Loveable Pets 'Carl And Ray' Return for Blockbuster Total Access(TM) Super Bowl Commercial

Loveable Pets 'Carl And Ray' Return for Blockbuster Total Access(TM) Super Bowl Commercial

DALLAS, Feb. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE:BBI)(NYSE: BBI.B), a leading global provider of in-home entertainment, will bring back the loveable computer-generated rabbit "Carl" and his guinea pig buddy, "Ray," for a new commercial airing during Super Bowl XLI on CBS.

During the game, Blockbuster will air a new 30-second television commercial to raise awareness for BLOCKBUSTER Total Access(TM), the only service that combines the best of both worlds - online and in-store DVD rentals.

"We're celebrating the early success of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access -- which we believe is the best movie rental offering in the marketplace -- by bringing back two popular characters, Carl and Ray, for America's biggest sporting event," said Margaret Landis, vice president, consumer communications for Blockbuster.

From November 1 through the end of December, more than 700,000 new members signed up for BLOCKBUSTER Total Access.

The original "Pet Shop" television campaign and the newest commercial, dubbed "Mouse Click," were created for Blockbuster by Doner. "Mouse Click" features three fully-rendered, three-dimensional, 100 percent computer- generated animals -- a rabbit named Carl, a guinea pig named Ray and a new sidekick simply named "mouse." The spot features the voices of James Woods (Carl), Jim Belushi (Ray) and Bob Goldthwait as the mouse, as well as a closing voiceover from Alec Baldwin. Animation was handled by Tippett Studio, credited for similar work in films including "Charlotte's Web" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Campaign director Steve "Spaz" Williams also supervised special effects for Industrial Light and Magic on such films as "Jurassic Park" and "The Mask."

When Carl and Ray made their commercial debut during the 2002 Super Bowl, they scored the fifth-highest recall among consumers according to research from Ipsos-Reid Express Omnibus. The spot also ranked in the top 10 in popularity in USA Today's annual "Ad Meter" poll, and the campaign went on to win four CLIO Awards.

About BLOCKBUSTER Total Access

BLOCKBUSTER Total Access is a movie rental program that gives online customers the option of returning their DVDs through the mail or exchanging them at more than 5,000 participating BLOCKBUSTER(R) stores for free in-store movie rentals. The new program -- launched Nov. 1, 2006 -- is available only from Blockbuster and means Total Access subscribers don't need to wait to get DVDs through the mail, essentially allowing them to double the number of movies they can access each month. In-store movies are still subject to store rental terms, including due dates, and must be returned to the store from which they were rented.

With more than 65,000 titles to choose from online, Blockbuster delivers DVDs right to subscribers' mailboxes in return-pre-paid postage envelopes. There are no due dates or late fees with movies rented from Blockbuster's online rental service, and subscription plans start as low as $5.99 a month, with the $17.99 three-out unlimited movie plan being the most popular. Visit www.blockbuster.com for more details and to sign up for a free trial.

About Blockbuster

Blockbuster Inc. (BBI, BBI.B) is a leading global provider of in-home movie and game entertainment with more than 8,000 stores throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. The company may be accessed worldwide at www.blockbuster.com.

About Doner

Doner, headquartered in Southfield, Mich., is the largest independently owned advertising agency in North America, with approximately $2 billion in combined billings. The Agency has offices throughout North America, as well as in London, and does business in more than 30 countries for clients including: Mazda, Serta, ADT, Blockbuster, RealEstate.com, Owens Corning, HGTV, American Equity Mortgage, Lenscrafters and La-Z-Boy.

FCMN Contact: randy.hargrove@blockbuster.com

Source: Blockbuster

CONTACT: Karen Raskopf, SVP, Corporate Communications, or Randy
Hargrove, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications, +1-214-854-3190, both of
Blockbuster

Web site: http://www.blockbuster.com/

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