People are surprised to hear that Netflix still rents DVDs

Many people who stream video on Netflix are surprised to learn that Netflix still has a business that rents DVDs by mail.
It’s a good service for cinephiles and people in rural areas without fast internet service.
But without promotion by the parent company, Netflix’s legacy DVD.com is in rapid decline. In the second quarter, the U.S.-only service generated $46 million in revenue, down 25% from the June quarter last year.
As long as the business is profitable, Netflix will continue to run it. But once it looks to become a drag on earnings, Netflix will either shut down its DVD service or sell it as a distressed asset.
Meanwhile, people on Twitter treat those still using the Netflix DVD service as if they’re living in the Dark Ages.

Yes, Netflix still mails DVDs. A footnote in today's earnings says Netflix did $96 million in DVD revenue in the first half of this year.

— Gerry Smith (@gerryfsmith) July 20, 2021

The Former Netflix DVD Library Is a Lost Treasure We’ll Never See Again https://t.co/r2PsOd9h3P via @pastemagazine

— Daína Chaviano (@DainaChaviano) July 22, 2021

Sorry if I've crossed the age cohort line, but my "not available on DVD" Netflix queue has 40 titles on it at this point. I'd pick "The President's Analyst" out of that pile. pic.twitter.com/AW8FMQXZe3

— Jim Spath (@jspath55) July 21, 2021

I remember when Netflix use to mail you DVD’s pic.twitter.com/PmzkXP0v2i

— Luster Douglas 🦂🇹🇹🇺🇸 (@BruceAllmiighty) July 23, 2021

I think I’m in the multiverse because I was at this UPS/Fedex Drop Off Postal Office getting help when a woman came in to drop off a physical Netflix DVD pic.twitter.com/fUvzVrxma2

— Sergio (@showtimechamaco) July 22, 2021

the one person in the netflix dvd dot com rental warehouse sending me my orders pic.twitter.com/SwvVoYafRU

— ˗ˏˋ leah ˎˊ˗ (@leahablur) July 22, 2021

I miss the video store so much. Everyone laughs at me for getting dvds in the mail from Netflix but it’s the closest I can get. I love physical media!

— Linda Shortman (@momlovesfilm) July 24, 2021

I still have Netflix DVD service don't @ me

— Handjobs for Ewoks (@jeauboux) July 24, 2021

im
I remember when Netflix was a service that sent u dvds in the mail
old

— aka dork (@yo_tufo) July 24, 2021

Newest physical hall of fame is devoted to monster trucks

By my count, there are more than 475 physical halls of fame you can visit in North America. They are dedicated to sports, performing arts, industries, professions, and other interests.
The newest hall is the International Monster Truck Museum & Hall of Fame, which opened on May 22 in Butler, Indiana.
The museum features a rotating schedule of over six classic monster trucks on display as well as historical materials and memorabilia.
The International Monster Truck Museum & Hall of Fame previously was an exhibit housed inside the Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum in Auburn, Indiana.
The next physical hall of fame due to open is the Arkansas Waterfowler Hall of Fame. It will be included as part of an addition to the Museum of the Arkansas Grand Prairie in Stuttgart, Arkansas. The expansion is set to open later this year.

Related resources:

Map of physical halls of fame in North America (currently includes 479 halls).

Conference organizers take steps to restart in-person shows after pandemic

After more than a year of shutdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the conference industry is trying to restart in-person events.
Last month, the Sweets & Snacks Expo held an in-person show after skipping last year because of the coronavirus crisis. This year’s show was staged in Indianapolis June 23 to 25. Organizers say the show had over 450 exhibitors and about 8,000 attendees.
However, the previous in-person show, held in Chicago in May 2019, drew more than 800 exhibitors and over 15,000 candy and snack professionals.
Other industry trade shows are counting on things to return to some semblance of normalcy this fall.
The National Association of Broadcasters is kicking off its NAB Show Oct. 9-13 in Las Vegas. The NAB canceled last year’s show due to the pandemic.
The 2021 NAB Show was originally scheduled for April 11-14, but organizers decided in September 2020 to move the event to this October.
Online video conference VidCon plans to hold its next in-person show Oct. 21-24 in Anaheim, Calif., after a one-year hiatus. This year’s lead sponsor is TikTok, which replace longtime sponsor YouTube.
Other trade shows have given up on 2021 altogether because of the still raging pandemic.
Organizers of the IFA Berlin consumer electronics show canceled this year’s conference because of the Covid-19 pandemic. IFA 2021 had been scheduled for Sept. 3-7 in Germany. Last year’s IFA was a hybrid in-person and online event.
Also, video game publisher Blizzard Entertainment canceled its BlizzCon fan convention for the second year in a row because of Covid. The annual event is usually held in November in Anaheim, Calif.

