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Bing Blockbuster Quiz: 10 Questions With Answers
Blockbuster Video was once America's dominant video rental chain, with thousands of stores at its peak in the early 2000s. This quiz tests your knowledge of the company's founding, expansion, and eventual decline in the streaming era.
Looking for Microsoft's own quiz? It is on your Microsoft Rewards dashboard. This page is our own practice quiz on the same topic, so you can learn the facts first. For the daily image quiz see today's Bing Homepage Quiz.
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Pick A, B or C for each question. The right answer turns green and a short fact explains it.
All 10 questions and answers
Every question with its answer and explanation. Open “Show answer” after you guess.
1 In what year did David Cook open the first Blockbuster Video store?
- A 1985
- B 1983
- C 1987
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✓ Answer: A. 1985
Did you know? The first Blockbuster Video opened on October 19, 1985, in Dallas, Texas, with an inventory of 8,000 VHS tapes and 2,000 Beta tapes.
2 Which city was home to the first Blockbuster Video store?
- A Bend, Oregon
- B Dallas, Texas
- C Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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✓ Answer: B. Dallas, Texas
Did you know? The original store opened in Dallas, Texas. Cook was inspired by his earlier experience in the oil and gas industry, which was also based in Texas.
3 What was David Cook's previous failed business venture before Blockbuster?
- A Super Club Retail
- B Cook Data Services
- C Video Works
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✓ Answer: B. Cook Data Services
Did you know? Cook Data Services, founded in 1978, was intended to supply software services to oil and gas industries in Texas but was very unsuccessful before Cook pivoted to the video business.
4 Who was the Waste Management co-founder that acquired several Blockbuster stores in 1987?
- A Carl Icahn
- B John Melk
- C Wayne Huizenga
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✓ Answer: C. Wayne Huizenga
Did you know? Wayne Huizenga, originally hesitant about the video rental industry, agreed to acquire several Blockbuster stores in 1987 after John Melk pointed out the company's efficiency and family-friendly business model.
5 At its peak in 2004, how many employees did Blockbuster have worldwide?
- A 84,300 employees
- B 67,500 employees
- C 91,200 employees
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✓ Answer: A. 84,300 employees
Did you know? Blockbuster employed 84,300 people worldwide at its peak in 2004 and operated 9,094 stores across the globe.
6 In what year did Viacom acquire Blockbuster for $8.4 billion?
- A 1992
- B 1994
- C 1996
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✓ Answer: B. 1994
Did you know? Viacom acquired Blockbuster in 1994 to help finance its bid for Paramount in a bidding war with QVC Network Inc. However, Blockbuster's value fell to an estimated $4.6 billion by the end of the decade.
7 Which video format did Blockbuster choose to rent in 2007?
- A LaserDisc
- B Blu-ray
- C HD DVD
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✓ Answer: B. Blu-ray
Did you know? On June 19, 2007, after a pilot program, Blockbuster announced it had chosen Blu-ray over HD DVD format and stocked Blu-ray titles in almost 5,000 stores across the United States and Canada.
8 What was the name of Blockbuster's loyalty program launched in 1998?
- A Blockbuster Plus
- B Blockbuster VIP
- C Blockbuster Rewards
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✓ Answer: C. Blockbuster Rewards
Did you know? Blockbuster Rewards, launched in late 1998 after a test run, allowed customers to earn free rentals, including one older title each month from the Blockbuster Favorites category.
9 In 2000, for how much did Blockbuster decline to purchase Netflix?
- A $50 million
- B $75 million
- C $25 million
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✓ Answer: A. $50 million
Did you know? In 2000, Blockbuster turned down a chance to purchase the fledgling Netflix for $50 million, a decision that would prove costly as Netflix eventually became the dominant streaming service.
10 What billion-dollar campaign did Blockbuster introduce in 2007 to compete with Netflix?
- A Game Rush
- B Blockbuster Online Plus
- C Total Access
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✓ Answer: C. Total Access
Did you know? Total Access allowed customers to rent DVDs online and receive a free movie when returning it to a Blockbuster store, though each free movie cost the company two dollars.
About Blockbuster
Founded by David Cook in 1985 in Dallas, Texas, Blockbuster grew from a single store with 8,000 VHS tapes to a multibillion-dollar corporation through aggressive franchising and acquisitions. Wayne Huizenga's investment strategy enabled the chain to open a new store every 24 hours during the late 1980s, rapidly dominating the video rental industry.
Questions and facts checked against the Wikipedia article Blockbuster (retailer). How we write quizzes: editorial policy.
Blockbuster Quiz FAQ
Is this the official Bing Blockbuster Quiz?
No. BingQuiz.net is independent and not affiliated with Microsoft. This is our own free practice quiz on blockbuster, written from the Wikipedia article linked on this page. Microsoft's quiz is on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard.
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Sign in to your Microsoft account and open the quiz card on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard (rewards.bing.com) or on Bing.com. Points are only credited there.
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