At its peak in 2004, Blockbuster employed 84,300 people worldwide and operated 9,094 stores. The company expanded internationally throughout the 1990s. It was founded by David Cook in 1985 as a stand-alone mom-and-pop home video rental shop, but later grew into a national store chain featuring video game rentals, DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater. Blockbuster Video was an American video rental store chain.
