Redbox kiosks are disappearing, but where are they ending up?

Redbox kiosks have been a familiar sight across the country since the first ones went into operation some 20 years ago.

But changing technology and the expansion of streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ have seen the DVD vending machines fall out of favor, and earlier this year Redbox’s parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

While some of Redbox’s 34,000 or so kiosks are still operational at places like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Kroger, those businesses are now making plans to switch them off for good and get rid of them, the Wall Street Journal reported.

But the removal process isn’t as straightforward as you might imagine as the machines weigh a hefty 890 pounds and are often anchored onto a concrete base.

Still, that didn’t stop North Carolina resident Jacob Helton from acquiring his very own Redbox machine after he struck a deal with a contractor that had come to clear it from outside his local drugstore.

Helton told the Journal that he wanted the kiosk because “Redbox is important in the history of American media. Its collapse marks the end of the video rental era.”

Each Redbox kiosk can hold around 600 movie DVDs (they also offered games until 2019) and Helton plans to give away the ones in his machine and replace them with his own DVD collection.

Whether the kiosks are sent to the scrap yard or snapped up by enthusiasts like Helton, retailers will be keen to offload them at the earliest opportunity. Walgreens, for example, spends around $184,000 a month to power nearly 5,400 of the machines, and they’re taking up space that can be used for other facilities.

One removal company based in Alabama said it’s so far taken away nearly 50 of the kiosks and gathered around 20,000 DVDs for recycling, collecting up to $200 per removal and up to $70 for the scrap metal.

With so many machines still dotted around the country, and the removal process set to take some time, it’ll be a while yet before the iconic Redbox machines disappear entirely from the urban landscape.