Movie-Loving FL Couple Shares Love Of Film With Free Blockbuster

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Many Floridians are familiar with the Little Free Libraries that have popped up in communities over the past 15 years or so. Those passing by are encouraged to take or leave free books at these small stands.

Now, movie lovers have a similar concept of their own: Free Blockbuster boxes.

Named after the now-defunct movie rental chain, homeowners — and sometimes businesses and organizations — use these Free Blockbuster stands to offer free movies, both DVDs and VHS tapes, to people walking by.

Though not as prevalent as the Little Free Library, dozens of Free Blockbusters have been established since its launch in 2019, mostly in the United States, though there are a handful of international locations in Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom.

In Florida, there are just two Free Blockbusters — one outside the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar in Orlando, the other at the St. Petersburg home of Trevor and Angela Anderson at 3446 Kingston St. North.

The Free Blockbuster concept was a natural fit for the couple, who love movies, owning more than 2,000 DVDs between the two of them, and own a production studio, Studio Fluxx, in Clearwater.

“We’re just a bunch of film nerds and we wanted to share,” Angela said.

Trevor even once worked for Blockbuster, at the location across the street from where the Seminole Mall once stood. That’s where he began exploring films of all genres. Today, he’s an award-winning filmmaker, writer and editor who teaches filmmaking and video game development classes at Hollins High School.

Angela has more than a decade of radio production experience and currently works at the Home Shopping Network.

Trevor hopes their Free Blockbuster stand will inspire others, either to explore their own creative side or to support local filmmakers.

“The thing we really hope the booth will do is we really want to inspire people,” he said. “One of the signs we have on there says, ‘Support local film.’ And we genuinely want that. I want to see this area get better for filmmakers. I know a lot of filmmakers in the area that are very talented, very smart, very creative. Unfortunately, the business just kind of sucks. It just isn’t here, and it could be.”

Angela purchased the components needed to build their Free Blockbuster as a Christmas gift for her cinephile husband. He put the box together and installed it in their front yard in early February.

Since then, the box has received a good response with people of all ages — from children to seniors — stopping to peruse the selection.

“I think they appreciate what it is. It’s the same as the book library, except, you know, movies, and it’s a lot of fun for them to check out what we have,” Trevor said.

There’s something for all ages and interests in their Free Blockbuster box.

“There’s an elementary school down the block and a couple of bus stops right in this area, too. So, I’ve seen kids walk past and pull DVDs,” Angela said. “If the kids are learning new things and finding some cool movies, that’s great. We try to keep stuff in there that is good for everyone. Hopefully, people can find something in there that maybe they’ve never seen before. We’re just trying to share our love of film with people.”

The couple even found one title they’ve never seen before, “Merlin,” a late 1990s miniseries starring Sam Neill, in their box.

The verdict?

“It was not good,” Angela said.

Trevor added, “We love films, and we go through a lot of bad films sometimes, but we like that. I can be a bit of a trash panda. And while we tend to have a little bit higher standards than the average viewer, that’s part of the fun of taking something you’ve never seen before from the box.”