SCORSESE, LEO, DAMON, JACK AGAIN, AND MARKY MARK. THAT’S A SUREFIRE RECIPE FOR A HIT. AND 2006’S THE DEPARTED WAS JUST THAT. IT’S WELL KNOWN THAT NICHOLSON’S CHARACTER IS BASED ON FAMED BOSTON GANGSTER WHITEY BULGER. LESS KNOWN IS THE FACT THAT THE MOVIE IS A REMAKE OF THE 2002 HONG KONG FILM ‘INTERNAL AFFAIRS.’ BOTH AUDIENCES AND CRITICS LOVE THE FILM. IT WON 4 OSCARS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE AND DIRECTOR. IN A 1-2 PUNCH, THE LAST DAY TO STREAM THIS ON NETFLIX IS OCTOBER FIRST.

BEFORE JEREMY RENNER WAS AN AVENGER, HE STARRED ALONGSIDE FELLOW FUTURE SUPERHERO ANTHONY MACKIE IN THE HURT LOCKER. THE 2008 THRILLER FEATURES RENNER AS PART OF AN EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL TEAM DURING THE IRAQ WAR. IT’S JUST AS HEAVY AS IT SOUNDS. IT GOT PRETTY SOLID REVIEWS AND WON 3 OSCARS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE AND DIRECTOR FOR KATHERYN BIGELOW. IF YOU WANNA CHECK OUT THE HURT LOCKER, IT’S ON MAX.

2005’S CRASH IS A PRETTY HARD DRAMA WITH AN ENSEMBLE CAST INCLUDING SANDRA BULLOCK, DON CHEADLE, TERRANCE HOWARD AND LUDACRIS. IMDB DESCRIBES THE FILM: “LOS ANGELES CITIZENS WITH VASTLY SEPARATE LIVES COLLIDE IN INTERWEAVING STORIES OF RACE, LOSS AND REDEMPTION.” IT TOOK HOME 3 OSCARS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE AND IS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN AVERAGE IN THE REVIEW DEPARTMENT. LOOKS LIKE YOU CAN WATCH IT WITH ADS ON PRIME VIDEO’S FREEVEE.

AMERICA’S SWEETHEART SANDY B ALSO STARS IN NETFLIX’S MOST-RENTED DVD OF ALL TIME. 2009’S THE BLIND SIDE FOLLOWS THE SUPPOSED REAL LIFE STORY OF THE TUOHY FAMILY BRINGING STRUGGLING FUTURE NFL PLAYER MICHAEL OHER INTO THEIR HOME. NOT SO FAST THOUGH, 14 YEARS LATER, OHER FILED A LAWSUIT THIS SUMMER CLAIMING THE FAMILY NEVER ADOPTED HIM BUT DID TRICK HIM INTO SIGNING A DOCUMENT TO MAKE THEM HIS CONSERVATORS TO MAKE MONEY OFF HIS STORY. HE CLAIMS THE FAMILY MADE MILLIONS WHILE HE GOT NOTHING. SO OUR NUMBER ONE ISN’T AGING THAT WELL. BUT NONE OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH SANDY’S CONTRIBUTIONS, SHE WON BEST ACTRESS FOR THE ROLE. AND IT’S DOING OK ON ROTTEN TOMATOES. YOU’LL HAVE TO PAY TO STREAM IT IN 2023.

NOTHING AGAINST THIS LIST, IT’S SOME EXCELLENT CINEMA, BUT CAN Y’ALL GO BACK IN TIME AND WATCH SOME MORE FUN MOVIES TOO? STREAM SOMETHING THAT’LL MAKE YOU LAUGH THIS WEEKEND, THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY, I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO AND IT’S JUST BUSINESS.