TikToker Makes Surprising Discovery in Abandoned Blockbuster

One TikToker in the UK was casually walking by his local, abandoned Blockbuster store when something from inside caught his attention. What he found when he looked through the window left him stumped, leading him to believe he'd found a "glitch in the Matrix."

In his video, TikTok user w.ild.e showed viewers the exterior of the abandoned video rental store. "Right, so there's a Blockbuster near me, I pass it like, all the time," he says in the video as he walks around the building. He rambles a bit before walking the camera up to a window to show viewers what he'd found.

"But yeah, inside this abandoned Blockbuster near me, is just a...just a COVID-19 sign," he says as he zooms the camera in on the signage sitting on a counter. "What kind of glitch in the Matrix is this," he asks, "What's the purpose of that? What's the purpose?"

He captioned the TikTok: "Anyone wanna take a guess as to why it's even there?" So far, the post has more than 77,000 views.

Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and in 2013, a majority of the remaining Blockbuster stores throughout the world were shuttered, reports Business Insider. With that in mind, it's understandable why the young TikToker was surprised to find coronavirus signage inside the long-abandoned store. Many commenters were excited to create their own conspiracy theories.

"What if Blockbuster was always open, time broke, the timeline changed and that's a remnant of the version where it never shut down," replied one commenter jokingly.

"Simulation...I'm telling you," commented another user who also tagged a friend.

All jokes aside, commenters were quick to point out that the real explanation behind the COVID-19 sign is actually pretty boring.

CBRE, the company whose logo is prominently displayed on the sign, is an international commercial real estate company. Commenters explained that the company probably owns the store, and is in the process of either renovating the place, trying to sell it or both, which is why a worker with the company would have placed a COVID sign inside.

"CBRE will be the facilities supplier and have to have signage in every building for contractors," said one user.

"They're a company that buys and sells commercial property," wrote another. "They've bought the building and had workers in there."

Though it appears that this store's bright blue Blockbuster logo will soon disappear like all the rest, one store still remains in Bend, Oregon. Last summer, its owners listed the property on Airbnb for three nights, giving locals a chance to have a socially distanced '90s sleepover. However, the store is open year-round for movie buffs or those who just miss the good ol' days