BLOCKBUSTER TO LAUNCH BIG MOVIE PROMOTION

A week before Black Friday, Blockbuster is kicking off what it calls Open House Weekend with a slew of bargains at its remaining 1,500 stores, including 49-cent catalog rentals and 99-cent video games. Other deals available on November 19 and 20 include a Blu-ray Disc player for $49.99 for any customer who signs up for either its in-store Movie Combo Pass or its DVD-by-mail subscription plan, Total Access. In addition, Movie Combo Pass — which allows Blockbuster customers to view an unlimited number of discs that they can rent at stores as well as one disc by mail each month — will be available for $7.49 the first month for those who sign up at a Blockbuster store. (That figure swells to twice that figure when the promotion ends.) The promotion comes as Blockbuster, recently acquired by DISH network, attempts to take advantage of Netflix’s recent missteps by calling attention to the convenience it offers to customers. In a statement, Blockbuster President Michael Kelly said, “Our Open House weekend is just one of the many ways we are striving to provide consumers with a full-service entertainment experience.”