Last Blockbuster on Maui Unaffected by Mass Closures

By Denise Laitinen and Maui Now Staff

Unlike Maui, the Blockbuster in Hilo (pictured) will close along with around 300 others in the coming weeks. Photo by Denise Laitinen.

The last remaining Blockbuster video store on Maui will reportedly remain open, despite 300 stores being closed over the next several weeks across the country.

A spokesperson for Blockbuster on Maui said that the Kihei store will continue operating. The Kahului and Lahaina locations have already closed.

Dish Network purchased Blockbuster in 2011 after the in-home movie and game company went into bankruptcy in 2010.

The company closed 500 Blockbuster locations across the country in 2012.

According to ABC News, the latest closures will leave just 500 Blockbuster locations open nationwide.

A spokesperson for Dish Network told ABC News that some of the stores were being closed because they were at the end of their lease while others were closing due to underperformance.

The video rental chain has had a tough time competing against companies that deliver movies online and via mail like Netflix and Redbox.

Although the physical stores are closing, Blockbuster will continue to offer video streaming on its website, as well as its DVD-by-mail service.

A liquidation sale at the Hilo store on the Big Island is slated to begin around Feb. 4.