Related article:

Post-Covid reopening delayed by delta variant (July 16, 2021)

Photo: A worker at the Sweets & Snacks Expo hands out of a sample of Haribo gummy candies at the 2021 show in Indianapolis. (Sweets & Snacks Expo)

Post-Covid reopening delayed by delta variant

Just when the U.S. looked like it was finally emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic, a combination of the highly transmissible delta variant and the reluctance of many people to get vaccinated now threatens to force the country back into lockdown.
In April, it looked like music venues would open again for live performances this summer. But a month later, Justin Bieber rescheduled the start of his tour from June 2 until Feb. 22, 2022.
JoJo Siwa then canceled her July tour dates and now plans to start her tour on Jan. 13.
Near me, Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., hopes to start holding concerts again beginning Aug. 31 with the Eagles. Artists with September dates at the arena include Marc Anthony, Harry Styles, Celine Dion and Tame Impala.
The outdoor venue Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, had planned to welcome back throngs of music fans in July. But scheduled concerts by Black Crowes, Megadeth, Backstreet Boys, Matchbox Twenty and the Doobie Brothers were canceled or postponed.
Country star Luke Bryan is braving the market with a concert planned for July 17 at Jiffy Lube Live. Jimmy Buffett plans to follow at the venue with a show set for Aug. 7. A few more acts such as Maroon 5 and Jonas Brothers have scheduled concerts in September and October at the amphitheater. But it’s not the usual summer glut of live shows.
Elsewhere, Summerfest, described as the largest music festival in the U.S., is returning for three weekends starting Sept. 2 and ending on Sept. 18 in Milwaukee. Headliners include Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer, Twenty One Pilots, Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus. The 2020 Summerfest was canceled because of the pandemic.
There’s no guarantee that Covid won’t impact those events.
A music festival in the Netherlands shocked officials after 1,000 coronavirus infections were linked to the event despite it requiring a “test for entry,” CNBC reported. The Verknipt outdoor festival, which took place in Utrecht in early July, was attended by 20,000 people over two days.

Related articles:

The reopening of the economy can’t come soon enough for E3 (June 19, 2021)

Justin Bieber, Burning Man give up on 2021 (May 1, 2021)

Return of live events post Covid crisis still in question (April 17, 2021)

How the conference industry sees the reopening of the economy post-Covid (April 14, 2021)

Photo: Washington City Paper with Covid-19 headline on a bench at the Virginia Square Metro station in Washington, D.C., in April 2020. (Photo by dmbosstone via Creative Commons)

The post-apocalypse is thriving on television

Post-apocalyptic fiction is alive and well on traditional television and streaming video services.
Even after the finale of Syfy vampire apocalypse series “Van Helsing” on June 25, there are still 12 post-apocalyptic themed television shows airing.
Active shows include four zombie apocalypse series (AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Fear the Walking Dead” and “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” and Netflix’s “Black Summer”).
Including “Black Summer,” Netflix has six post-apocalyptic series. The others are “Into the Night,” “To the Lake,” “Sweet Home,” “Tribes of Europa” and “Sweet Tooth.” Those shows depict a range of end-of-the-world scenarios including deadly solar radiation, diseases, and monsters.
The other post-apocalyptic series currently running include “See” on Apple TV+, “War of the Worlds” on Epix and “Snowpiercer” on TNT.
More such shows are coming soon. “Y: The Last Man” premieres on Hulu on Sept. 13. Apple TV+ will premiere “Invasion” on Oct. 22. And HBO Max has “Station Eleven” queued up in the near future.

Related article:

Comprehensive list of live-action post-apocalyptic TV series

The end is near, Hollywood movies predict

The Earth has nine-and-a-half years left before it ends, according to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). With thinking like that, it’s no surprise that Hollywood now is fixated on depictions of the apocalypse and what follows.
While AOC is predicting the end of the world from man-made climate change, most of the current apocalyptic movies focus on alien invasions. Aliens make better movie villains than global warming. (In January 2019, AOC said, “The world will end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change.”)
Alien invasion-monster movie sequel “A Quiet Place Part 2” kicked off the end-of-the-world movies this year with its theatrical premiere on May 28.
“Awake” followed on Netflix on June 9. The movie, starring Gina Rodriguez, depicts a mysterious catastrophe that wipes out all electronics and robs people of their ability to sleep. The lack of sleep drives people crazy.
On July 2, Amazon Prime Video released alien-invasion flick “The Tomorrow War,” starring Chris Pratt.
More apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movies are coming this year. They include “Tides” and “Finch.”
Last year, despite the production disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry released six apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic movies including “Greenland” and “Love and Monsters.”

Photos: Movie posters for “A Quiet Place Part 2” and “Awake.”